Learn To Use Flash In Just 2 Minutes
Grab a stopwatch and get ready to lean how to use flash outdoors in your photography.
Learn To Use Flash In Just 2 Minutes
Today you’re going to learn off camera flash but here's the catch. You're going to do it in 2 minutes. I know that's a bold claim but that's how confident I am in your ability to learn off camera flash. It's simply not as hard as people make it out to be and today we're going to prove that in 120 seconds. But before we get started we need to look at the gear we will be using for today's lesson.
The right light at the right price
The lighting we're going to be using for today's lesson is the Godox / Flashpoint lighting system, specifically their speed lights. To be completely honest this choice is money motivated. The Godox/ Flashpoint speedlights are the absolute cheapest way to get into off camera flash. Along with being incredibly affordable, these flashes come with the bonus of high-speed sync and the ability to remotely control the power of your light from the back of your camera. You will find that both of those features will come in very handy in the next 2 minutes. Oh and did I mention... the speedlights start at only $225 with remote. If it’s in your budget I recommend stepping up to a higher power Flash Point AD200 speed light for only $299.
No matter which speedlight you go with just remember to buy a remote for the lights that matches your camera brand. Remember all Godox and Flashpoint equipment with work together seamlessly (remotes included) but the remote you buy must be made for your specific camera brand. If you have a Sony camera the remote name will feature a -s behind it or a -c for Canon and so on.
Example:
Start the stopwatch
The first thing you want to do is find a location. Grab your camera and select the “A” setting or aperture priority mode on the control dial of your camera. Not sure how to do this? Refer to your camera's manual. Now decide what aperture you want to take your pictures at. Remember the aperture controls how blurry the photo background is. For today's lesson let's just use 4.0 as our aperture. With your aperture now dialed in simply snap a picture.
Chimp and tweek
Take a look (chimp) at the image you just took and make a note of the settings that the camera decided to use. Put your camera in manual (The M setting on your camera’s control dial) and input those camera settings. If the image you took was too light or too dark simply adjust the shutter speed up or down to make the image look the way you want it to. Note that we’re not adjusting the aperture. It is still at F 4.0.
The thing to remember when using off camera flash
When you're using flash the key thing to remember is that the shutter speed on your camera will affect the ambient light or natural light in a scene. The aperture (in this case f 4.0) affects the exposure of your flash. Just think of it as two dimmer switches on a wall. The shutter speed switch allows you to make changes to the sun and the aperture switch allows you to make changes to the flash.
Now break out the flash
Now break out the Godox / Flashpoint speedlight and mount its radio trigger to the top of your camera. Turn everything on and put your speedlight into group A then turn on high speed sync. Refer to your Godox / Flashpoint manual for instructions on how to do this. On the radio trigger that currently resides on the back of your camera set group A to 1/16 power. With your client in place simply snap their picture. If the flash is too bright, lower its power and if it is too dark increase it. Every time you make a change to the flash power on the remote trigger, take an image and see if it is to your liking. When you finally get the image to your liking you can get to work capturing amazing images. Boom!!! Stop the timer!
The beauty of manual Mode
The beauty of shooting in manual is that you can set your flash exposure and know that It will never change. As long as your subject stays the same distance from your flash you never need to adjust the flash output. Once you set it for an accurate exposure it’s locked in! Now you just need to keep an eye on the ever-changing sunlight. But don't stress it. Because we're shooting in manual mode making those adjustments is simply a matter of spinning the shutter speed dial one way or the other to compensate for the sun’s changes. Remember, think living room dimmer switches.
That's in Camera flash
You’ve controlled the ambient light, you’ve controlled your flash and now what you have is a well-balanced photo. I use this quick, down and dirty technique every time I arrive at a new location. It saves me from having to break out a light meter and waste my clients’ time while I play with my toys. With a little practice this will become second nature and you will get really quick at it. This flash hack allows you to get more looks per session and saves your client from going out of their mind with boredom. Or for you feeling foolish.
Conclusion
Learning off camera flash really isn't as hard or as daunting as people make it out to be. It may seem scary on the surface, but once you start using flash it opens up a whole new creative world and that fear fades away. I have no doubt that with today’s lesson and an afternoon of practice you will be well on your way to mastering flash.
Thanks for reading you guys. If this blog helped you understand the scary scary world of off camera flash then please consider sharing it with other photographers that might benefit from the information. As always, if you have any questions please utilize the comments section below and I will be happy to answer them.
Thanks again for reading,
Daniel Troutman
To learn more...
Obviously there's a whole lot more to learning flash then this simple little hack. Today's lesson was designed to get you up and running quickly and to get you interested in off camera flash. To really get into the nuts and bolts of how flash works I recommend you pick up a copy of a book called Light Science and Magic. This book is on the bookshelf of every photographer I know and is known simply as the Photography Bible.