NASTY CLAMPS

A while ago, I got my hands on couple of Nasty Clamps for review, and I have not been able to put them down since. The Nasty Clamps are a very simple idea that is extremely well executed and also made right here in Oregon.

What they are is a very strong spring clamp mounted on the end of an articulation arm made up of medium sized segments. At the end of the assembly there is a standard ¼ 20 male mounting thread and locking ring to keep whatever you mount on it tight and stable.

I took the Clamps out for a spin with me on a location shoot at a local radio station where I was meeting my client to take some head shots. We set up in the conference room with a standard portable backdrop and started taking some shots. After getting the traditional staple shots we moved around the room working on some environmental portraits. I wanted to work with the large table in the center of the room but setting up my flashes on it with stands either brought the light way too high or without the stands way too low. That is when I busted out the Nasty Clamps to see what I could do with them in this situation.

I mounted one of my flashes on the ¼ 20 thread and then clamped it to the back of one of the rolling office chairs next to my subject. Then I placed a Rogue XL Pro Lighting Kit to the mounted flash. I have to admit that I did not think that the Clamp would hold the weight of the flash and the modifier, but it did and was rock solid through all of my position adjustments. Once I began shooting it was very easy to make adjustments to the Nasty Clamp and its’ long multi segmented arm gave me a fantastic range of movement to get my light in just the spot I wanted it to be in, and better yet, it kept it there!

The Nasty Clamp itself is made out of high quality metal with a black coating over it and the tips are coated in a thick rubber like material that gives it exceptional gripping power. The arm assembly is made up of numerous segmented joints that have a ball and socket like interface that has just the right amount of resistance to keep the arm from slipping when objects are mounted to it.

The more I take the Nasty Clamps out with me the more I find uses for them. They come in very handy for holding accent flashes that are tucked away in awkward places. They have totally earned a permanent spot in my bag every time I go out to shoot.  I cannot recommend the Nasty Clamp enough for an everyday item in your bag especially if you are a location shooter.

For more information on the Nasty Clamps and their other products check out their site at www.nastyclamps.com.

Setting Up the Shot - Red Sierra 2

Camera - Nikon D2X
Lens - Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S
Exposure - 1/250 @ f/7.1
Focal Length - 50mm
Lighting - LumoPro LP180, and LP160
Light Modifier(s) - Rogue XL Pro Strip Box
Trigger - Pixel Opas

Two light set up. The key light is a LP180 with a Rogue XL Pro Strip Box as the modifier to camera right. I feather the edge of the light to create a deep shadow on the opposite side o he subjects face.

The second light was a LP160 and was set up off to camera left with the flash head zoomed to about 105mm to create a controlled and slightly vignetted spot on the background directly behind the subjects head and shoulders.This second light was needed in order to create some separation between the subject and the background and to provide some depth to the picture.

Setting Up the Shot - Tim Riley

Last week I had the chance to shoot with Tim Riley again. We have shot together many times over the years and it was a blast yet again.

Here is one of my favorites from the shoot along with a set up schematic after the jump...

Coming Soon: LumoPro LP180!

LumoPro posted a teaser image of the LP160 replacement, the LP180 on their Facebook page. To say that I am excited about this flash is a massive understatement.

Two light break down

Here is a photo from a recent shoot that I had with the very talented Portland Oregon based model Dominique Valdovinos.

We went out to a local collage campus with fantastic cement walls for this shoot. By the end of the night we were locked in the campus, watched a hawk eat a small bird right in front of us and found a mock up of a hospital room filled with fake patients. All in all it was a great location shoot!




For this shot I used the following equipment:

2 - LumopPro LP160 flashes
2 - LumoPro LP605 7' stands
1 - Expoimaging Rogue Grid
1 - Aurora 26" Firefly Beauty Box
3 - Pixel Opas flash transceivers for Nikon
1 - Nikon D2x (My old workhorse that I still love!)

I placed the Firefly to camera right and a couple of feet above Dominiques head pointed down at her as you can see from the shadow cast by her nose.

I then placed my second flash with the Rogue Grid to camera left and behind Dominique pointed at her head and shoulder to give some separation between her and the background.

It is a pretty simple set up but it works and the second light adds a bit more depth to the shot.

Two light break down

Here is a photo from a recent shoot that I had with the very talented Portland Oregon based model Dominique Valdovinos.

