Understanding Flash Power

Confused by flash? Empower yourself with full creative control by learning how to control your lights.

Before you can achieve top-quality results with your studio lighting, you need to understand power. This class breaks it down into simple, easy-to-understand steps.

Each type of studio light has different power capabilities. To harness those capabilities and give yourself full creative control, you need to make flash power work for you.

This photography class covers all you need to know about flash power, including the relationship between f-stops and studio light power, why it’s important (but not necessarily crucial) to have a large range of power, and the factors that influence power.

In this class:

  • Joules and what they mean
  • The relationship between f-stops and studio light power
  • Factors that influence power
  • Achieving the correct exposure
  • Power ranges and how to overcome a limited power range
  • Power output comparison between studio light power and speedlight power

Questions? Please post them in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. Hi Karl,

    I really appreciate your teaching methodology, its quite comprehensive. The concept of flash power in relation to aperture settings is now clear to me.

  2. Karl, greetings from a fellow Brit from Sevenoaks, Kent but now in sunny California. I studied portraiture at night school in England but nowhere as in depth as your insightful tutorial. I also had a studio in California. My original monolights were 240V Multiblitz Mini Studio 800 and 400 watt, powered by a step up transformer from 110V. I have now added 110V monolights. I found your video extremely helpful, so thank you. I have just measured my Flashpoint XPLOR 400 Pro TTL (Godox AD400 Pro) battery powered monolight against a couple of speedlights and was surprised at the result. The Flashpoint 400 watt at full power gave f22 and the speed light at f16, just a one stop difference and I presume the same output as the Godox AD 200 watt pro. That saves me the expense of adding the Godox AD200 since I have added an S type flash bracket to the speedlight plus wireless receiver allowing me to use Bowens type modifiers. Once again, many thanks for your very helpful tutorial and I also learned that studio lighting has “dual” nomenclature (“joules” and watts – British pun). Peter

    1. Hi Peter, thanks and you are welcome. Also the power output of any light is greatly affected by the type of reflector modifier on it, hence why parabolic reflectors are so good as much more of the energy of the light is focused forwards. Changing the zoom on a speedlite to a longer focal length will also direct more of its energy forwards.

  3. Hi,

    I must admit that I’m mildly confused as it relates to the relationship between “F-stop” and flash power. After watching the tutorial, I have more of a grasp of the concepts. Do you recommend anything to assist in making these adjustment second nature? Further, in making the switch from studio strobes to speed lights, how would I properly calculate the power and “F-stop” needed without a meter.

    – Tramayne Young

    1. Hi Tramayne, It helps a great deal if you have fully memorised the fstop range: i.e. f1.4, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8 and so on (you can recap this in our Intro course in the essentials section) All ‘stop’ changes work the same, whether it is ISO, Joules power, shutter speeds – they are all either half the light or double the light when making a one fstop change. As you become more proficient you will be able to assess light in as little as 1/10th of an fstop. When you have become fully familiar with exposure in this way it makes life a lot easier.

  4. Again, another fantastic concept explained very clearly with examples. Thanks a lot Karl ?

  5. hello, i think there is some problem with the page, i cant reproduce the videos. I tried in my mobile too and the problem still there. 🙁

    1. Hi, we don’t have any other customers saying there is a problem, are you still experiencing a problem?

      1. was solved, thanks for the answer 🙂

  6. KASUN

    Hi Karl,

    When you applying the ND filter which is 0.9 it says 3 stop strength on it. It means have to increase the light power from 3 steps to get the desired outcome. But you have added one stop increase and secondly another stop. Its bit confused for me… Can you please clarify why you do not increase it by three stops..

    1. Hi KR, Yes a 0.9 is 3 stops. So if I had a light set at power 6 and then I put a 0.9 ND filter on the camera then I would need to set the power to 9. to get the same exposure or if I was at f11 on the aperture, then I put the filter on then I would need to change to f4 to get the same exposure. If I only changed by two stops then I would have wanted the picture to be one stop darker than I started with.

    2. he only aded 2 stops because he was already underexposed by one stop. so he needed 3 to cover the ND reduction but because he was lacking one already he only needed to add 2

  10. Wow! Great job clarifying flash power. I was (am) a little intimidated by the whole thing, but you have an excellent way of explaining everything.

  11. Hi Karl

    What I mean is when I have the flash on the camera. Which mode does the camera have and the flash have to be on in order for me to be able to change the strength of the flash within the camera please? I have put the flash on TTL and the M mode on the camera, but nothing is changing. The flash does work but I have to increase or decrease it within the flash.

    I hope this time is clearer for you to understand.

    Thanks a lot

    Darya

    1. Hi Darya, as far as i’m aware the only way you can change the flash from in the camera is with ‘flash exposure compensation’ but this is just a minor adjustment on the balance of the TTL, it doesn’t really give you the full versatility of manual mode. For full control you need to adjust the power of the flash from the flash in manual mode on the flash.

  12. Hello everyone. I have just joined and I have got a question to ask. I use Canon 5D Mark iii. My question is this: I use a 580ex ii fish, but when I change it from the camera, nothing happens in the flash? I basically would like to know whether is it possible to do that, and which setting should be on please?

    I really appreciate anyone’s answer…

    Thanks in advance.

    Darya

    1. Hi Darya, what do you mean by ‘when I change it from the camera’, change what exactly? If you can be clearer with your question we will do our best to answer it.

      1. Hey Karl. How are you? I just love this video. You finally made me understand how it really works. Thanks a lot. I have just 1 question.
        With the 800 w first you put down one full stop and said this will be equivalent a 400 w. Right? But after you put down more 4 full stops and how much power it will be? Thinking about always be a half power and doing it 4 times I think it gonna be 25 w of power. Am I right?

        1. Hi Guigo, yes 800 down one stop is 400. if you put 400 down 4 stops it will be 25. Each stop down is half the amount. Each stop up is double the amount. The same with ISO.

  13. Hello,
    1-Is my decision of the “right” exposure subjective or is there a way to say what the correct exposure is? (Based on your first and second shots in the video.)
    2-If I have a speedlight, does the guide number tell me anything that makes this more “scientific” or is it my decision of what the correct exposure is?
    Excellent video, thank you!
    Michelle

    2. Hi Thelma.
      1. It should be subjective especially if you are using a perfectly calibrated monitor to make the assessment but you can rely on tools like the Histogram graph to give you exposure information to check things aren’t blown out beyond white etc, or in the capture tools you can measure the colour values either as a percentage or RGB values, so for example if you had wanted to acheive a pure white but the RGB read R251 G251 B251 then you would know you were just a tiny bit below pure white. Maximum reading is 255 but you are better to start below 255 otherwise you wouldn’t know if you were actually well over 255, you will learn more about this in later chapters.
      2. No forget it.
      3. You will see about light meters in chapter 6

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