Focus On Lighting Photos Focus on the Fundamentals.pdf

How to trigger flash
If the flash is not mounted on the
camera, we need a way to trigger
it remotely. Other than the hit-ormiss
method of having an assistant
fire the flash as we shoot,
there are several good ways to
do this. The best way depends on
what we are shooting and where
and, always, budget. Ideally,
balancing real need and real
money, we each decide what’s
best for us.
Synch cord
This is certainly the least expensive
and often the most reliable
tool for the job. In most cases,
there’s an electrical connector
on the camera and another one
on the flash intended for this use.
Exactly how those connectors are
shaped varies, though, and we
have to get the right cord to mate
with the camera and the flash at
each end.
Long synch cords may be expensive.
If we want the flash to be a
greater distance from the camera,
one of the more “expensive”
synch methods may actually
cost less than the “cheap” synch
cord. Still, we don’t always
need a synch cord to cover the
whole distance. We can use a
short synch cord where one end
matches the camera and the
other fits an ordinary household
extension cord. At the other
end, we have another synch
cord that mates the household
cord to the flash. This gives us
longer-distance triggering for
fairly low cost. Until very recent
times, almost all photographers
used synch cords at least much
of the time. They have two big
disadvantages, though:
Disadvantage 1. We can
safely use a synch cord to
trigger only one remote flash.
Mechanical cameras had
very lightweight electrical
switches, able to survive only
very low electrical current, for
Tools: Now We Have Light, but How Do We Get It under Control? 27