Six Days of Speedlite Tips: Day 1

It's Day 1 of my Six Days of Speedlite Shooting tips.

Today's tip: Create Cool Rim Light.

Concept: Position the subject slightly in front of a softbox, as illustrated above. Photograph the subject looking straight ahead (in the opposite direction in which the softbox is facing) so you get a profile. Basically, you want the light coming from slightly in front of and behind the subject.

In the shot above, I am positioning the model. For the end-result shot, I was positioned to the model's left side.

You need to experiment with subject position and flash output to get the shot you want.

BTW: A softbox is a very important accessory. It allows you to control the light to a greater degree than an umbrella or an octodome. More on that in future posts.

Gear:
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 24-105mm IS Lens
Westcott Apollo Softbox
Canon STE-2
Tether Tools Table
Tether Tools Cable

Note: The Canon ST-E2 is designed for indoor, line of sight use - although it's worked for me even when speedlites are "hidden" in a soft box. Another option for wireless flash photography are Pocket Wizards. You need both a transmitter and receiver.

For more detailed lighting tips, see my apps.

For hand-on learning, check out my workshops.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Here is a link to a post on Plug-ins for Portraits. Check it out.