We went out to a local collage campus with fantastic cement walls for this shoot. By the end of the night we were locked in the campus, watched a hawk eat a small bird right in front of us and found a mock up of a hospital room filled with fake patients. All in all it was a great location shoot!




For this shot I used the following equipment:

2 - LumopPro LP160 flashes
2 - LumoPro LP605 7' stands
1 - Expoimaging Rogue Grid
1 - Aurora 26" Firefly Beauty Box
3 - Pixel Opas flash transceivers for Nikon
1 - Nikon D2x (My old workhorse that I still love!)

I placed the Firefly to camera right and a couple of feet above Dominiques head pointed down at her as you can see from the shadow cast by her nose.

I then placed my second flash with the Rogue Grid to camera left and behind Dominique pointed at her head and shoulder to give some separation between her and the background.

It is a pretty simple set up but it works and the second light adds a bit more depth to the shot.

LumoPro LP160 discontinued.

October 9th, 2012 — LumoPro, a leading developer and manufacturer of off-camera flash equipment, announced today that the LP160 Quad-Sync Flash is currently at the end of its life cycle and will be discontinued. When introduced in July 2010, the LP160, LumoPro’s current flagship product, was a huge success. Designed from the ground up for off-camera flash enthusiasts, the LP160 met near universal acclaim. It was affordable. It was loved. It was—and still is—guaranteed out the wazoo.

Kevin Deskins, LumoPro Product Manager, said, “We’re sad to see the end of this era. It feels like yesterday we were beta testing LP160s with the best minds in the industry. It was a time when unicorns danced, angels sang, and all the photons in the world were falling in the right place. But even as we celebrate the bittersweet end of the LP160 era, we’re looking forward to what the future holds. We’re expecting to see crazy amounts of response on this announcement. All we can say is that we've seen the next generation of our flash, and we can’t wait for you to see it too.”

Authorized dealers will operate with limited inventory due to worldwide demand, international manufacturing situations and new product development. The sale of LP160 units will end in accordance with the stock supply of each authorized dealer.

LumoPro will continue to repair and replace LP160 units covered under the 2-year international warranty. Any customer backorders will be managed directly with the authorized dealer where the unit was purchased.

While striving to maintain quality product and superior customer support, LumoPro will continue to bring lighting and support equipment to the photographic community such as grip equipment, stands, and modifiers. LumoPro products can be found at Midwest Photo Exchange in the United States, CameraTools in Europe, PhotoFreak in Israel, and Shanzhuoboshi in China.

LP160 Quad-Sync Flash and LumoPro equipment questions can be directed to support@lumopro.com.

LumoPro LP160 discontinued.

October 9th, 2012 — LumoPro, a leading developer and manufacturer of off-camera flash equipment, announced today that the LP160 Quad-Sync Flash is currently at the end of its life cycle and will be discontinued. When introduced in July 2010, the LP160, LumoPro’s current flagship product, was a huge success. Designed from the ground up for off-camera flash enthusiasts, the LP160 met near universal acclaim. It was affordable. It was loved. It was—and still is—guaranteed out the wazoo.

Kevin Deskins, LumoPro Product Manager, said, “We’re sad to see the end of this era. It feels like yesterday we were beta testing LP160s with the best minds in the industry. It was a time when unicorns danced, angels sang, and all the photons in the world were falling in the right place. But even as we celebrate the bittersweet end of the LP160 era, we’re looking forward to what the future holds. We’re expecting to see crazy amounts of response on this announcement. All we can say is that we've seen the next generation of our flash, and we can’t wait for you to see it too.”

Authorized dealers will operate with limited inventory due to worldwide demand, international manufacturing situations and new product development. The sale of LP160 units will end in accordance with the stock supply of each authorized dealer.

LumoPro will continue to repair and replace LP160 units covered under the 2-year international warranty. Any customer backorders will be managed directly with the authorized dealer where the unit was purchased.

While striving to maintain quality product and superior customer support, LumoPro will continue to bring lighting and support equipment to the photographic community such as grip equipment, stands, and modifiers. LumoPro products can be found at Midwest Photo Exchange in the United States, CameraTools in Europe, PhotoFreak in Israel, and Shanzhuoboshi in China.

