Six Days of Speedlite Tips: Day 6

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It's Day 6 (final day) of my Six Days of Speedlite Shooting tips. I hope you have enjoyed following along.

Today's tips: The larger the light, the softer the light. The closer the light, the softer the light.


Concept: Use softboxes to create soft and flattering lighting. Place them close to the subject for the same reason. Set your main light at full power (on left here) and fill light on 1/2 or 1/4 power. 

In situations like the one above, use Pocket Wizards to remotely and wirelessly fire your flashes - so you and the parents don't trip over cables. :-)

© Rick Sammon

I know I will not win any awards with the opening picture for this post. It was just a fun family shot for some friends. Usually, I am off in foreign lands photographing different cultures. 

A speedlite is one of my key accessories for on-location portraits. Here's an article on how to use flash outdoors for daylight fill-in flash photography.

Gear:
Westcott Orb (on left)

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.

Six Days of Speedlite Tips: Day 5

in , ,

It's Day 5 of my Six Days of Speedlite Shooting tips.

Today's tip: Study the Works of the Master Painters.



Concept: Study the works of master painters. See how they used shadows and highlights to create their masterpieces. That's what I did for my photograph, "The Girl with a Pearl Earring."

To light my subject, I used one light: Canon 580EX II in the Westcott Apollo soft box.

Once again, you don't need a fancy studio to make nice portraits. I took the photograph in my office.

Special savings: Adorama is offering super pricing these creative lighting reflectors. Offer expires 1.31.12.

Gear:

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.

Six Days of Speedlite Tips: Day 4

in ,
© Rick Sammon
It's Day 4 of my Six Days of Speedlite Shooting tips.

Today's tip: Create Dramatic and Colorful Silhouettes.


Concept: Set up a speedlite behind the subject and out of the camera's view. Use a grid on the speedlite to concentrate the light, and use a colored gel to change the color of the background. 

I took the images for this post at Photo Plus Expo in the Canon booth. See! You don't need a fancy studio to get cool shots.


Gear
For more detailed lighting tips, see my apps.


For hand-on learning, check out my workshops. We have a blast. Below are two images from my Master Your Flash workshop in Croton on Hudson, NY.



Bonus tip: When you think you need two lights, use one light. Above: one of my workshop participants is holding a reflector to bounce the light from the softbox onto the shadow side of the model's face.

Explore the light,
Rick

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

Six Days of Speedlite Tips: Day 3

in
© Rick Sammon
It's Day 3 of my Six Days of Speedlite Shooting tips.

Today's tip: Light Up the Background.


Concept: Use a second speedlite to add some light to the background. This background light is also called a separation light because it separates the subject from the background. Above: Susan Sammon is holding a flash that is fired through some artificial palm leaves. For the opening shot for this post, the flash was fired through the cardboard cutout on the floor behind Susan.

My cardboard cut-out was also used on the two  images below. Honl gels were used to add the color.

© Rick Sammon
© Rick Sammon
Gear

For more detailed lighting tips, see my apps.


For hand-on learning, check out my workshops.

Explore the light,
Rick

Six Days of Speedlite Tips: Day 2

in
© Rick Sammon
It's Day 2 of my Six Days of Speedlite Shooting tips.

Today's tip: Create Terrific Top Light.


Concept: Position the light directly above the subject. Use "voice activated" light stands to save on real light stands. Use a softbox to soften and direct the light.

© Rick Sammon
I used this technique when I photographed photographer Catherine Hall at Google.

Gear:

For more detailed lighting tips, see my apps.


For hand-on learning, check out my workshops.

Explore the light,
Rick