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Episode 21: Consider These Tips When Using On and Off Camera Flash At Weddings
- 2021/03/26
- 再生時間： 9 分
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PortfolioBlogInstagram20% off your first year of HoneyBookGet 30% Off Your Annual Membership of SkillsharePodcast Episodes on Apple PodcastsMy Photography GearWhere I get my music for the podcastTranscriptOne of the keys to fantastic wedding photography is the ability to use different forms of light to shape your photos in unique ways.Today, we'll be discussing tips and suggestions for using on and off camera flash to make sure you get the shots that'll have your clients singing your praises.Welcome to the 21st episode of The Richard J Nieves Photography Podcast!I’m Richard J Nieves, published portrait and wedding photographer, and owner of Richard J Nieves Photography located in New York City.The first bit of advice I'd like to give is to not aim your on-camera flash directly at your subject, unless it's a stylistic choice.When you aim your on-camera flash without any form of diffusion directly at your subject, you're going to put hard, direct light on them that isn't very flattering to most people. The highlights may get blown out and you'll have an unusable image.Instead, aim your flash at a wall behind you or a ceiling to bounce the light which will evenly spread and diffuse the light source, thus creating a better image.My second tip is to build the wherewithal to know when it’s OK and when it’s not OK to use on and off-camera flash.I recently photographed a birthday where there wasn’t a lot of ambient light to go around. I definitely needed my on-camera flash in order to properly expose the moments that I knew would matter most to my client. However, most of the time I was shooting at a fairly high ISO without flash.Moments when the client was in focus and had all the attention on them or when a performer was working, those are the moments where I decided to use my flash.I made the judgment to not interfere with the experience of the guests by having a flash constantly go off in their faces so that I can get a proper exposure.Knowing my cameras strengths and limitations with ISO, I was able to get photos that mattered to my client without having to use flash. I’d let them know before I sent the gallery that I made this judgment. They appreciated it so much that I was forthright with them and I was still able to provide what they were looking for from my services.As I just mentioned, the next nugget of advice is to know your hardware like the back of your hand.I recently got some side work recording video introductions for therapists to their clients. For this, I had to pickup a field recorder. Besides my Rodecaster Pro which I use to record this, I haven't had much experience with recorders like the Zoom H5 I purchased.As soon as I got home, I tested out the hardware. I made sure I knew exactly how to use the device for my needs.Now if I hadn't practiced with the unit before going on the job, my performance would have been terrible and sloppy. I would have been wasting my client's time while I figured out my new hardware. That's one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a photographer or anybody in the customer service field; wasting your clients time.Next, Don’t overdue it. Know when enough is enough. Setting up too many flashes may end up being a detriment to you. You run the risk of ruining the experience for your clients and their guests by flooding their field of view with flashes. I understand you want to make sure you light the moments that you know matter most to your clients, but their experience trumps a perfectly lit photo of a speaker making a toasting.Before we get to the final tip, please follow me on Instagram @rich_photog, that r-i-c-h-underscore-p-h-o-t-o-gIf you’d like to schedule your next portrait session or give us the honor of photographing your wedding, visit my website www.richardjnphoto.com or email katherine@richardjnphoto.com where my partner, and my soon to be wife, will guide you along your journey with us.I'm so excited about that little tidbit, I just want to tell everyone.Lastly, it would mean a lot if you left a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to support what we're doing here on the podcast and get it out to more photographers who may benefit from this information. Let's get back to the show....The final tip I’d like to share is it’s okay to use TTL. Most modern speed lights have TTL capabilities.For anyone who is not sure what TTL is, essentially it is a setting that allows your speed light to communicate with your camera and base your exposure off their combined measuring of ambient light. Essentially, it's automating another part of your photography workflow.It is a tool for you to use to quickly get a proper exposure. There should be no shame in using the tools that you have in your kit to get the shot for your client. Just because you don’t want to constantly re-configure your settings doesn’t make you any less of a photographer than someone who does.For this event that I previously mentioned, most of the time, I was shooting with TTL....