LP160 Quad-Sync Flash and LumoPro equipment questions can be directed to support@lumopro.com.

LumoPro LP160 - This flash should come with a cape!

I have often talked about how much I love the LumoPro LP160 for its dependability and its durability. Once again it has not let me down.

The other day I was shooting with a small octobox out on location. There was no real wind in the area and since I was not using an umbrella I was not thinking all that much about the wind tipping over the stand. But as it would go a gust of wind came and down went my softbox and stand. The set landed right on my flash and trigger.

The stand went down hard and I thought the flash was a goner for sure. I did not have the time to tinker with the unit right after it fell as I needed to finish out the shoot. I changed out the flash with another and completed shooting.

Later on once I was home and the dust had settled I was able to get back to the fallen unit and check it out. I cleaned of my trusty LumoPro LP160 and replaced the batteries for good measure. I then hooked it up to a trigger and gave it a go. The LP160 was back up and running with only some cosmetic damage to the housing, or a few character marks as I like to think about it.

Now this is the second time that I thought I lost one of my LP160s to a gust of wind and this is the second time that I was wrong. I have said it before and I will continue to say it until it is no longer true: The LumoPro LP160 is one hell of a flash and it has never let me down.

LumoPro LP160 - This flash should come with a cape!

I have often talked about how much I love the LumoPro LP160 for its dependability and its durability. Once again it has not let me down.

The other day I was shooting with a small octobox out on location. There was no real wind in the area and since I was not using an umbrella I was not thinking all that much about the wind tipping over the stand. But as it would go a gust of wind came and down went my softbox and stand. The set landed right on my flash and trigger.

The stand went down hard and I thought the flash was a goner for sure. I did not have the time to tinker with the unit right after it fell as I needed to finish out the shoot. I changed out the flash with another and completed shooting.

Later on once I was home and the dust had settled I was able to get back to the fallen unit and check it out. I cleaned of my trusty LumoPro LP160 and replaced the batteries for good measure. I then hooked it up to a trigger and gave it a go. The LP160 was back up and running with only some cosmetic damage to the housing, or a few character marks as I like to think about it.

Now this is the second time that I thought I lost one of my LP160s to a gust of wind and this is the second time that I was wrong. I have said it before and I will continue to say it until it is no longer true: The LumoPro LP160 is one hell of a flash and it has never let me down.

From a recent model shoot...

I thought that I would share a few shots from a recent shoot I had with model Miranda Jay from Portland Oregon.

The two of us headed out to a few different locations in the Mountain Park area of Lake Oswego Oregon.

I brought along a Canon 50D, a couple LumoPro LP160s (my favorite flashes)two LP604 stands and an Aurora Firefly Beauty Box.

Waves of music in a sea of beer

I have written before about how much I love my Lumopro LP160 and I am going to do it again. Another location that I love shooting in is a nice and dark bar or small club. I was shooting a local band named In Repose last night and I needed to throw in some flashes to help out lighting. I asked the band if they had a problem with lighting the playing area before I did anything. They did not have any problem with it so I went around and placed some flashes around where they were set up.

I love shooting in environments like this when the bands let me light the area as needed. I know that a lot of photographers look down on concert photography with flashes, but when there is not any real stage lighting going on I don't think it's a big deal. I just do what I need to in order to get the bands the images that they are looking for.

I set up three lights around the area that they were playing and set each one to a different group so that I could add them or subtract them from my shooting area. I had a Nikon SB900 set in the very back behind the drummer, another gelled blue with an Expoimaging Rogue lighting filter bounced off a large Rogue Flashbender, and the last one I had on the floor at the front of the playing area aimed up. As I shot the set I was adding and removing the lights via my Opas camera mounted trigger.

As the set went on I was able to turn my flashes on and off as needed from my camera position. If I had not set the flashes to different channels I wouldn't have had this as an option. All of the flashes would have fired every time I shot a frame. The main benefit of shooting this way is that when you change camera position sometimes you will get a flash aimed toward your lens and get an over powering lens flare, so using the channels feature is a great way of controlling this.

The crowd was really into the performance, it was getting rowdy to say the least, and the drinks were flowing. Now what normally happens when a great show is going on along with lots of drinks? Someone ends up spilling something. That’s exactly what happened to one of my flashes. I placed my LP160 on the ground pointed up at an angle to under light the singer and guitar player. What looked like a sea of beer came crashing down and around the LP160 and I thought it was a goner for sure.

