Last night I was talking with a friend who has gotten into photography and she asked about advice on a flash for her camera (Canon T5i). Later, I realized the subject lighting is more complex than what I told her. I decided to type up some advice for my friend and other beginning photographers.

Lighting really depends on what you are doing and your budget. I’m going to go from most inexpensive and easy and work my way up through likely scenarios.

First, get something to steady your camera, a tripod or monopod. The tripod I use is the Zomei 688 tripod. This is a fairly inexpensive tripod that has a neat feature. You can remove a leg and use it as a monopod. Another option for when you are walking about is this Vanguard monopod. If you have the extra money, get the carbon fiber version of one or both of these. It will save you some weight.

If you are only needing to light up still subjects, get a couple of these work lights and 100 watt LED bulbs. You can clip some pieces of wax paper to the front of the lights to soften the light.

For on or off camera flash taking pictures of still subjects or portraiture, I recommend the Yongnuo 560IV. They are inexpensive and reliable. The 560IV have built in wireless receivers. This means that you can remotely control them off of your camera. You can either use a 560IV or a 560tx transmitter to control them remotely.

Now, if you are wanting to freeze action (like cats playing indoors at night), I recommend a Yongnuo 600EX Flash. This will both automatically adjust itself for your camera settings and support shutter speeds of up to 1/8000 of a second. This is called high speed sync. Not all flashes support this.

I have one more recommendation. It is an eBook, Stunning Digital Photography by Tony and Chelsea Northrup. It’s a great book that covers a lot of information. It includes links to videos for further in depth explanations of the subject matter being covered. And, the eBook is only $9.99.