Outdoor lighting shoot

UKBorgs

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All,

I have had some experience of shooting portrait to glamour in studio and about to venture into the location shoot. I have a 580 II Speedlight with umbrella attachments and reflectors to go along with my 600D. However, what I am after is some hints/tips on lighting setups that will take advantage of my kit and the natural environment to produce some great shots.

I know I am [S3]mad[/S3] and the whole point of this is to experiment, but I do not wish to waste all my time on the shoot merely trying.

Does anyone know of any websites or guidance that maybe able to assist me?
 
One of the best sites for speedlight lighting tutorials is the strobist site
The same setups that worked in the studio will work on location, but you have to be aware of a few things.
You have far less power with speedlights, so work them as close to your subject as possible.
If your lucky, you will have an additional usable lightsource to take into account (The Sun!), if not, you may then have the biggest softbox in the world to contend with (textureless cloudy sky). On the other hand, if you have an angry looking sky with dark, textured clouds, you have a great backdrop.
Essentially, just think of your speedlights as very small studio lights and work accordingly.
 
Thanks for that. I have already looked at the site you have suggested and there is some great tips etc there.

I like the way to think about the "other" lights in the sky and I hope that mentally will set me up for getting some good pictures. I personally like to get it right in the camera rather than the post-production stage, but we shall see what happens.

LOL now the model is getting worried about the cold.....I will never win!
 
If you need examples to show your model what cold location shooting is really like, just give me a shout. :lol:

She is a professional and I have told her that I am not to much of a hard b****r to make her suffer.....I already know it will show in the pictures. So when I am paying for her time and she doesn't look "happy" in the photos, then I know I am just wasting my money.

I think I will have a play with my flash and camera tonight, re-read the flash manual and see what comes of it.
 
I have messaged you.

As for her rock climbing, I think my model has it easy! lol I must be too kind.
 
You will be pleased to know that the shoot went well and I got some great pictures.

However, I did run into an issue with my 580 EXII Speedlight and utilising it off camera. I only have the one but found I could not control it via my 600D; I had to keep running back etc.

Do I need a second flash to place on my camera hot shoe to make it work properly or should I just use wireless triggers and meter the light myself?
Can anyone point me in a direction of a useful idiots guide on how to get it working properly?

Questions questions.
 
If you were relying on infra red, it's notoriously unreliable, especially in sunlight or strong daylight.
May be better going the manual route and using radio triggers. There are radio triggers that allow eTTL, but you will possibly need a second mortgage!
 
Ok, well I have a mortgage and not wishing for a second one. Maybe I just need to man up and just use my radio triggers whilst setting the flash output manually.

Worth asking.
 
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