What you need to pay attention to is the ease in which he got the results. He shoots the flash in Manual mode and then finds the right aperture and shutter speed by trial and error. Shoot, chimp the LCD, adjust. Repeat as needed.

So often we photographers rely on the automated equipment we buy instead of just thinking. I know the CLS system on my Nikon can control multiple SB’s and give me perfect exposures with ease. Getting back to basics with one flash and Manual control tests MY knowledge and experience.

Setting a suitable ISO and consistent (Manual) power on the flash allowed David to try different settings until he got the desired result. He also adjusted the zoom setting on the flash to change the light pattern.

Using simple techniques with a single flash can result in beautifully light. Take yours out of the camera bag and go experiment a bit. Want inspiration? Visit Strobist and read some of the articles there.

Bright midday sun is a terrible time for photographing people. Harsh light, heavy shadows, "raccoon eyes", and the heat all make for bad pictures. The secret to success is to find some shade.

The overhang of a building or a spot under a tree are great places to start. Meter for the ambient light and underexpose by 2 stops. Set your flash for proper exposure at your new aperture and start shooting.

He even uses a second flash (snooted) on the background to show texture and give some separation from the model. Read the entire article on Controlling Daylight over at Strobist.

Simple.  Effective.  Beautiful!

Polaroid is getting out of the instant picture business. They’re closing 3 production plants and letting go of 450 employees. Their thinking that people would still want instant pictures just didn’t pan out. Digital P&S cameras and quick printing at your local drug store, camera store or grocery store is apparently quick enough for everyone.

You’ll still be able to get Polaroid film into next year and Fuji will continue to make certain instant films, mostly for pro use.

The last Lighting 102 assignment over at Strobist is about Double Duty Lighting. It sounds easy: use one strobe and reflective surfaces so the light comes from multiple directions. David adds a twist by also narrowing you down to 1 of 3 concept choices.

Read the whole assignment and go grab the mirrors off your wife’s vanity. Or the mirrored tiles off your wall.

This sounds like a fun assignment.

Amazon.com: The Moment It Clicks

This is not your typical "how-to" book, although you can learn a lot from it. Each 2 page spread contains a photo and a description of how it was done. A huge variety of photos are contained within these pages, from portraits to sports to product shots to just plain fun stuff.

Read each spread carefully as there’s a lot of information about light and lighting. He is one of the current masters of lighting, whether it’s available light or strobes.

You’ll also get to see inside his camera bag(s) and lighting kits. Those of you who suffer from NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome) may want to skip those pages as it will just drive the desire!

Visit his blog for a dose of humor and a wonderful insight into the joy of being a photographer.

Back in my camera sales days I frequently encountered people who bought a light kit with 3 lights and turned out terrible photos. Cross lighting, ugly shadows from 2 or 3 directions. These people never learned to properly use the equipment. They assumed studio lights would magically transform their photos into works of art.

Dean Collins is mentioned in the article and how he was only allowed to use one light for his first year in school. As one of the recognized masters of lighting, he obviously learned the right way. Follow in his footsteps.

The Refract and Reflect article has a few examples of maximizing your one light. Using a side wall as a reflector, mirrored tiles, even crumpled aluminum foil. Think about what you have available and use it. I frequently use a single flash and reflector for all types of photos.

If you’re just getting started with off camera flash or studio lighting, start small. One light and a reflector goes a long way. Use your brain and find creative ways to light your subject. Shadows are okay. They give a 3 dimensional quality, show texture and detail, and prevent your subject from looking "flat".

Beside this blog, Strobist is a great resource for learning lighting. Bookmark it and visit often.

The sample photo shows how 2 simply placed light sources can produce dramatic results. Although the photo would be cool with just the big light source from the right, adding the snooted strobe to light the face makes it better. By seeing the expression on his face it changes the feel of the photo.

The assignment given by Strobist is to produce a photo using directional light and then throwing in some restricted light to add interest.

You could shoot a portrait with just a slit of light going across the eyes.

Or maybe an underexposed shot of a flower with a small beam of light highlighting the center.

Use your imagination and create something beautiful.

