Help me get my Flash off Camera Please

Sonriendo

Sonriendo

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Sarah
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I've decided that 2013 is the year that I actually get to master my flash, which mostly just sits at home ;)

I was severly *******ed by a friend of mine (professional photographer) recently for not always having it on the camera just in case. So today, my willing model helped me out. We went from


IMG_8740 by Sonriendo, on Flickr

to using a silver reflector


IMG_8741 by Sonriendo, on Flickr

to using flash bounced off ceiling and silver reflector


IMG_8758 by Sonriendo, on Flickr

All these are straight conversions to jpeg via lightroom.

So, I'm quite excited by this revelation that using a flash is not quite so scary as I thought :lol:

Now, I know I have to RTFM and get out of E-TTL first: But, I'd quite like to get the flash off camera too. I've read Strobist 101 and he reccommends using a flash cable and shoot through umbrellas first.

What would your reccommendation be please? Bearing in mind I don't want to spend loads of money incase I don't get on with it at all ;)
 
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pmaccyd said:
Check out ryanboys off camera course, they are reasonably priced and he'll get you on the right track re equipment and technique.
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Thanks, but by the time I've flown over from Spain, might just be a tiny bit expensive ;)
 
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You already have a flash which when used on camera with TTL can be very subtle and add to images very nicely. I read this book, all photos examples can be used on all portrait ideas

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1584282584/ref=aw_d_iv_books?is=l

Once you wanna get it off cam, buy a cheap Konig light stand, an umbrella bracket and a cheap shoot through umbrella (larger the better as big as your space allows). Alternatively if you are tight for space buy a cheap softbox (this will stop light bouncing around the room from the umbrella and affecting your exposure).

To trigger the flash buy a set of yongnuo rf602 or 603 triggers from eBay, cheap and very very reliable. Then just practice practice practice.

All in all shouldn't cost you any more than £50 and with the reflector you already have (which if used correctly can give you a clever 'second light') you'll have everything you need to get started with.

Enjoy!
 
dan_yorkshire said:
You already have a flash which when used on camera with TTL can be very subtle and add to images very nicely. I read this book, all photos examples can be used on all portrait ideas

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1584282584/ref=aw_d_iv_books?is=l

Once you wanna get it off cam, buy a cheap Konig light stand, an umbrella bracket and a cheap shoot through umbrella (larger the better as big as your space allows). Alternatively if you are tight for space buy a cheap softbox (this will stop light bouncing around the room from the umbrella and affecting your exposure).

To trigger the flash buy a set of yongnuo rf602 or 603 triggers from eBay, cheap and very very reliable. Then just practice practice practice.

All in all shouldn't cost you any more than £50 and with the reflector you already have (which if used correctly can give you a clever 'second light') you'll have everything you need to get started with.

Enjoy!
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Thank you very much - very helpful :thumbs:

Actually I follow Neil vN's blog, I'm sure he has a 101 style guide on his website too
 
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I'm making 2 assumptions:
You have a 50d
You have an ETTL enabled flaashgun.

You need a light stand, long ettl cord, long sync cable, shoot through umbrella and a hot shoe adaptor for the stand.

With that you can control the flash from your camera or use it manually on a stand.

Alternatively you can get radio triggers instead of the cables, either manual or ETTL enabled.

It's not that expensive to start, but like all things photography related, it can spiral cost wise and eat loads of time. I've been watching a bit of creative live this weekend, and the guy with 5 600ex flashguns, cheetah stands and the new ST-E3 controller looks a great way to work, but the sums are ridiculous.
 
Phil V said:
I'm making 2 assumptions:
You have a 50d
You have an ETTL enabled flaashgun.

You need a light stand, long ettl cord, long sync cable, shoot through umbrella and a hot shoe adaptor for the stand.

With that you can control the flash from your camera or use it manually on a stand.

Alternatively you can get radio triggers instead of the cables, either manual or ETTL enabled.

It's not that expensive to start, but like all things photography related, it can spiral cost wise and eat loads of time. I've been watching a bit of creative live this weekend, and the guy with 5 600ex flashguns, cheetah stands and the new ST-E3 controller looks a great way to work, but the sums are ridiculous.
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I have a 50d and a 580EXII, so yes. It's that red bit I'm worried about :lol:

I think radio triggers have got to be better than the cable.
 
