Off-Camera Flash

32 Off-Camera Flash Scenarios Explained In Simple English

February 12, 2020 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher

The Use of Off-Camera Flash

Off-camera flash and its use is often a challenge. And as I've said many times before, it was a mystery to me. My first flash was a Vivitar 285. I could use it only in manual mode and I didn't know where to begin, so I quickly and quietly yanked out the batteries from the unit and retired it.

That would have been the end of it if it wasn't a pesky assignment to photograph my first wedding. Wedding ceremonies are usually followed by receptions and this one kicked my butt. I was still shooting film at this time, and my TMax 3200 ISO didn't quite deliver. I was wide open at f/2.8, but shutter speed was barely 1/30th. Yep, dark, dark, dark cave for the reception.

I needed to learn to use my Vivitar. But the resistance continued because .. well, have any of you actually seen the manual that comes with a flash unit? Yeah, that's what I thought too. It gets pitched and buried next to the camera manual because of all the jargon.

Learning How Off-Camera Flash Works

The first person to ever talk to me, human-to-human about flash was Zack Arias. I attended his workshop in Boston. Then he generously invited me to his New York workshop a couple of years later. Then his OneLight DVD came out. Followed by the second version of that same workshop which I reviewed here. His off-camera-problem-solving-approach remains with me to this day.

Since then, however, there have been many other wonderful teachers who have introduced the topic of off-camera flash to the world. Vanessa Joy is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Freelhold, New Jersey. She is highly sought-after speaker and teacher. You should subscribe to her YouTube channel as she actively publishes videos there every week.

Vanessa Joy's New Book

I heard that she was working on a new book about off-camera flash. I asked if we could do a short interview about the book, “The Off-Camera Flash Handbook: 32 Scenarios for Creating Beautiful Light and Stunning Photographs“. So here it is:

While Vanessa walks us through the technical aspects of using an off-camera flash in the first section of the book, it is the second section that explores 32 different real-life scenarios that caught my eye. Turning day into night, photographing couples, warming up the sky, lighting a dark room (see, this would have come handy way back when) etc.

Take a look at the book on Amazon. However, now through February 15th (Saturday), you can order the book through Rocky Nook (the publisher) and save 40% when you used the code – OFCH40. Or, order it through Amazon before it launches on April 7th, as Amazon guarantees you the best price. In either event, you will own a book that you can refer to constantly as you go out and actively use (and make mistakes) with your off-camera flash.

You can also find Vanessa Joy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

John Gress Will Teach You To Light Your Subjects For Impact

January 30, 2019 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Light Your Subjects

Have you ever had trouble using flash to light your subjects?

John Gress will teach you to light for impact and precision. He has just launched his first US workshop tour, starting with these nine cities: Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, El Paso, Dallas.

Who Is John Gress?

John Gress got his start in photography in Portland, Oregon. Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago is now home. Initially a photojournalist, John now considers himself a commercial and editorial photographer. He is also actively involved in directing videos now.

Recently, John spoke at ImagingUSA, in Atlanta, Georgia and will soon be presenting at the CTPPA convention, February 15-18th.

From his website:

Gress arrived in Chicago in 2003 after having worked as a Portland, Oregon-based freelance photojournalist since 2001, regularly handling assignments for Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and People magazine.

From 2000-2001, he was a staff photographer for The Topeka Capital-Journal, where his subjects included the University of Kansas basketball team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and state government figures.

Previously, from 1996-2000, he was a freelance photojournalist for the Associated Press, covering the Portland Trail Blazers, the USA Track and Field Championships, the 1998 World Cup, and various natural disasters across the Pacific Northwest.

Interview With John Gress

Give this a quick listen now:

Lighting Scenarios

Lighting Workshops

Learn more about John Gress' lighting workshops here. Use the code or mention: SESHU, to save $50 on your workshop registration.

Remember there are only 15 spots in all of these workshops and most of them are more than half full already. So, jump to it people!

Looking for other resources on lighting your subjects? Try this one about Zack Arias' OneLight 2.0 video course and this one about Joseph Victor Stefanchik's speedlighting workshop

Chris Knight On Creating The Dramatic Portrait

June 29, 2017 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Chris Knight is a photographer based in New York City. We sat down to talk about his upcoming book, The Dramatic Portrait.

He combines his unconditional love of art history with his conditional love of technology, topping it off with a flare for the cinematic and an uncompromising eye for detail.

Chris also has a full blown workshop via RGGEDU.com called Dramatic Portraiture & Lighting With Chris Knight.

Use the code: TIFFINBOX (to get 15% off for a very limited time)

The Interview

The questions I asked Chris:

1) I love reading biographies on photographer's websites and yours stands out a bit.

Speaking of yourself you say: “He combines his unconditional love of art history with his conditional love of technology, topping it off with a flare for the cinematic and an uncompromising eye for detail.”

Where did you acquire that kind of discipline?

2) Your photographs remind me of paintings that one would see in a museum. Is that your end goal?

3) Why is drama so important to you in portraits?

4) You give light and shadow almost equal value in telling a story. Most of your photographs don't draw attention to the use of artificial light. Is that a skill that was taught to you or is it something that you have honed yourself?

5) Let's talk about your book, The Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Crafting Light and Shadow. What prompted you to write this book and who is it for?

