Flash Photography is one of those aspects of a wedding day that, most of us would rather do without. In the back of our minds, we know we need to learn flash, but if we’re being honest, we’d just rather… not.

Over the next several weeks, I want to help you change that!

In part one of our Flash Photography series, I outlined the 3 Reasons Flash Photography Isn’t as Scary as You Think. Today, building from that idea, I want to share 6 reasons you need to go ahead and learn to shoot with flash TODAY.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

Reason #1:  It Adds Value to your Galleries

Real talk for a minute: I didn’t even OWN a flash until my 4th wedding. It felt like an unnecessary extra expense after I’d just spent allll this money on a camera body and lenses – sound familiar? I got incredibly lucky with my first couple weddings, which, for the most part, took place during daylight hours. But even with mostly daytime weddings, I could see the drop-off in my image quality in those after-sunset images. There’s just only so much that cranking your ISO can do for you! Just look at the difference in image quality by simply adding flash to my images:

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Reason #2:  Added Value = Higher Pricing

Isn’t the difference in image quality wild?! All that added value to my images allowed me to do something that it will also afford you the opportunity to do with your work: raise your prices, Most photographers I’ve spoken with, including students who have gone through our Flash Course, have told me they raised (or plan to raise) their prices by anywhere from $500 – $1200 dollars after learning to shoot with flash. Multiply that by even just 10 weddings a year, and you’re looking at potentially adding $5000-12000 to your annual revenue, just by learning to shoot with flash!

Reason #3:  It Attracts Higher-End Clientele

Close your eyes for a minute. Imagine shooting your dream wedding for your dream couple. Picture the venue (personally, I’m picturing The White Sparrow). The florals. The Decor. Imagine the dream gallery you’re delivering to those amazing newlyweds you’re serving.

Now, let me ask you: in this dream scenario… are all your night shots taken with or without flash?

Learning to shoot with Flash not only allows you to charge more for your enhanced services, but your quality and price point in turn will allow you to push into a higher-end market. The reality is, clients who spend more on their wedding photography are simply going to expect a higher degree of quality from start to finish in their galleries, and learning to shoot with flash allows you to provide that extra layer of quality to your work your dream clients are looking for! And if you don’t think brides notice the difference, just look at our bride’s response to this image:

Reason #4:  It Can Bail You Out of Tight Spots

We’ve all been there. We walk in to the wedding venue (or house… or hotel room), and the available light is just… NOT there. Without a flash, what do you do in those moments?

I recently shot a gorgeous wedding for an even more gorgeous couple out in California. These lovers, like many in this season, had their grandest wedding dreams dashed by COVID, shifting them from a country club to a friend’s house. They were, however, determined to make their day the most stunning it could possibly be, and we were thrilled to be part of the solution! The house where the wedding took place didn’t have a ton of natural light available, and without flash I would have been forced to shoot dark images that looked nothing like the rest of the day’s gallery! Thankfully, because I knew how to shoot with flash, I was able to capture an image like the one on the right:

As you can see on the left, this was a fairly dark bedroom with very little natural light to work with, but adding a flash allowed me totally transform the image into something soft and bright and beautiful!

Reason #5:  It Gives You More Control Than Natural Light

One of the biggest lies we believe about shooting with flash is that it takes away control over your images. This couldn’t be more false! Imagine being able to pluck the sun right out of the sky and place it exactly where you wanted it for the perfect lighting. That’s what shooting with flash can do for you! Once you learn the basics, you’ll be telling the sun where to go, instead of wondering where it went!

Reason #6:  The Essentials Can be Learned in An Afternoon

After years of teaching photographers to shoot with flash, if there’s one thing I can count on, it’s that people wait til the day before the wedding to try and learn flash.

While I don’t recommend this approach, I TOTALLY GET IT As I’ll explain in Friday’s post, I did the same thing starting out! (Spoiler: I actually bought my first flash ON MY WAY TO A WEDDING!) And the beautiful thing I’ve learned over the years is, pretty much anyone can learn the essentials of shooting with flash in an afternoon!

Knowing how learning flash often gets delayed, I built our Flash Course with quick and easy wins in mind! I wish I’d kept track of how many times I’ve heard stories like this from students who have implemented my flash system:

Shooting with Flash doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, shooting with flash is something you need to learn today! It raises the value of your galleries. That added value and quality can lead to higher pricing for your services, and higher-end clientele. Knowing how to use a flash can bail you out of some of your biggest lighting jams, and give you more control over light. And you can get the basics down in an afternoon! I promise… you don’t have to be a wizard at this stuff. You just need to know where to start. As I’ll share on Friday, my own flash journey was one that started out full of chaos and confusion. If I could figure this stuff out, I’m confident you can too!

Want to discover more? I’m offering a FREE Flash Webinar November 18 and 19… click the image below to learn more and claim your spot!