The Canon Speedlite system is one of the most powerful flash systems on the market. With the 580 EX II model being the most powerful and the 430 EX II one of the most popular, these two share a common trait. With power comes complexity. Most people can use one to a limited degree, but to make the most of what it has to offer can take a long time — perhaps years — to learn.

In Canon Speedlite 580 EX II/ 430 EX II Crash Course, Michael Andrew will reduce that time drastically and have you doing more with your Speedlite than you ever thought possible. And as an added bonus, you will also receive a solid foundation in lighting in general. Even I was surprised with how much is packed on to this DVD.

Canon Speedlite 580 EX II/ 430 EX II Crash Course is around three and a half hours long and is contained on one disc. There are three main sections and a bonus section. I will break this DVD down by section.

Basic Lighting begins with foundation work on lighting. The idea here is that most training on the use of a Speedlite or other similar flash system usually starts you off with learning how to use the flash. The question becomes, how can you use a flash if you don't understand the fundamentals of lighting?

In this set of lessons, you will learn how to control exposure, what the two types of light are, and what it takes to improve the quality of your images through lighting. You will then learn about some natural lighting tips, creating long exposures with the use of a tripod, working with artificial light, and changing your flash power.

You will then examine working with fill flash, bounce flash, and see how f-stops affect your exposure. You will experiment with the inverse law of light, flash exposure bracketing, four-way lighting, and take a look behind the scenes of the four way light setup. You will finish up this lighting section with learning about the Speedlite modes, the types of metering systems it has, and you will see exactly how your camera's shuttering system works and how the first and second curtains in your camera affect your exposure and lighting.

580 Speedlite now gets you started in earnest with your flash. Although you have been learning certain things about your flash in the lighting course, you now focus on the flash itself. You begin with a review of what the symbols and icons on the LCD of your flash mean. You will then see what the differences are between the 580 and 430 flashes, and then move on to what the buttons do.

Article Author: T. Michael Testi

T. Michael Testi is software developer, a writer, and a photographer. He also blogs at PhotographyTodayNet and is building a blog about the development of a state-of-the-art Green Dream Home in Oklahoma.

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