Does anyone hold a flash in their non-camera hand for on-the-fly off-camera flash?

Tom Pinchenzo

Tom Pinchenzo

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Like, camera in your right hand, flash in your left, as an alternative to leaving it on your hotshoe, to get some different angles when you don't have the time to set up each shot, e.g. wedding or events. Or even on a little boom...
 
I have a Godox AD100 that I sometimes use like this, it came with a handle for this purpose.

ad100.jpg
 
i'd have thought that there'd be very few people who use speedlight type off camera flash that don't use it in this manner at some point or other... hell, I know I was doing it way way pre-digital....
 
Often. Flash brackets have been around for eons (change the angle of the flash). Catchlights are often much better when caught in a different direction to the camera.
 
Yes, back in my film days.
 
TheBigYin said:
hell, I know I was doing it way way pre-digital....
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I think we all did, in the days when the Mecablitz 502 was the default for press and weddings. Mind you, I knew a bloke who used a flash bracket between his Rollei and the Metz head. He was considered a bit "modern", though. :naughty: :exit:
 
No. Not that I find myself in that kind of situation very often but when I do I either have a Lumiquest QuikBounce on the speedlight (on-camera) or use a flash bracket.

The bracket is way more cumbersome but works very well. It's basically two speedlights, one firing into a RoundFlash Dish (usually a bit above the camera but can be moved to the left) and the other bouncing off ceiling/wall. If you have time to make a few quick adjustments (flash ratios/exposure) it's very versatile and can deliver really nice light.

The original RoundFlash Dish seems to be unavailable. Link is to a clone that looks identical.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LumiQuest-Quik-Bounce-With-UltraStrap/dp/B00XMEIUYY

 
AndrewFlannigan said:
I think we all did, in the days when the Mecablitz 502 was the default for press and weddings. Mind you, I knew a bloke who used a flash bracket between his Rollei and the Metz head. He was considered a bit "modern", though. :naughty: :exit:
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That funny! Of course photos abound of press shooters with their 4x5 Graflexes in one hand and the 'lightsaber' in the other too... And they had to keep a handkerchief in the camera hand as well so that they didn't burn their hands when changing bulbs in a hurry.
 
Donsta said:
That funny! Of course photos abound of press shooters with their 4x5 Graflexes in one hand and the 'lightsaber' in the other too... And they had to keep a handkerchief in the camera hand as well so that they didn't burn their hands when changing bulbs in a hurry.
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mostly with the 4x5's the flash would be attached off to the side in some way, because to get the damned camera anywhere near stable enough required holding on with both hands. Stick the flash onto a substantial enough bracket and you'd got a good solid second hand grab.
 
TheBigYin said:
mostly with the 4x5's the flash would be attached off to the side in some way, because to get the damned camera anywhere near stable enough required holding on with both hands.
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There were one or two guys in Devon in the 1970s who still used a press camera for wedding groups. I'd run into them at busy churches on a Saturday and they had some marvellous stories.

One told me how he was taking a quiet rest at the back of the church (No photographing the vows in those days!) and the vicar got to the "If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together...".

"I do!" The speaker was the groom's extant wife. She marched up to the (now unhappy) couple and said in a loud voice to the bride: "He's yours and welcome to him, just the moment you give me grounds for divorce and hand over his bank accounts!" :wideyed:
 
I do from time to time, Super Ikonta in one hand, Kobold BC in the other.

David.
 
I used to when I was shooting my OM1 or OM4 back in the 70s and 80s, but they are very light cameras. The Metz flash and battery were far heavier.

I don't think I could shoot my DSLR (D850) and a decent lens with one hand - I sometimes struggle with two. :rolleyes:
 
TheBigYin said:
mostly with the 4x5's the flash would be attached off to the side in some way, because to get the damned camera anywhere near stable enough required holding on with both hands. Stick the flash onto a substantial enough bracket and you'd got a good solid second hand grab.
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And they'd be holding film holders, dark slides and remembering to do everything too (cock the shutter)... In a suit of course!
 
It doesn't seem like a flash bracket would provide much of a distance from the camera. I found this image from a google search for flash brackets and it looks insane! Would probably do the job though :LOL:

1630922116011.png
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
It doesn't seem like a flash bracket would provide much of a distance from the camera. I found this image from a google search for flash brackets and it looks insane! Would probably do the job though :LOL:

View attachment 329261
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That looks like the flash bracket I use, though mine is heavily DIY modified and basically only the handle and telescoping bit remains of the original as I've reduced things to the bare minimum.

It's possible to get very good light with a mobile set-up and a couple of speedlights (or more!) but you soon discover that it's evolved into an unwieldy and impractical rig that looks ridiculous and is hard to use (heavy and off-balance). So you end up with a lot of compromises.
 
HoppyUK said:
That looks like the flash bracket I use, though mine is heavily DIY modified and basically only the handle and telescoping bit remains of the original as I've reduced things to the bare minimum.

It's possible to get very good light with a mobile set-up and a couple of speedlights (or more!) but you soon discover that it's evolved into an unwieldy and impractical rig that looks ridiculous and is hard to use (heavy and off-balance). So you end up with a lot of compromises.
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I suppose you could attach the flash and modifier to a harness on your back... Then all you'd need is a transmitter on your camera. But again, you'd look rediculous!
 
I find it's often the best way when doing macro (as long as the flash & cable are both TTL compatible)
 
Always have... first with a bulb flashgun on a film camera, now with an electronic flash on a digitial camera. I have both a TTL estension cable and a gadget that ssits in the hotshoe and wirelessly links camera and flash.

I did it initially because it got rid of red-eye and those hard shadows that made people look like carboard cut-outs., Put a diffuser/reflector on the flash and you don't have to be that accurate - but you get the knack quite quickly

Extend your arm to hold the flash to one side, pointing slightly down and inwards and the result always looks better than having it on-camera.

Sometimes the simple solutions are the best.
 
So nobody has noticed that the photo in post #15 shows that he's using a shoot thru umbrella the wrong way and loosing most of his light behind him.
He would do better turning the light and flash around, or using a reflecting umbrella to fully light the subject.

Just my opinion, but maybe he is close and needs to waste most of his light!

Charley
 
I have but prefer using a flash bracket so that a) I can keep two hands on the camera and b) easier to operate with two cameras and have choice of FL.
 
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