The built-in pop-up fl ash on the 7D is a nice addition to the camera and, as you’ve learned in this chapter, it can be useful, but as far as quality of light goes, it’s average. I don’t use this fl ash very frequently in my photography since I fi nd that there are other, more fl attering ways to light my subjects.
Many professional photographers use an external fl ash, or Speedlite, in their photography when they need an additional and portable light source (Figure 7.10). Speedlites are extremely sophisticated for their size and can produce an amazing quality of light with customizable settings. You can place them almost anywhere in the scene to light a subject.
One new feature on the Canon 7D is its ability to wirelessly fi re any of the Canon Speedlites by using the pop-up fl ash as a trigger. This powerful feature opens up a lot of photographic opportunities when it comes to using off-camera fl ash. I won’t go into the details of how to use this feature (or any other off-camera flash photography methods) in this book, but many resources are available if you’re interested in trying it out. Your manual is a good place to start, but a Web site like Strobist™ (http://strobist.blogspot.com) will offer more advanced information about creating great images using small fl ashes.