Canon flash for night landscape photography

[15sunrises]

<p>I've experimented with star/planet/moon images for a while now with some being tracked exposures of the stars combined with untracked exposures of the foreground. I've started to think that a flash might be a good addition to the kit as more often than not, ambient light isn't enough to illuminate the foreground, and nights with the moon often don't provide the best viewing for stars. </p>

<p>Since I don't need the flash to be too speedy, I was hoping that somebody could suggest a good option for a reasonable cost, I've looked at the Canon Speedlight 430EXII which seems to be a reasonable option, and could also be used for indoor shoots (which I do very rarely), but am looking for additional suggestions if anybody has any.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[sheldonnalos]

<p>Flash at night for the foreground? You're really in the realm of light painting at that point. You could use a flashlight, an LED lamp, or any manual powered strobe. Fire up a long exposure on a tripod, walk around lighting things up and then go back to your camera to see how it looks. Repeat the process for as many exposures as you desire, then composite them together in Photoshop.</p>

<p>Here's two images with that technique. First image is flash only for the foreground. Second image is both flash and light painting with an LED spotlight for the house, which was totally dark and abandoned. Flash interior and light painted exterior. </p>

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[Two23]

<p>How much area do you want to light up? I shoot at night a lot, and use up to 15 flash with radio triggers. I can light up about 1,000 ft. of a freight train. I don't use expensive iTTL flash for this though. I get a lot more for my money with older, cheaper flash in manual mode.<br>

Kent in SD</p>

[15sunrises]

<p>I would be looking to just light up the immediate foreground, nothing too far in the distance.</p>

[Two23]

<p>The Canon flash you mention will do that, but does it have an option to use it off camera? You are almost always better off putting the flash on a lightstand, and you then have control over the direction of the light. That is huge.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[profhlynnjones]

<p>Take a look at the two volume video or DVD called "Creative Outdoor Photography" with Frans Lanting and Galen Rowell (the last thing Galen did before his death in a plane crash). Go to the second tape where Galen does some spectacular flash assist in landscape and the use of various neutral density filters.</p>

<p>Lynn</p>

[Jeff Lear]

<p>This is a 30 second exposure (rising Moon on the horizon). I let the foreground with a very quick sweep using 4-cell LED Maglite. This was my first experiment with light painting and found it to be much more flexible and economical than using flashes but I suspect the light quality may suffer. I'll experiment with other sources and techniques in the future.</p>

<p><img src="http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/F1Addict/IMG_3721-1_pb600.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Love those photos, Sheldon. Very inspiring.</p>

[GlennS]

<p>Another possibility is flash bulbs, the larger sizes can produce a lot of light. Here's a link to a company that still makes them http://www.meggaflash.com/</p>

<p>Check out "night train big shot" in the gallery area of the meggaflash web site.</p>

 

[profhlynnjones]

<p>I have seen several dusk and dusk/night photographs with foreground assistance using led meglight flashlights. Over the years I have often used my Norman 200 B especially as a bare bulb foreground illuminant.<br>

Lynn</p>