Sonriendo said:
I have a 50d and a 580EXII, so yes. It's that red bit I'm worried about :lol:

I think radio triggers have got to be better than the cable.
Click to expand...

Yep go with triggers, their advantage (others may call it a disadvantage) is that as soon as its off camera there is no TTL so you have to use your noggin from the off, good learning curve!
 
Sarah, a very importnd word in Phil's post is CAN! It doesn't have to eat too much cash or time unless you let it. Off camera cords aren't expensive and you may well have an old cheap tripod sitting in a cupboard somewhere which can be pressed into service as a light stand (if necessary, tape or weigh it down for stability).
 
dan_yorkshire said:
Yep go with triggers, their advantage (others may call it a disadvantage) is that as soon as its off camera there is no TTL so you have to use your noggin from the off, good learning curve!
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Hmmm, so I really will have to RTFM :lol:
 
As Phil says - cheap Konig stand, shoot-through transluscent umbrella, umbrella adapter (to connect flash to stand to brolly) - £30 the lot.

Then Yongnuo 622 E-TTL triggers. They're very good and amazingly cheap (£80 a set?) for what you get and work perfectly with your kit.

Take it from there. Suggest book by Syl Arena, the Speedliter's Handbook. Excellent, comprehensive, easy to read.

Edit: you can do a lot with on-camera flash. The important bit is getting the light off-camera, eg bouncing off ceiling and walls. Have a go with a bounce card - small piece of white card, size of a cigarette packet, attached with a rubber band. The little pull-up hilite panel in your flash head is surprisingly useful, similar idea. Look here www.abetterbouncecard.com With this technique you have three light sources to work with - main light is soft, bounced off the ceiling; second light is a small proportion reflected directly forward to the subject off the card (lightens shadows under chins and puts a sparkle in the eyes); third light source is the ambient and you can adjust the brightness of that with shutter speed to either lighten or darken it.

Good flash photography is often more about a bit of knowledge and technique than kit - hence the book. I would also add, it's tremendously rewarding and can transform even the most basic picture taking situations. Far more creatively useful than buying another lens :)
 
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HoppyUK said:
Take it from there. Suggest book by Syl Arena, the Speedliter's Handbook. Excellent, comprehensive, easy to read.

Edit: you can do a lot with on-camera flash. The important bit is getting the light off-camera, eg bouncing off ceiling and walls. Have a go with a bounce card - small piece of white card, size of a cigarette packet, attached with a rubber band. The little pull-up hilite panel in your flash head is surprisingly useful, similar idea. Look here www.abetterbouncecard.com With this technique you have three light sources to work with - main light is soft, bounced off the ceiling; second light is a small proportion reflected directly forward to the subject off the card (lightens shadows under chins and puts a sparkle in the eyes); third light source is the ambient and you can adjust the brightness of that with shutter speed to either lighten or darken it.

Good flash photography is often more about a bit of knowledge and technique than kit - hence the book. I would also add, it's tremendously rewarding and can transform even the most basic picture taking situations. Far more creatively useful than buying another lens :)
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Thanks, that book does look interesting :)
 
radio triggers are good
or the YN ST-E2 is about 70 quid and works a treat
ETTL and then you can get a YN flash at 100 notes later and start to play even more!
 
mhuk said:
In addition to all the great advice above, two websites I've found useful for lighting and off-camera flash are:

strobist.com
http://neilvn.com/tangents/
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+1 for Neil van Niekerk's tangents blog. I did a flash workshop with him a year ago, and it was the best money I've spent in Photography...:)
 
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Pinarello said:
+1 for Neil van Niekerk's tangents blog. I did a flash workshop with him a year ago, and it was the best money I've spent in Photography...:)
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Wow, I'd love to do that, but money and location are currently against me :)
 
HoppyUK said:
Take it from there. Suggest book by Syl Arena, the Speedliter's Handbook. Excellent, comprehensive, easy to read.
Click to expand...

Just received notice from Amazon that it's on it's way, however the couriers don't know where I live :shake: Wouldn't mind, but they've been here before :thinking:
 
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