Master offcamera flash James Paterson
Explains how to add a sense of drama to your outdoor portraits
Just because a flashgun is designed to fit on your camera’s hotshoe, it doesn’t necessarily mean this is the best place for it. In fact, firing a flashgun at your subject from on top of the camera is likely to produce just as disappointing a result as you’d get with your camera’s pop-up flash. The problem with any direct on-camera flash is that it flattens the subject by filling the shadows.
The real difference with flash comes when we make the light more directional by firing it from an off-camera position. This way, the flash produces an attractive mix of shadows and highlights, adding depth to the scene. What’s more, it gives us the freedom to light our subjects from any direction we choose.
Flash isn’t just useful for dim interiors. It can be very effective outdoors, either to complement or subtly alter the natural ambient light. When we take a shot using just ambient light, there’s only ever really one correct exposure, but when we add in light with flash, we can create a variety of looks. Here, for example, we’re able to underexpose the ambient light to give the scene more of a shadowy, filmic quality, then use flash to lift the subject so she’s correctly exposed.
Of course, in order to trigger your off-camera flashgun so that it fires when you press the shutter, you need the camera and flash to be connected, either with a lead or wirelessly.
And for better results, you also need to be able to modify the flash to make the light softer and more flattering for portraits. Turn the page to find out how to achieve this...
1 Trigger your flashgun If your camera and flashgun are compatible, you can trigger the flashgun wirelessly with the camera’s pop-up flash. This is a little limited because it needs to be a good line of sight. Sync leads are another good option, but you’re limited by the length of the lead.
Radio triggers are the best choice, requiring neither leads nor line of sight. Attach the transmitter to your hotshoe, and the receiver to your flashgun. If you want to use multiple flashguns but only have one receiver, attach it to the main flash and set the others to act as slaves.
2 Modify the light Your flashgun is a relatively small source, which means it produces hard light. This isn’t the most flattering light for portraits. Enlarge the source and the light becomes much softer and more flattering. A white brolly like this comes in handy, but it’s vulnerable to gusts of wind. If you’ve got a spare pair of hands, you could simply hold a white diffuser in front of the flash. The circular diffuser from a five-in-one reflector works a treat.
3 Consider the difference The distance of your light from the subject is important, as it affects the strength of the light. This is where the inverse-square law proves useful. It states that if the light is moved back twice the distance, the power of the light is reduced by four times (two squared). If you find your flash is too weak or strong, it’s often quicker to move it closer or further from the subject rather than change the output settings.