The aesthetics of street photography has evolved greatly over the years. On one side of the spectrum, you have the more “natural” look championed by icons like Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Klein, and Vivian Maier: no added light, no post-processing, no cropping, etc. Elsewhere, you have the innovators, the iconoclasts—artists like Bruce Gilden and Dina Litovsky—who regularly eschew the natural aesthetic by utilizing a camera flash to sculpt photos and images that would otherwise be impossible. In this article, we’ll be looking at how you too can innovate and elevate your street photography using a camera flash.
Reasons to Use a Camera Flash
Layering and depth is one of the primary ways a photo can stand out from the pack, mixing foreground, midground, and background elements so they complement or juxtapose each other in unique ways. This can be extremely difficult with natural lighting, as sunlight often creates a flat, even look where everything in the frame has a similar exposure. Shooting at night exacerbates this issue, as you’re reliant on existing lights to illuminate your scene. That can work if your subject’s close to a streetlamp or other source, but much of the time can result in mushy, underexposed compositions.
Using a camera flash, especially an off-camera flash, can function as a cheat code for this issue, as you’re suddenly in control of where light is coming from, how much of it is coming in, and what parts of the frame it’s illuminating. The viewer’s eyes will naturally gravitate toward the brightest parts of an image, so being in control of this element means you have a massive layer of compositional freedom. Aim the flash at the elements you want to emphasize and the fall-off should organically create layers of differing exposure behind and in front of it, achieving that much sought after depth.
I believe that every photo has an editorial eye and point of view via its framing, so adding a flash doesn’t make an image any more or less “real,” rather it lets the photographer better communicate their vision. Suddenly you can emphasize what parts of the frame feel most resonant to you, sculpting them out of the natural world and shining a literal spotlight on them. The director Werner Herzog often praises a “poetic, ecstatic truth,” one where “fabrication and imagination and stylization” work in synthesis to achieve a deeper meaning that more literal, straightforward portrayals of reality can never achieve.
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Reasons Not to Use a Camera Flash
The number one drawback to using a camera flash is that it makes any attempt at stealthy shooting virtually impossible. Expect gawking looks, uncomfortable eye contact, and some questioning from the public about what you’re doing and why. This can lead to photographers quickly abandoning the practice, preferring the relative anonymity of traditional street photography, but others will embrace the recognition by courting a give and take. Having your subject acknowledge the camera or look directly into the lens can create a more intimate, engaging rendering, versus the supposed impartiality of a candid shot.
The other negative (that might be a positive to some) is an unnatural quality to the resulting photos. Flash photography doesn’t look like anything we see in the real world, and can often have a surreal, dreamlike feel. This isn’t good if you’re going for reportage or documentary-style photography but can be hugely beneficial if you enjoy a more stylized look. Harsh shadows, blown out elements in the frame, and soft light streaks are all suddenly at your fingertips. Subjects can pop, backgrounds can fade or blur, and the world around you becomes a palate to draw on top of, not a static entity to respectfully observe.
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How to Use a Camera Flash
The first step is deciding whether you want the flash to be on the camera or off (via a tether cable or transmitter). Keeping it on-camera via the hot shoe slims your set-up and gives you a better knowledge of exactly how it’ll interact with your frame, as the angle will be consistent photo to photo. Taking it off the camera opens up so many more possibilities for how it can affect the image and is the more popular choice amongst street photographers. You can take it off-camera with a TTL cable if you like a compact set-up, or buy a compatible wireless flash trigger for total freedom of movement.
The next step is to decide whether to set it as TTL or Manual. TTL, aka “through the lens,” will force the camera to take a quick exposure test reading before firing the flash, sending that data to the flash so it knows exactly how strong to fire to achieve the desired exposure setting. A manual flash will always fire at the exact strength you set it to, even if the resulting photo is dramatically over or under-exposed. For photographers who want full control of the image, manual’s the way to go. For those just starting out or wanting a more reliable way to fire from the hip, go TTL.
The last major decision will be choosing if you want any modifiers on the flash. These could be color casts, bounces, soft boxes, or other types of diffusion. Many modern flashes will include some modifiers in the box, and it’s good to try them out for a few shots even if they end up being rarely used tools. If you do take to them, there are plenty of ways to upgrade to specialized modifiers that increase their effects.
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The Best Camera Flashes to Buy
If you’re considering using TTL mode even on occasion, it’s good to get a flash with communication for your specific camera brand. The most popular and affordable choice for this is the Godox TT350 Mini, which comes in Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic, and FUJIFILM variants. It’s small, durable, and runs off just two AA batteries. Sure, the output isn’t going to blow you away, but it’s more than enough for most situations. If you want to step things up a notch, the Godox V1 features a rounded head for softer light, as well as a higher output and rechargeable battery.
If you want something super small and don’t mind going fully manual, the LightPix Labs FlashQ Q20II is a fantastic choice and very common amongst street photographers. For only being the size of your palm, the FlashQ has some serious output, as well as a built-in transmitter for wireless triggering. It can sync to leaf shutter lenses at up to 1/1000 of a second, much faster than most other flashes of its size.
Even if you buy a TTL flash for a specific brand, you can likely use it in manual mode with other manufacturers’ cameras. That isn’t true for brand-specific flashes like the Canon Speedlite 430EX, Nikon SB-700, or Sony HVL-F60RM2, but those are great options if you see yourself sticking to that specific manufacturer in the future. The FUJIFILM EF-X8 is also a terrific, super-compact choice if you have a camera from their X-Series.
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Camera Flash in Street Photography: Final Thoughts
Using a flash in street photography is always going to be a little controversial. Check the Instagram comments on any notable artist who does it and you’ll see people complaining the flash makes the images seem fake or staged. And in a way it does! But when the artist can embrace that aesthetic and use it to craft images that communicate their vision and perspective of the world, magic can happen. The best way to know if a flash is right for you is to get one and try it out. Don’t make a snap judgement the first time you use it, but instead spend a week or two experimenting with different settings and styles. If even one photo jumps out, it means you’re onto something. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to street photography, and the people who take risks will often reap the rewards.
Do you use a camera flash when you shoot street photography? What are the main benefits and drawbacks? Do you have advice for people starting out? Share them with us down below.
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