#AdoramaU: Taking Your Flash Photography to the Next Level

If you’ve been shooting with an external flash mounted to the top of your camera this article will show you how to take your skills to the next level. I’ll show you how to get better exposures when shooting outside and I’ll explain how you can dramatically improve your photos by getting your flash off your camera. I’ll also introduce you to some basic light modifiers and show some examples of what they can do.

In this article I’ll explain how to do these things using speedlights. As an added bonus I’ve included a list of resources at the end of this article that will help you solidify your learning of this month’s topics. We have a lot to cover, let’s get going!

Two exposures

When we add a flash to our camera one exposure becomes two. What are these two exposures? They are simply our two different sources of light: the ambient light and the light from our flash. These two independent exposures happen at the same time, but we control them separately. To illustrate how this works I created a very simple outdoor lighting setup.

Note: Ambient light is any light that’s not coming from our flash. It could be the sun, streetlights, lamps in our house, etc. If it’s light that’s not coming from our flash, it’s considered ambient light.

In this setup my model was standing in some shade from an overhead tree with another tree behind her in the distance. I set up a speedlight and a small softbox on the left side of my camera. I used a PocketWizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 to control the flash while it was off of the camera. I’ll talk a bit more about this later.

I set my camera to Aperture Priority Mode and set my flash to full auto mode (TTL). In the first photo you can see that the background is slightly overexposed while the model is exposed correctly. Since the model was standing in the shade she was illuminated almost entirely by my flash.

In the second photo I used my camera’s exposure compensation feature. I dialed my exposure compensation down by a full stop. This only affected the ambient light exposure. You can see that the ambient light is underexposed but the light from the flash remains the same.

These photos show that you can set your flash exposure and it will remain consistent. You can then adjust the exposure of your ambient light, you can overexpose the ambient light or underexpose it. You can also do the opposite – you can set your ambient light exposure and then change your flash exposure.

In the third photo I used my camera’s Flash Exposure Compensation feature. I dialed my Flash Exposure Compensation down by several stops but left everything else alone. You can see that the model is seriously underexposed, we need more light from the flash since she’s standing in the shade.

In the fourth photo I set my camera’s Flash Exposure Compensation back to zero (the default setting) and I got a proper exposure on my model.Notice in these two images that the background exposure is the same but the light on our model (the light from our flash) changes significantly. Just like the ambient light I had the option to underexpose, expose correctly, or overexpose the light from my flash. It’s up to you, you can make your own creative choices.

On most modern cameras controlling these two exposures is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Set your camera to Aperture Priority Mode.

2. Set your flash to normal TTL mode (auto).

3. If you are shooting outside in bright light you may need to turn on High Speed Sync on your flash. On Nikon cameras this is called “Auto FP” and is set in the camera menu, not the flash.

4.Use exposure compensation to adjust the ambient light.

5. Use flash exposure compensation to adjust the light from the flash.

This may not work on older cameras, but you can still control these exposures separately, just follow these steps:

1. Set your camera to Manual mode. If this is new to you check out the additional resources at the end of this article.

2. Set your flash to normal TTL mode (auto).

3. If you are shooting outside in bright light you may need to turn on High Speed Sync on your flash. On Nikon cameras this is called “Auto FP” and is set in the camera menu, not the flash.

4. Set your aperture value according to your needs. Once its set, don’t change it!

5. Adjust your shutter speed until your light meter indicates a proper exposure.

6. To adjust the ambient light adjust your shutter speed. Use a slower shutter speed to overexpose your ambient light. Use faster shutter speed to under expose the ambient light.

7. Use flash exposure compensation to adjust the light from the flash.

Move The Light

One of the biggest benefits of flash photography is that we are able to “shape the light.” We can do this by moving the flash and by using light modifiers. We can also add additional flashes to the mix for more interesting results.

Before you can move your flash you’ll need to get it off your camera and have a way to control it. This is easily accomplished using wireless flash triggers. You’ll need:

• A transmitter mounted to your camera. Most systems allow you to use one flash on the camera as the “master” controller instead of using a dedicated transmitter.

• A receiver on each flash you wish to control. It’s important to have one receiver for each flash. Of course, if you have a flash with a receiver built in you won’t need to buy anything extra.

There are several makes and models of flash triggers to choose from. Some use light signals to control remote flashes, others use radio signals. For the best results I highly recommend using radios signals. Systems that use light signals to control remote flashes rely on “line of site”. In other words, the camera and flash have to be able to “see” each other. This can cause issues in bright sunlight, if you want to use large light modifiers, or if you place your flashes where they are hidden from the camera’s view.

Here the most popular solutions:

• Nikon cameras and flash units have remote control built in. Nikon calls this the Creative Lighting System (CLS). Check your camera’s user manual to see if you’re Nikon has CLS. The CLS system uses light signals, so you may want to use a radio system instead of the built in CLS system.

• Canon’s 600EX flash units have radio control built in. You’ll need to buy the Canon ST-E3-RT transmitter to control them remotely. The Canon radio system is very advanced and extremely flexible.

