Available light is a very old term in photography… I hear people slamming it sometimes as being an amatuer practice. I beg to differ.

From Wikipedia comes this: “In photography and cinematography, available light or ambient light refers to any source of light that is not explicitly supplied by the photographer for the purpose of taking photos. The term usually refers to sources of light that are already available naturally (e.g. the sun, moon, lightning) or artificial light already being used (e.g. to light a room). It generally excludes flashes, although arguably flash lighting provided by other photographers shooting simultaneously in the same space could be considered available light. Light sources that affect the scene and are included in the actual frame are called practical light sources, or simply practicals. Use of available light is an important factor in candid photography in order not to disturb the subjects.”

For me, that last sentence is pretty much the main reason… it gives me truer moments. That’s all fine as long as it is still technically possible to make the image.

At the pool table, the beginning of the marriage license signing started out as a typically flashed situation. When the smart phone torch came into play, it immediately changed what I was looking at and the way I wanted to shoot it. For me, it was the perfect touch in a real moment.

So hire a professional… someone who knows when to make the right call. ;0)