How To Use Speed Lights: I've finally encouraged myself to drop the ruse of only shooting with natural light, and purchase a set of triggers to start using my Nikon speed light that he...

Edmund Dworakowski

I've finally encouraged myself to drop the ruse of only shooting with natural light, and purchase a set of triggers to start using my Nikon speed light that he been laying unopened in it's case for years. Can someone recommend an idiot proof book that will, with diligent study, turn me into a competent strobing ? I'm a fairly competent landscape shooter with my Nikon D800, but I've recently gotten the urge to become a more serious portrait shooter.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Edmund Dworakowski wrote:

I've finally encouraged myself to drop the ruse of only shooting with natural light, and purchase a set of triggers to start using my Nikon speed light that he been laying unopened in it's case for years. Can someone recommend an idiot proof book that will, with diligent study, turn me into a competent strobing ? I'm a fairly competent landscape shooter with my Nikon D800, but I've recently gotten the urge to become a more serious portrait shooter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5RFvBqleLc

spdmn54 Loc: Avon Lake, Ohio

joer wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5RFvBqleLc

Nice choice of videos, hard to learn a thing with the distractions

CO

I have Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Flash Photography". He covers a wide variety of techniques. He has a great technique for dealing with a situation where the main subject is close to the camera in order to get the background and main subject evenly exposed.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Edmund Dworakowski wrote:

I've finally encouraged myself to drop the ruse of only shooting with natural light, and purchase a set of triggers to start using my Nikon speed light that he been laying unopened in it's case for years. Can someone recommend an idiot proof book that will, with diligent study, turn me into a competent strobing ? I'm a fairly competent landscape shooter with my Nikon D800, but I've recently gotten the urge to become a more serious portrait shooter.

Well...congratulations for being honest..that's refreshing.

I'd suggest starting at the video lessons on the strobist site. Start with "101 Archive" and work your way through the hundreds of videos beginning with the simplest to advanced.

He made these videos for just your situation.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

If you have any specific nagging questions, just PM me.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Edmund Dworakowski wrote:

I've finally encouraged myself to drop the ruse of only shooting with natural light, and purchase a set of triggers to start using my Nikon speed light that he been laying unopened in it's case for years. Can someone recommend an idiot proof book that will, with diligent study, turn me into a competent strobing ? I'm a fairly competent landscape shooter with my Nikon D800, but I've recently gotten the urge to become a more serious portrait shooter.

Portrait photography is only one area where strobes or speedlights are used! There is a very broad range to cover for what can be done with your flash. Portrait photography is a great place to start!

Here are two links that will help. Neither is specific to just portrait work, but they do cover it very well.

First is a link to a series of videos on YouTube. There are something like 33 episodes in the series, and while not all of them apply to portraits, or for that matter to using light, even the ones that don't are fascinatingly well done and helpful. This link is listed first because it will give you lots of background, and the videos are entertaining to watch. Of particular interest to you might be "Episode 13 , Beautiful Photo Studio Portraits w One Light" and "Episode 14 , Classic Three Light Portrait Photo Studio".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIhvvqLWCWk&list=PLC8478CD82626F127

Next is the Strobist site: "Learn how to light." And there is no end it seems to the information on that site! This is the grand daddy of sites with information about strobes and speedlights.

http://www.strobist.com/

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

"The Nikon Creative Lighting System" by Mike Hagen

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Now that you've decided to utilize the power of your speed light, one of the easiest applications is in wildlife photography. Get yourself a Better Beamer flash extender for your speed light model. They cost around $35 and are simple to use and produce amazing results. Another relatively inexpensive but should have flash accessory is the Gary Fong lightsphere. It's a versatile light modifier/softbox system that attaches to your speed light. Some folks say they're no better that a piece of paper, some folks wouldn't leave home without one. From my experience they work quite well and are worth the cost.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Apaflo wrote:

Portrait photography is only one area where strobe... (show quote)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Another fan of Strobist here.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

Mac wrote:

"The Nikon Creative Lighting System" by Mike Hagen

X2 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

rbfanman

There are as many ways to use lights as there are photographers to use them. Experiment, and find the ways you like best. You can do this on your own, or by following advice in books, online, on Youtube, etc. Try placing lights at 45 degrees from your subject. Then try 90 degrees...one light, two lights, three lights. Try some backlighting. Try Nuremburg lighting (in front of, and below the subject). Try the lights on a level with the subjects eyes. try them above the eyes, angled down.

Try bare lights, and then try lights covered by diffuser screens. Try bouncing the lights off walls, ceilings, or reflector panels. You can probably find 10,000 books on the subject, and none of them is complete, but all probably have something useful to offer. In the end, you still have to experiment a bit...whether you read no books, or thousands of books.

Quit being lazy, and looking for quick, easy, fixes. Invest some time in experimentation, and then write your own book.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Everything I learned about flashes came from strobist.com, this forum, and trial and error.

anotherview Loc: California

I can recommend you start by studying the works of this master photographer. His instruction taught me how to take a worthy photograph using bounced flash lighting.

http://neilvn.com/

David Hobby also has a lot to teach others about flash lighting:

http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/

Good luck.

Edmund Dworakowski wrote:

I've finally encouraged myself to drop the ruse of only shooting with natural light, and purchase a set of triggers to start using my Nikon speed light that he been laying unopened in it's case for years. Can someone recommend an idiot proof book that will, with diligent study, turn me into a competent strobing ? I'm a fairly competent landscape shooter with my Nikon D800, but I've recently gotten the urge to become a more serious portrait shooter.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

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http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-385472-1.html