Every camera has a limit to the shutter speed at which the flash can sync with camera. This means that if you go beyond the camera's sync speed, the flash will either be cut off or not apparent. The sync speed of most digital SLR's sits between a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second and 1/320th of a second.

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Ambient light, or "available light", is the natural light present in an area, and can basically be defined as any light that doesn't come from the flash. If you're outside during the day, the sun is probably providing the bulk of your ambient light. Flash can be used instead of ambient light, or alongside it to complement the av [..]

A monolight is a larger flash unit that needs to be plugged in to a wall outlet or portable battery system. These are more powerful than speedlights and are typically preferred for studio work because of the high levels of flash output and ease of use with modifiers.

CLS is Nikon's wireless flash technology that uses line of sight technology in order to trigger flash units wirelessly. This technology is built into most Nikon flashes and you can find more about it here.

Flash compensation is an important part of using TTL flash. In TTL mode, the camera and flash unit work in tandem to determine the amount of flash needed. However, this amount of power is not always the look you are going for. Using flash compensation allows you to quickly increase or decrease the amount of flash and tweak the exposure to your liki [..]

Bouncing flash allows you to spread your flash over a much larger source. In using bounce flash, the speedlight's head is frequently aimed at the ceiling or wall. In doing so, flash hits the larger surface and is reflected (or bounced) back, allowing you to illuminate a larger area.

A light modifier is any type of equipment that is used to alter the way that light from a speedlight or larger flash unit is spread. Some modifiers serve to soften and spread the light, while others are used in order to focus the beam of the flash. Some work through reflection, like umbrellas. Others work through diffusion, like softboxes.

A diffuser is a type of modifier that is typically used with an on camera speedlight and allows for an easy spread of the light. It provides slightly softer lighting. It spreads the light more evenly and is a significant upgrade over just aiming the flash head directly at your subject.

An umbrella is a type of modifier that helps to soften light from a flash source. There are different types of umbrellas: shoot through and reflective. Shoot through umbrellas are typically white, and are utilized by aiming the flash through it and toward the subject. Reflective umbrellas - either silver, gold, or black, are used by aiming flash to [..]