It turns out that not only did it survive the waterfall of beer but it also kept on going while it was adrift in the sea of beer that claimed that section of the playing area. No sparks, no burning out, and no misfires.

I have no idea how it survived, but it did. When the show was over I pulled out the batteries, gave it a good cleaning, and let it dry out over night. In the morning there was no evidence of the mishap.

So this and a million other reasons go on the list of why I love the Lumopro LP160 so much. I cannot recommend this flash unit enough to photographers. It has a low price and fantastic connectivity and reliability.

Pick one up and do your best to keep it out of beer tsunamis but if you can't, you have a fighting chance of it making it through.

For more information on this flash unit you can read my review of the LP160 here or head on over to the Lumopro website at www.lumopro.com

Waves of music in a sea of beer

I have written before about how much I love my Lumopro LP160 and I am going to do it again. Another location that I love shooting in is a nice and dark bar or small club. I was shooting a local band named In Repose last night and I needed to throw in some flashes to help out lighting. I asked the band if they had a problem with lighting the playing area before I did anything. They did not have any problem with it so I went around and placed some flashes around where they were set up.

I love shooting in environments like this when the bands let me light the area as needed. I know that a lot of photographers look down on concert photography with flashes, but when there is not any real stage lighting going on I don't think it's a big deal. I just do what I need to in order to get the bands the images that they are looking for.

I set up three lights around the area that they were playing and set each one to a different group so that I could add them or subtract them from my shooting area. I had a Nikon SB900 set in the very back behind the drummer, another gelled blue with an Expoimaging Rogue lighting filter bounced off a large Rogue Flashbender, and the last one I had on the floor at the front of the playing area aimed up. As I shot the set I was adding and removing the lights via my Opas camera mounted trigger.

As the set went on I was able to turn my flashes on and off as needed from my camera position. If I had not set the flashes to different channels I wouldn't have had this as an option. All of the flashes would have fired every time I shot a frame. The main benefit of shooting this way is that when you change camera position sometimes you will get a flash aimed toward your lens and get an over powering lens flare, so using the channels feature is a great way of controlling this.

The crowd was really into the performance, it was getting rowdy to say the least, and the drinks were flowing. Now what normally happens when a great show is going on along with lots of drinks? Someone ends up spilling something. That’s exactly what happened to one of my flashes. I placed my LP160 on the ground pointed up at an angle to under light the singer and guitar player. What looked like a sea of beer came crashing down and around the LP160 and I thought it was a goner for sure.

It turns out that not only did it survive the waterfall of beer but it also kept on going while it was adrift in the sea of beer that claimed that section of the playing area. No sparks, no burning out, and no misfires.

I have no idea how it survived, but it did. When the show was over I pulled out the batteries, gave it a good cleaning, and let it dry out over night. In the morning there was no evidence of the mishap.

So this and a million other reasons go on the list of why I love the Lumopro LP160 so much. I cannot recommend this flash unit enough to photographers. It has a low price and fantastic connectivity and reliability.

Pick one up and do your best to keep it out of beer tsunamis but if you can't, you have a fighting chance of it making it through.

For more information on this flash unit you can read my review of the LP160 here or head on over to the Lumopro website at www.lumopro.com

Nikon - Thailand flood update

From Nikon:

Notice on the damage from the flood in Thailand

October 11, 2011

Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a consolidated subsidiary of Nikon Corporation in the Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya Province located in Central Thailand, is submerged by the flood caused by torrential rainfall since last July.

The latest situations at Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd. are as follows:

Damages

The 1st floor of all buildings at the premises are presently submerged. Details of the damages are now under investigation. As for the employees, the human damage has not been reported so far. The factory is suspending its operation since October 6.
Estimated impact to our business performance

We are now doing our utmost to estimate the impact of the flood to our group companies and business performance. We assure you to immediately advise the findings once it is judged there will be an important change in our forecast.
Recovery

We are continuing to investigate details of the damage, but are unable to predict how soon operation will be resumed. We will set up our recovery support system and endeavor to restart its operation as early as possible. We are now requesting drainage of the industrial park to the Thai government, together with the Rojana Industrial Park authority, other companies in the Park and Japan External Trade Organization.

