{"id":14099,"date":"2013-04-25T22:49:03","date_gmt":"2013-04-26T02:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=14099"},"modified":"2020-06-13T18:56:31","modified_gmt":"2020-06-13T22:56:31","slug":"off-camera-flash-vs-available-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/off-camera-flash-vs-available-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Off-camera flash vs. available light"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Off-camera flash vs. available light<\/h1>\n

With this background,\u00a0I liked the way the dots were repeated in Olena<\/a>‘s\u00a0dress in reverse – white dots on black, instead of black dots \/ holds on silver. I liked the repetition, and decided to work with the composition of this photograph a bit. \u00a0For the final sequence of images – of which the image at the top is one – I asked Olena to really exaggerate the curve of her body to create an S-shaped, which in turn contrasted boldly with the rigid pattern of the background.<\/p>\n

This article’s original title was going to be: \u00a0Off-camera flash vs the snobbery of “available light is always better”. When you look at the available light photo of\u00a0Olena<\/a>, you’ll see that the available light was pretty sweet – soft and flattering. But it lacked punch. It needed just that little bit of drama to it. The available light shot just looked a touch too bland.\u00a0Off-camera lighting to the rescue!<\/p>\n

I had the flash in a soft box to create flattering, yet dynamic light on her. I wanted her shadow to be more defined and become part of the composition, but that would’ve meant a harder light source. Holding the Lastolite EZYBOX 24\u00d724″ softbox<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>)\u00a0fairly close to her was the compromise. This way her shadow added a subtle element to the composition.<\/p>\n

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camera settings: 1\/200 @ f\/4 @ 200 ISO<\/p>\n

This gave me correct exposure for the ambient. It looks good. Now,\u00a0to have the flash have the impact it has, I had to under-expose the ambient. Therefore I pulled the exposure down by 2 stops:\u00a0<\/span>camera settings: 1\/250 @ f\/7.1 @ 200 ISO \u00a0… TTL flash.<\/p>\n

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Lighting & Design for Portrait Photography<\/h2>\n

Lighting & Design<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is a\u00a0follow-up of sorts to Direction & Quality of Light<\/a>.\u00a0It\u2019s a slightly eclectic mix, discussing the thought-process with various scenarios shooting portraits. The examples use available light, bounce flash, off-camera flash as well as studio lighting.<\/p>\n

The idea is that in every one of the 60 sections, there is something to be learnt and applied, regardless of your level as a photographer or where you shoot\u00a0– all\u00a0shaped to form a cohesive narrative arc throughout the book.<\/p>\n

You can either purchase a copy via\u00a0Amazon USA<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or Amazon UK<\/a><\/strong>. The book\u00a0will\u00a0also available on the Apple iBook Store, and Amazon Kindle.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>

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These photos were taken during a\u00a0photography workshop<\/a> in New York.<\/p>\n

As an aside: I used the same background to different effect with a previous photo session where Nicole Jolly was the model –\u00a0photo-shoot with a model: the progression of an idea<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Photo gear (or equivalents) used in this photo session<\/h2>\n