Today I had a photographer friend message me, asking why he was getting a black stripe at the bottom of his pictures. I knew immediately what he was talking about, because I know he recently bought some flashes and wireless remotes and is in the process of experimenting with them. This made me realize how many new photographers may be using their cameras and taking awesome pictures but they may not really understand how their camera works. Why is this important? Because if you do not fully understand how your equipment works you are limiting your creativity. An artist who creates images using paint and brushes will paint better pictures if they understand how colors can be mixed to create new ones. It is the same for a photographer if you understand the tools you use to create your images you open yourself up to much wider creative freedoms.

One of the first things that is necessary to learn when using flash or off camera flash with your photography is how your camera shutter works and the relationship it has with x-sync or sync speed. The video below is probably one of the best beginner videos I have ever seen when it comes to explaining this concept. Mark Wallace (@jmarkwallace), at Snapfactory.com has made this video which is the first in his amazing collection. Visit his video series here.