Nikon - Thailand flood update

From Nikon:

Notice on the damage from the flood in Thailand

October 11, 2011

Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a consolidated subsidiary of Nikon Corporation in the Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya Province located in Central Thailand, is submerged by the flood caused by torrential rainfall since last July.

The latest situations at Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd. are as follows:

Damages

The 1st floor of all buildings at the premises are presently submerged. Details of the damages are now under investigation. As for the employees, the human damage has not been reported so far. The factory is suspending its operation since October 6.
Estimated impact to our business performance

We are now doing our utmost to estimate the impact of the flood to our group companies and business performance. We assure you to immediately advise the findings once it is judged there will be an important change in our forecast.
Recovery

We are continuing to investigate details of the damage, but are unable to predict how soon operation will be resumed. We will set up our recovery support system and endeavor to restart its operation as early as possible. We are now requesting drainage of the industrial park to the Thai government, together with the Rojana Industrial Park authority, other companies in the Park and Japan External Trade Organization.

The Nikon SU800 – My go to tool when using Nikon TTL.

My favorite TTL control tool is the Nikon SU800. It is a control unit that is part of the Nikon Creative Lighting System. It acts as a dedicated controller along the lines of the Nikon SB700, 800, and 900, but with out the flash capability.

The SU800 is essentially a wireless Nikon speedlight commander. It uses infrared light to transmit and receive signal to and from compatible Nikon cameras and flashes. With this unit mounted on the hot shoe of your camera it has the ability to control CLS capable flashes as if they were connected to the camera. The SU800 can also be used with the SB-R200 flashes for macro work.

If you open up the battery compartment you will find next to the battery a switch that allows you to choose from close up mode and regular mode. You will use the close up mode when you are using the the SB-R200 flash units mounted to the camera lens. You will use the commander mode for when you are controlling flashes not mounted onto the camera.



Like the Nikon SB700, 800, and 900, in commander mode the SU800 is capable of controlling an unlimited number of CLS compatible speed lights. From the rear LCD you can set groups, channels, and select shooting modes for the flash units. The flash modes that you can choose from are: TTL (Through The Lens), AA (Auto Aperture) M (Manual) and – (No Flash). Here is a breakdown of what these modes do:

TTL – In this mode the SU800 and camera make all of the flash exposure choices. It fires out a very fast pulse of light that bounces off the subject and is then read by the camera to determine correct flash exposure.

AA – With this TTL option the camera and flash takes all sorts of data in consideration for setting the flash exposure. The aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, and information from the lens will all be taken and used to come up with the correct flash exposure.

Manual – This mode is just as it sounds. You need to set power levels of your remote flashes via the SU800. You have from 1/1 down to 1/128 of a power range.

– No Flash - I think that this one can speak for itself. However I will add a little note or two. When I am shooting in a single group I will set the other groups to – just so that I can keep the setting straight. When I then add in other groups I go in and change the mode to what I need it to be. Just a good habit to get into for some good housekeeping when shooting.



In all of these modes (with the exception of –) you are able to set flash compensation in 1/3rd increments in a three stop range + or – . You can set the compensation for individual groups as needed. If this range does not accomplish what you need it to you can use the global flash compensation on the camera itself for added range.

If you have any flashes that can be optically triggered the SU800 will be able to fire them as long as they are in line of sight. The SU800 fires an infrared signal that is able to trigger optical triggers along with performing what ever control function it is set for. It is just a simple matter of placing additional flashes into the mix with your Nikon’s. I have shot on many occasions with the SU800 as my Nikon flash controller and also placed my Lumopro LP160 into the mix as a manual flash still triggered along side my Nikon flashes.

There are a lot of Nikon cameras out on the market that have essentially the same capabilities through the on board flash as the SU800. One reason that made me go to the SU800 instead of the on camera flash for control is the fact that when you use the on camera flash to control your flash units there is a second catch light in the eyes of your subject from the on camera flash. The manual will tell you that the on camera flash is not taken into consideration for exposure and is not part of the captured light, but there is still just enough light left during capture to show up in the eyes. All in all not that big of a deal, but by using the SU800 you take that catch light away and also have all of your controls right there on the outside of the unit as opposed to having to go through camera menus.



