As you’ve learned in this chapter, the built-in pop-up flash on the 60D is a nice addition to the camera, and it can be useful, but as far as quality of light goes, it’s average. I don’t use this flash very frequently in my photography, since I find that there are other, more flattering ways to light my subjects.
Many professional photographers use an external flash, 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 feature on the Canon 60D is its ability to wirelessly fire any of the Canon Speedlites by using the pop-up flash as a trigger. This powerful feature opens up a lot of photographic opportunities when it comes to using off-camera flash. 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 flashes.