• Most Sony speedlights have wireless control built in. Like Nikon these are line of site systems, so you may want to upgrade to a Phottix Odin system for more flexibility.

• PocketWizardradios are extremely popular and are available for both Nikon and Canon systems and some studio lighting systems. For TTL control you’ll need the Mini TT1 radio transmitter and the Flex TT5 receiver (one for each remote flash). The PocketWizard system can control multiple flashes, it allows you to remotely trigger cameras, and you can use full TTL and manual control.

• Phottix has wireless radio systems for Canon, Nikon, and Sony. They feature full TTL control and the ability to control multiple flashes in zones.Phottix also makes speedlights.

Note: you’ll need a light stands and adapters to hold your remote flashes. Here’s what I recommend:

• Flashpoint Pro Air Cushioned Heavy Duty Light Stand {https://www.adorama.com/FPLS9.html?KBID=65140}

• Flashpoint Universal Swivel Holder. This allows you to mount your flash to the stand and will also allow you to use an umbrella. {https://www.adorama.com/FPUSH.html?KBID=65140}

Shape the Light

Once your light is off your camera you can begin to shape the light by using light modifiers. Here are a few of the most popular modifiers:

• Umbrellas soften the light and are great for portrait photography. They are inexpensive, easy to use, and easy to transport.

• Softboxes also soften the light, but they offer much greater control of where the light falls. They come in various sizes and shapes, this allows you precise control of the shape, direction, and size of soft light.

• Grids restrict the spread of the light. This allows you to point light in a very precise location.

• Snoots also restrict the spread of light, but they can be bent and shaped to create directional light pools.

Let’s take a look at how we can use all of these things to create some great portraits.

This very simple portrait was created using the Nikon CLS system. I use a Rogue FlashBenderSoftbox {https://www.adorama.com/EXRGBXLG2.html?KBID=65140} to soften the light. The model was standing in some shade which allowed me to use the soft light from the softbox as the main source of illumination. The ambient light added the nice highlights to the model’s hair, cheek, and shoulders.

This portrait was created using three flashes. They were controlled using the PocketWizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 system.

The model was placed in a heavily shaded hut that was covered by flowers. Notice there is one flash outside the hut just a few feet from the camera. This flash added a small highlight to the model’s eyes.

I placed two more flashes inside the hut. I diffused the main light by using an umbrella. This allowed me to have very soft light on our model’s face.

This portrait was created in a studio using a combination of grids, a snoot, and a softbox. In this shot the 4^th light was turned off.

1. The main light was a small softbox with a grid. This gave me very soft light on my model’s face and made sure no light spilled on the background which was a simple white wall.

2. I added a second speedlight with a Rogue Grid. This cast a small pool of light on the wall to separate the model from the dark background.

3. The third speedlight used a snoot. I used a large Rogue Flashbender to add some light to the model’s hair and shoulder.

4. The fourth speedlight was used to add a touch of light to the model’s cheek. I was able to turn it on and off depending on her pose.

This portrait was created using the same lighting setup, but this time I turned on the 4^thspeedlight to add highlights to the left side of her face.

In a different studio session, I used a very similar lighting setup to create this image. I used the PocketWizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 system to control three speedlights. I used an umbrella for the main light, a snoot to add a highlight to the model’s dark hair, and a third speedlight for additional highlights on her cheekbones and shoulder.

Endless Options

Speedlights (and studio strobes) offer us endless options when it comes to creating portraits and other interesting photos. This topic is very broad and we’ve just scratched the surface. I’ve included a few links to some key concepts to help you continue your journey in the world of flash photography. With some practice and experience, you’ll be a master of light in no time.

Assignments:

NOTE: If you only have one flash you may want to do these assignments with a few friends from your local photography club so you can share equipment.

Week 1: Photograph a friend or model outside with your flash mounted on your camera. Practice using Exposure Compensation and Flash Exposure Compensation to adjust the ambient and flash exposures. Try shooting at different times of day and in different locations. You’ll have better results if your subject is in the shade.

Week 2: Photograph a friend or model with your flash mounted off your camera. Place your flash closer to your model and stand farther back using a long lens. Notice how you can achieve much better results when shooting at longer distances than if you had a camera mounted flash. Shoot with the ambient light behind your model and use your flash as the primary (key) light. Practice balancing flash and ambient light exposures.

Week 3: Photograph a subject indoors with a single flash mounted off camera. Underexpose the ambient light so that the majority of light is coming from the flash. Move the flash to the side, back, and front of your subject. Place the height of the flash high, medium, and low in relationship to the subject. Which position gives the most flattering light?

Week 4: Begin adding additional flashes to your work. Begin by doing this indoors so you can clearly see what the light is doing. Experiment with different light modifiers to see how each of these work and which you like best.

Week 5: Photograph a friend or model outside using multiple flashes and at least one light modifier. Try to repeat your work from week 4 in an outdoor setting. Once again, practice changing the flash and ambient light exposures until you get a pleasing result.