Off Camera Flash Photography
Off-camera flash appears intimidating to many amateur photographers, because it sounds (for understandable reasons) like something complicated, expensive, and difficult. And it can, in fact, be all those things without the right guidance. But with the right advice, even a beginning photographer can get started with off-camera flash easily and inexpensively.
Today, using small hot-shoe flashes off-camera has become the beginner's path to great photographic lighting, a realm that in the past required big, expensive studio lights and a big studio budget.
Not anymore.
New technology had made it possible for anyone to take professional-looking photos using the small, detachable flashes (called Speedlites or Speedlights, by Canon and Nikon respectively) that are designed to mount on top of a digital SLR camera. Be getting them off the camera and triggering them remotely, we get studio quality light without the big studio gear.
Best of all, the equipment required to get the flash off the camera costs only a fraction of the price of the flash unit itself.
According to photographer Phil Steele in his off-camera flash course at SteeleTraining(dotcom), a photographer can buy the basic off-camera flash equipment for less than $100.
The basic requirements:
1. A light stand - to hold everyting
2. An umbrella or softbox - to soften and spread the light
3. An umbrella bracket - to mount the flash and umbrella
4. A trigger device, typically a radio trigger
In the last few years, new technology has radically dropped the price of Hong-Kong-made radio triggers, making it possible to buy all this gear, combined, for less that half of the cost of the flash unit.
Now, anyone who wants to make the effort to learn the techniques can have professional-looking light on a low budget.
Small-flash photography should not be thought of as a low-budget compromise for those who cannot afford big studio lights. The strobist-style small flash setup has some real advantages over studio lighting in being portable, battery-operated, smaller, and lighter to pack and carry around.
And although it's possible to get started on a low budget, photographers should be careful, because it's easy to spend huge sums if one goes by the advice of certain "experts" or just goes out and buys the most widely advertised gear. Getting started affordably takes some knowledge and research.
With the right advice, the amateur photographer can put together a solid off-camera flash kit on a shoestring budget and get photos just as good as those shot by a photographer who spent ten times as much on equipment.
One source of such guidance is the online video course at SteeleTraining(dotcom) entitled "How to Shoot Professional-Looking Headshots and Portraits on a Budget with Small Flashes." This 9-video series gives a complete top-to-bottom education in small flash photography, from equipment, to photo shoots, to post-processing.
Anyone interested in better photographic lighting should investigate the new options for inexpensive, off-camera flash photography, especially before investing in big studio lights. You may find that the equipment you already own, with a few small additions, can provide all the light you need.
About the Author
Copyright 2010. Mark Lawson writes for SteeleTraining.com where photographers can find
free photo tutorials
and training on a wide variety of photography subjects, from
off camera flash photography
to Photoshop techniques and everything in between.
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