Why you need a hot shoe flash, outdoor edition.

Ah, ducks. I love ducks. Not only are they cute as all get out, melodious as can be, and very fine looking fowl, they're just darned delicious. In the top picture, they're also fairly well illuminated with a burst of flash from the SB-400 atop a D40 in Shutter priority mode. Considering how bright the day was, I needed something to illuminate them where they were resting in the shade. This is where the D40 really shines, as that 1/500 flash sync speed allows me to use flash with a wider range of outdoor conditions.

The second picture is the star of the show, of course. You'll note the lightness of the shadow compared to the bright bright bright sunlit grass. That's caused by flash, and outdoors in mixed lighting, it's a real blessing.