STEP BY STEP SETTINGS FOR FAST FLASH PHOTOS

Learn to master off-camera flash and the HSS mode for better action shots outdoors

01 EOS CAMERA & LENS

We’ve used a Canon full-frame camera and standard zoom L-series lens, and shot at around 50mm to fill the frame with our fluffy subject. You could use a longer focal length for your subjects, depending on space and their distance, and your flash trigger range.

02 CANON EL-1 SPEEDLITE

We set our Speedlite EL-1 to Manual mode and switched it to HSS mode. HSS really reduces flash power as it’s more a pulse of light than a big burst. We set it to ¼ power for a good exposure in bright sunshine, but experiment with power for your shots.

03 HIGH-SPEED SYNC FLASH

We also set the zoom on the flash to 105mm to concentrate the flash spread to a smaller area, and with the EL-1 on a stand two metres from our white dog. Note, that the closer you bring the flash to your subject, the stronger the flash light’s power will be.

04 REMOTE TRIGGERS

We used some affordable Godox X1T-C (for Canon) triggers, with the transmitter on our Canon camera’s hotshoe, and the EL-1 Speedlite attached to receiver. They also have no trouble shooting at faster than flash sync shutter speeds so are ideal for HSS techniques.

05 BATTERIES ARE INCLUDED!

There’s nothing more annoying than not knowing how much battery power you have left when using Speedlites. The Speedlite EL-1 is unique as it uses Canon’s rechargeable batteries and also has a battery power icon, so you’ll have plenty of warning.

06 FAST SHUTTER SPEED

We settled on an exposure of 1/1250 sec and f/4.5 to keep our dog sharp, but background blurred. As well as freezing the dog’s movement, the faster shutter speed has underexposed the background nicely, so our pooch stands out in shot better.