Flash is going through a renaissance!

Flash is going through a renaissance. You only have to look at a few of the developments in recent years to appreciate just how far it’s come. Previously, photographers were limited by cumbersome power requirements; today, a studio is wherever you want it to be without the need for a generator – from the beach to the jungle, and everywhere in between. Battery life has drastically increased, wireless TLL technology has become mainstream, and mixing and matching brands’ wireless control triggers and flashes is an everyday occurrence for professionals. Competition is healthy. The industry’s exploration of light through flash is more exciting than ever before, but despite being light years ahead, for some, flash raises red flags.

With the launch of its revolutionary Speedlite 470EX-AI with world-first AI Bounce technology in February this year, Canon attempts to tackle just that. Canon Europe’s European Technical Support Manager, Michael Burnhill, shares his thoughts on the future of flash.

“Up until now, flash has been almost exclusively reserved for photographers who’ve mastered the art over many years, but we identity it as an essential part in taking your photography to the next level. Customer observations identified an underlying ‘fear’ when using flash, either through a lack of confidence to achieve their desired outcome or being disappointed with the results from an in-built flash or a cheap flash gun they had bought.

“With the Speedlite 470EX-AI we wanted to democratize flash and provide photographers with the confidence to focus more on the shooting subject in question, and less on how to achieve the desired results. Through the introduction of this world-first AI Bounce technology, our ambition is that more photographers, both enthusiasts and seasoned professionals, will start to experiment, grow their confidence and develop their style with flash so that the market can continue to mature.”