Now, this should be a no-brainer, but if you didn’t know already, electronic photographic equipment and dust are sworn enemies. Just think, how many times have you been on a shoot and witnessed your flash unit succumb to a thermal cut-off or a discharge (hardware) error due to overheating, chances are the common culprit was dust in your unit.
Dust is capable of hiding and accumulating inside the sockets, ports, and other in-betweens of your flash unit. If a barrier of dust is created within those spaces, it may lead to one of the following problems:
- Overheating through insulation
- Moisture
- Conductivity
- Poor contact in relays, switches, and connectors.
- May cause arcing and carbon tracking in higher voltage appliances.
- More difficult to repair or restore.
Not only this, dust in and around your flash unit can also affect the quality of your photographs. Here are some of the problems dust in a flash unit can cause:
Shadows: Dust particles can cause shadows to appear in your photos when they block or diffuse the light from your flash unit. These shadows can be distracting and can obscure important details in your photographs.
Hotspots: Where the light is concentrated, dust particles can also create hotspots or bright spots in your photos. This can make the subject look overexposed or washed out, making it challenging to correct in post-processing.
Reduced light output: Dust can accumulate on the reflective surfaces of your flash unit, which can reduce the unit's overall light output, affecting the exposure of your photographs, and requiring you to adjust your camera settings or use a higher power output on your unit.
Reduced colour accuracy: Dust particles can also affect the colour accuracy of your photographs by diffusing or absorbing specific colours of light, resulting in colour shifts or casts in your photos, which can be difficult to correct in post-processing.
To prevent these issues, it's vital to have your flash unit serviced and cleaned regularly and keep it covered when not in use. Keeping your workspace clean and dust-free is also a sure fire way to help reduce the amount of dust that accumulates in your flash unit.
Don’t forget, here at TFC we have a great team of in-house technicians that specialise in servicing photographic flash units. So, contact us today and book your flash unit in for a service that will keep your lights working and ready for high-volume use.
