Botanical Photography

The Shutter Button is depressed to fire the shutter.
There are threads inside the button. These allow you to attach a cable release which is used to fire the shutter when it is difficult to use your finger or when you want to limit the amount of vibration associated with clicking the button.
When you click the shutter button an electric pulse is sent to the Hot Shoe and the Flash Cord Socket. This will trigger the flash to fire if it is charged and connected at either or both locations.

The Hot Shoe is located at the top of the camera above the viewing port. The Flash Cord Socket is usually on the right side of the camera. Most electronic flashes will fit snugly into a standard hot shoe and do not need a flash cord to fire. This works well for most exposures but does not work for close-up photos because the light may not strike the subject. It is usually necessary to connect the flash to the camera with a flash cord for close-up work. This allows you to position the flash so that its light strikes the subject correctly.
It is possible to purchase a flash cord which connects to the Hot Shoe. This can be handy as a spare. Flash cords are notoriously unreliable so you should always carry a spare.
It is possible to buy flash units which are mounted on the front of the lens. This can be ideal for close-ups. It produces light that uniformly strikes the subject and can produce shadow-free images of striking quality! Dr. Carr uses one of these. It is possible to use this with an advanced camera which can regulate the flash pulse through the camera lens! This is the way to go if you want to get serious!!!!!!!
The flash pulse is 0.001 or 1/1000 sec. and it freezes most subjects! This tutorial has the same effect!!!!!!