All obvious line of site issues aside the Nikon SU800 is a fantastic tool for both TTL and manual control of your off camera flash. If you are not a fan of having to go into camera menus, and want a faster flash control interface, you should give the Nikon SU800 a nice long look.

The Nikon SU800 – My go to tool when using Nikon TTL.

My favorite TTL control tool is the Nikon SU800. It is a control unit that is part of the Nikon Creative Lighting System. It acts as a dedicated controller along the lines of the Nikon SB700, 800, and 900, but with out the flash capability.

The SU800 is essentially a wireless Nikon speedlight commander. It uses infrared light to transmit and receive signal to and from compatible Nikon cameras and flashes. With this unit mounted on the hot shoe of your camera it has the ability to control CLS capable flashes as if they were connected to the camera. The SU800 can also be used with the SB-R200 flashes for macro work.

If you open up the battery compartment you will find next to the battery a switch that allows you to choose from close up mode and regular mode. You will use the close up mode when you are using the the SB-R200 flash units mounted to the camera lens. You will use the commander mode for when you are controlling flashes not mounted onto the camera.



Like the Nikon SB700, 800, and 900, in commander mode the SU800 is capable of controlling an unlimited number of CLS compatible speed lights. From the rear LCD you can set groups, channels, and select shooting modes for the flash units. The flash modes that you can choose from are: TTL (Through The Lens), AA (Auto Aperture) M (Manual) and – (No Flash). Here is a breakdown of what these modes do:

TTL – In this mode the SU800 and camera make all of the flash exposure choices. It fires out a very fast pulse of light that bounces off the subject and is then read by the camera to determine correct flash exposure.

AA – With this TTL option the camera and flash takes all sorts of data in consideration for setting the flash exposure. The aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, and information from the lens will all be taken and used to come up with the correct flash exposure.

Manual – This mode is just as it sounds. You need to set power levels of your remote flashes via the SU800. You have from 1/1 down to 1/128 of a power range.

– No Flash - I think that this one can speak for itself. However I will add a little note or two. When I am shooting in a single group I will set the other groups to – just so that I can keep the setting straight. When I then add in other groups I go in and change the mode to what I need it to be. Just a good habit to get into for some good housekeeping when shooting.



In all of these modes (with the exception of –) you are able to set flash compensation in 1/3rd increments in a three stop range + or – . You can set the compensation for individual groups as needed. If this range does not accomplish what you need it to you can use the global flash compensation on the camera itself for added range.

If you have any flashes that can be optically triggered the SU800 will be able to fire them as long as they are in line of sight. The SU800 fires an infrared signal that is able to trigger optical triggers along with performing what ever control function it is set for. It is just a simple matter of placing additional flashes into the mix with your Nikon’s. I have shot on many occasions with the SU800 as my Nikon flash controller and also placed my Lumopro LP160 into the mix as a manual flash still triggered along side my Nikon flashes.

There are a lot of Nikon cameras out on the market that have essentially the same capabilities through the on board flash as the SU800. One reason that made me go to the SU800 instead of the on camera flash for control is the fact that when you use the on camera flash to control your flash units there is a second catch light in the eyes of your subject from the on camera flash. The manual will tell you that the on camera flash is not taken into consideration for exposure and is not part of the captured light, but there is still just enough light left during capture to show up in the eyes. All in all not that big of a deal, but by using the SU800 you take that catch light away and also have all of your controls right there on the outside of the unit as opposed to having to go through camera menus.



All obvious line of site issues aside the Nikon SU800 is a fantastic tool for both TTL and manual control of your off camera flash. If you are not a fan of having to go into camera menus, and want a faster flash control interface, you should give the Nikon SU800 a nice long look.

Flash Facts – Bounce Flash

One flash rule to remember is that the larger the light source, the softer the light. The smaller the light source, the harder the light. This means that the larger soft light will have softer edges in the shadows and the smaller hard light will have a more defined edge at the shadows. This technique also works very well with ceilings.



One very easy way to turn the small light from your shoe mounted flash into a large soft light source is to bounce your flash light off of a nearby wall. You do this by having the person you are photographing move near a wall or large solid surface, then you rotate your shoe mounted flash so that it is facing the opposite wall and not directly at your subject.



When you fire the flash it is going to bounce off of the wall that it is aimed at and turn into a much larger light source, thus creating a softer edge for your shadows.