6) Most photography books about portraits jump right into loop lighting or Rembrandt lighting. You spend nearly 40 pages describing the history of portraiture? Why do you believe this is important?

7) You say: “The hows and whys are inextricably entangled in a successful photograph, and hitting both of those points shows mastery of the technical medium.” Can you explain that briefly?

8) What does it mean to you to have a published book? Does it open more doors for you to teach?

9) What can we expect from you next?

10) How can people find you and your work online?

The Dramatic Portrait

Buy Chris Knight's book now or buy the PROEDU.com tutorial today. For a limited time, PROEDU.com is including the book with the purchase of the tutorial.

Do you prefer to buy The Dramatic Portrait on Amazon?

You can also catch Chris Knight teaching at CreativeLive in these online workshops:

Exploring Low Key Portraiture

Creating Advanced Masks

How To Work Faster In Adobe Photoshop CC

Feel free to use this affiliate link for CreativeLive when you browse through Chris Knight's courses.

The Portrait Portfolio

Here's a small sample of Chris' portrait photography. I urge you to visit his website and bookmark it. It's absolutely stunning work!

Joe McNally & David Hobby’s Flash Bus Tour 2011 DVD Set On Sale

November 29, 2012 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Look, the holidays are upon on us and it is the season of giving gifts to each other. No escaping that trip to the mall, or is there? Time to admit to yourself that some of the stuff you will receive during the holidays will be sheer junk. Right? But I am here to steer you or your well-intentioned Aunt Margie in the right direction.

You are a photographer or you are trying your hand at off-camera flash and you have no clue where to start. I have been there and totally get you. Without Zack Arias' One Light Workshop and One Light DVD I know I would have been lost. That was the first step I chose to take. The next step was to immerse myself into David Hobby's well known site, Strobist. I suggest you check it out as well.

The transition from Zack to David was a smooth one as they both preach shooting in manual mode. But when you pay $500 for a SB-900, you want it to jump through hoops for you when you want it to. To learn how to do that, one simply need to look no further than Joe McNally. TTL is like putty in his hands and I was determined to find out how he used his lights.

Wel, lucky me, in 2011 I heard that David Hobby and Joe McNally were getting on a bus and hitting a bunch of cities. While they didn't stop in Hartford, thanks to Jeffrey Snyder and Adorama, I was able to get a ticket to their Boston presentation. It was an all day event and they rocked the house with great useful information that I was excited to put to use right away.

Would you like to know what they demonstrated? Would you like to see how they each took a challenging lighting situation and solved it in front of a house full of other photographers (no pressure, eh, David and Joe?)

Yes, you can “attend” one of their presentations. Adorama has had the “Flash Bus Tour 2011 – Two Disc Set, By Joe McNally & David Hobby” on their shelves for sometime. Yes, I should have blogged about this before, but when I saw a Tweet from Jeffrey Snyder today that Adorama was selling off all copies of this awesome 2-DVD set at 50% off, I couldn't resist telling you about it right away.

So, if you or Aunt Margie is looking for a meaningful gift, send yourself or your aunt here to buy the 2-DVD set for $49.99. [affiliate link] No lie, obsessive as I am about learning from these two pioneers, I actually bought my copy of this 2-DVD set today.

I am told by Jeffrey and his colleague at Adorama, Joel Meisels, that when they are gone, they are GONE. So, are you going to procrastinate or take action? It really comes down to how serious you are about elevating your game.

Full disclosure: If you buy the DVD mentioned above, using the links in this post, I earn a small commission that helps support this website.

Mark Wallace’s Speedlights 101 At CreativeLive

May 14, 2012 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Ever since Mark Wallace picked my name out of a hat to win a pair of PocketWizard Mini TT1/Flex TT5 units, I have been a fan of his.

Just kidding.

I always enjoy the way Mark teaches photography, especially lighting. His technical acumen about big studio lights or little on or off-camera speedlights is phenomenal.

While his YouTube channel is full of great videos explaining how he uses light, from May 18 through the 20th, he is going to be doing a bit of a brain dump through CreativeLive. So, sitting in the comfort of your home, you can tune in online to view Mark talk about Speedlights for FREE. On those days alone, it is a live event.

I have watched and bought several CreativeLIVE courses and they are all very well produced. Also, knowing Mark, I expect his attention to detail and his dedication to teaching to come through. What's truly awesome about CreativeLIVE is, as it is happening, you can ask the instructor questions or comment on what you are learning. You do need a Twitter account and the right hashtag to do so. If you enroll now for Mark's class, I am sure you will be emailed some instructions on what to do.

If you can't make the online event or the nightly re-broadcasting of the show, then you can buy the download for $99 – a small investment for your business or hobby. If you know the in's and out's of using your speedlights this course may not be a good fit for you. But if you are like me who wants to know all the functions, say, a Nikon SB900 provides, then I would recommend tuning in (hey, it's FREE) on May 18th, 19th and 20th.

If you miss Mark's CreativeLIVE presentations, you can hopefully catch him during one of his photography workshops this year. He is going to start in his hometown of Phoenix, then goes to Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Miami and Houston. Other cities may be added to the list. So, keep an eye out for that on his workshop site. Mark is offering 4 distinct workshops at each stop. Check them out! I hope to go to the ones in New York, unless of course, he decides to bring the workshop to Boston, or better yet, to Hartford, Connecticut.