The Lighting 101 series from Strobist (link is to the PDF file) shows you the tools and techniques used by a professional photojournalist, David Hobby. Every day his job requires him to come back with the shot, no matter what.

The Lighting 101 series was started last year and explains about your flash and what you can do with a few simple addons. In the PDF you’ll learn:

• how to get the most out of your flash
• using umbrellas for soft light
• snoots and other tools you can build yourself
• using remote firing devices
• lighting for portraits, basketball games, macro and more

Visit the Strobist website and you’ll see David is full into Lighting 102 and exploring more about small flashes and using them creatively. The site is chock full of good info on lighting.

If you click the link at the top of the page for Midwest Photo you can see the kits they’ve put together just for fans of Strobist. You’ll also find a (much) less expensive radio remote system called the Cactus V2, if you’re not ready to spring for the Pocket Wizards.

Who is most susceptible to redeye? Well, kids under the age of five, blonde haired blue eyed people (like my niece above), and of course animals get that dreaded yellow or green eye. Or what some people call "devil eyes".

Using the Redeye function of your flash will work perhaps 80% of the time, but it’s not without problems. Some cameras have a big delay between the preflash and the burst that actually takes the picture. Some people will blink from the preflash or they turn their heads thinking the shot is done.

Tell people you’re using the Redeye function and have them hold still for an extra second or two.

Fix it forever

Photo editing software – Whether you use Picasa, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop CSx, Lightroom, or virtually any other program, they all have a tool for fixing redeye. With a couple of clicks you can remove the redeye. Save the file and never touch it again.

The absolute best solution to eliminate redeye is to use off-camera flash. (P&S users don’t really have this option. You’ll be correcting in software.) Using off-camera flash will require a cord or a wireless function in your flash and camera, but this will certainly eliminate redeye.

Having the flash off to the side or above the camera creates a larger angle of reflectance. In simple terms, the light is not reflected back into the lens and therefore no redeye.

The other way to eliminate redeye is to use bounce flash. You can do this with your flash mounted on top of the camera (not the popup, but an addon flash). Angle the flash head and bounce the light off the ceiling or side wall. Indirect light will give you more pleasing, soft light and solve the redeye dilemma.

You can also use any of the bounce cards or diffusers from Stofen or Lumiquest. They’re cheap, effective and very useful.

The first, and easiest, thing you can do is to use Bounce flash. Obviously, your popup or built in flash won’t do this. You’ll need and external flash with tilt and swivel ability. Bounce the light off a ceiling or side wall and let your camera’s auto system regulate the flash output. Just stay fairly close to the wall or ceiling. Twenty foot high ceilings don’t work!

Popup flashes on Digital SLRs can be softened by the Soft Screen from Lumiquest. This 4×4 inch panel works fairly well at reducing harsh shadows.

For your external flash check out all the products from Lumiquest and Stofen. The Lumiquest bounce cards and softboxes are inexpensive and quite effective. The Stofen Omnibounce has been a favorite tool of photojournalists for many years.

Try one of these products and you’re certain to see much more pleasing results in your flash photos.

Ringlight flashes have been used for many years by macro photographers. They are circular flash tubes that are meant to be used on the front of your lens. Since light is hitting the subject from all directions, there’s virtually no shadows. Then you can see all the details of the bugs you’re shooting.

If you look at Nikon’s latest offering for a ringlight you’ll find the R1C1, which uses a ring that holds multiple mini flash units. You can stick with the standard configuration of one left and one right (watch any CSI show and you’ll see them using this setup), or add more as needed. You can change the power of each unit to create shadows and give some depth to your subject. And it’s wireless.

A number of years ago, some photo genius decided this would make a great lighting tool for fashion and glamour photogs. They just had to make a bigger and more powerful unit. Soft shadowless light in one unit! And if you put someone up against the wall, you get a shadow all the way around them. Cool and unique. Check out the AlienBees site for details on one of the best ringlights available.

Give a read of the Strobist article on ring flashes and check out the DIY details linked there. Try building one of these and take some family portraits or chase down bugs in the backyard. Personally, I’m going to try the Tupperware version described here.

You’ll have another tool in your photo arsenal to make your pictures different than anyone else on the block.