One thing to keep in mind when using this technique is the color of the wall. The color of the wall is going to influence the color of the light hitting the subject. By this I mean that if you have a white wall to bounce your flash off of it is not going to be that big of a deal, but if the wall is, let's say red, then that will tint your light with red.



There are a few different way to counteract this light tinting problem. The two easiest way is by either changing the white balance of the flash, or by changing the light from the flash with a colored gel. The exact color and white balance combinations will depend on the color of the area, the wall, and also by what color you want the light to be.


Depending of the color of the surface I will usually start with the white balance for color correction. When it is warm or cool colors changing the white balance is the easiest. I suggest you correct the white balance in camera during the shoot, but you can change it in post as well.

Flash Facts – Bounce Flash

One flash rule to remember is that the larger the light source, the softer the light. The smaller the light source, the harder the light. This means that the larger soft light will have softer edges in the shadows and the smaller hard light will have a more defined edge at the shadows. This technique also works very well with ceilings.



One very easy way to turn the small light from your shoe mounted flash into a large soft light source is to bounce your flash light off of a nearby wall. You do this by having the person you are photographing move near a wall or large solid surface, then you rotate your shoe mounted flash so that it is facing the opposite wall and not directly at your subject.



When you fire the flash it is going to bounce off of the wall that it is aimed at and turn into a much larger light source, thus creating a softer edge for your shadows.


One thing to keep in mind when using this technique is the color of the wall. The color of the wall is going to influence the color of the light hitting the subject. By this I mean that if you have a white wall to bounce your flash off of it is not going to be that big of a deal, but if the wall is, let's say red, then that will tint your light with red.



There are a few different way to counteract this light tinting problem. The two easiest way is by either changing the white balance of the flash, or by changing the light from the flash with a colored gel. The exact color and white balance combinations will depend on the color of the area, the wall, and also by what color you want the light to be.


Depending of the color of the surface I will usually start with the white balance for color correction. When it is warm or cool colors changing the white balance is the easiest. I suggest you correct the white balance in camera during the shoot, but you can change it in post as well.

On camera flash

There are a lot of photographers out there in the world that passionately hate on camera flash. I am not one of them. If done right you can add all kinds of drama and motion by using your on camera flash.



If you set your shutter speed relativity slow (1/30 or slower) and then fire some on camera flash you can get some great effects. Remember that shutter speed controls the ambient light and the aperture controls the flash exposure. So you can manipulate them independently of each other. Here are a few examples.



Motion blur by itself is not always ideal, but with on camera flash you can get your subject sharp and everything else in motion in the frame will show motion blur. Your shutter speed and movement in the frame will determine how much motion blur is in the shot.



Burning in color. When you combine flash with longer shutter speeds you manipulate the color saturation and contrast pretty easily. You will use your flash and aperture to control the exposure of your subject. Just like in other situations, your shutter speed controls the ambient exposure. In this instance, when you are using longer shutter speeds, you control how the subject blends with the rest of the frame. The flash will get your subject illuminated and sharp and the longer shutter speed burns in the ambient light. You adjust the shutter speed to choose how the subject and the rest of the frame blend together.



Bounce Flash. This technique is very easy and flattering provided that you have a wall with a neutral color that you can shoot next to. All that you need to do is move your subject near a wall and then turn your flash toward the wall. The light will bounce off of the wall and become a larger source of light which in turn will make it softer.



Another way I enjoy shooting with on camera flash is in manual mode with the flash head zoomed in as far as it can go. I can get the tightest area of illumination without going to a grid or snoot. Then I crank up the shutter speed to let in all of the shadows around the center of light. When you shoot like this your composition gets pretty stagnant, but I like the lighting in this set up so I will change my crop in post to mix it up a bit. I find that my Lumopro LP160 works the easiest with this set up. The manual buttons on the back make changing the zoom and power on the fly fast and easy.



One of the most widely used on camera flash techniques is fill flash. You use fill flash to fill in the shadows on your subject. It is pretty straight forward, but one way to use fill flash is in sunlight. By throwing some flash on a subject when they are outside you control shadows under the eyes so that they do not get lost. You can also turn your subject's back to the sun and use fill flash to balance the shadows with the bright sun behind.

As you can see there are many reasons to use on camera flash. So put a flash in your hot shoe, go out, and light it up.