STEP BY STEP

Speedlight setup

Check the ambient light

This is the ambient light in the workshop without any flash: a mixture of window light and tungsten lamps results in a rather flat, dull light. We can supplement the natural light with a couple of Speedlights to pick out our subject and add mood.

Work out a base exposure

Before turning our flashes on, we worked out an exposure for the ambient light in Manual mode – here we had 1/200 sec, f/4, ISO3200. Then we underexposed the scene by dropping the ISO down to 400 (a difference of three stops) to underexpose the ambient light.

Set up a Speedlight

Next we lit the subject with a main light (or key light). We’ve positioned it off to the left of the camera, which is roughly where the windows are, so the key light mimics the natural light. We fixed a wireless trigger and receiver to the camera and Speedlight to fire the flash.

Light the face

Here are the effects of the key light. The umbrella helps to diffuse the light, which makes it softer and more flattering for portraits than a bare flash. The angle of the light strikes the left of the face, creating a sense of depth. We took care not to let the light spill on to the back wall.

Add a backlight

Next we’ll add in a second Speedlight. We’ll use this to add an edge light to our subject, which will help him stand out from the background. We positioned this in front of the window that’s in shot. Removing the Speedlight and stand later in Photoshop is a simple job.

Take the shot

With both lights on, we have a dramatic cross-lighting effect. Both our Speedlights are in Manual mode. The key light is at 1/8 power, and the edge light is at 1/16 power. Setting the Speedlight power takes a little trial and error, so take a few test shots until it looks right.