Learning Off-Camera Flash: Part Three – Studio Headshots

This is part three in a series of  posts about learning off-camera flash. Find part one and two here:

• Learning Off-Camera Flash: Part One
• Learning Off-Camera Flash: Part Two – Studio Strobes

Maybe the most basic use of off-camera flash is the classic studio headshot. When you are learning flash photography, setting up a simple headshot is a great way to quickly pick up on how the position of your lights effect the final image. Grab a friend or family member and find a white wall, screen, or hang up a poster board to use as a background. I suggest starting with one light and get the best image you can with that one light. Then, if you have more lights, add them one at a time and adjust as you go to get the desired results.

Learning Off-Camera Flash: Part Two – Studio Strobes

Alien Bee used to light this shot

In Learning Off-Camera Flash: Part One we talked about the cheapest way to get into off-camera flash photography. I highly recommend learning about flash with speedlights and umbrellas first, before purchasing any studio strobe equipment.

Why?

Speedlights are ultra portable and ultra versatile. If you invest in a set of speedlights and umbrellas you can use them in the studio as well as on location. Later, if you decide to get into dedicated studio strobes, you can use your speedlights inline with the studio strobes to compliment them. Speedlights are also much less expensive than studio strobes.

Learning Off-Camera Flash: Part One

The topic of flash photography can be intimidating to the beginner photographer. Some even go as far as to label themselves “Natural Light Photographers” and avoid artificial lighting all together. There is nothing wrong with developing a style around natural light, but I contend that learning flash photography is an important part of growing as a photographer and increasing your understanding of how light works.