flash on the side?

Can someone please explain why you would put the flash on the side of the camera instead of the hotshoe? There has to be an advantage but I am just not sure what it is.

Thanks !

Are you talking about like the paparazzi? I see them a lot w/ the flash on the side. Having the flash to the side of the camera keeps it above the lens and helps to eliminate the harsh shadows behind a subject when shooting in portrait mode. In landscape mode, the flash is close enough to the lens as not to throw harsh shadows.

Those might be "flip" brackets so when the camera is shot vertically with a grip you can flip the flash 90 degrees and have it at the top.

DStanic wrote in post #9288458
Those might be "flip" brackets so when the camera is shot vertically with a grip you can flip the flash 90 degrees and have it at the top.

No, it's just a bracket attached to the bottom of the camera that places the flash to the left or right of the camera. It does just exactly what was mentioned above... Places the flash shadow directly behind the subject when shooting in portrait orientation.

I think they do it this way instead of a flip bracket because it's faster and more compact. They don't have to be constantly flipping the bracket and they're usually fighting for position with other photographers.

If you look at the photographer in the pink shirt with the white lens, you can see how his flash is mounted to right side of the lens. Behind the guy in the white shirt is another photographer with a similar setup shooting in portrait orientation.

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