flash question

[april13]

this is my first time,im new here,so i hope this is how it works.

i was wondering about flash. iv'e used metz before for some school assignments, but i was wondering exactly how to get it to work for some things. i thought that if your using it, it will freeze the motion, and you can drag the shutter to pick up background illumination. now i tried experimenting with my little on camera flash,no tripod, and it picked up my camera shake. does this method only work with a more powerful flash? some pointers would be nice if you have any,thanks!

[another view]

Hi and welcome. Looks like it worked.

A flash can freeze motion, but it can do a lot of things. For example, say you're using a one second shutter speed. The flash happens really fast - probably less than 1/500 sec but it's a guess on my part. The other 499/500 of that second aren't lit by the flash - which can and will show any motion, as well as background exposure.

A more powerful flash will give you more options with exposure, like being able to use a smaller aperture at a greater distance - but the principal is the same. They won't stop motion any differently than a small flash at the same settings.