Simplifying Off-Camera Photography Lighting

When shooting photos for a wedding, or for any other event, you want things to go quickly and smoothly, and so do your clients. Being able to make quick adjustments makes you less stressed and look more professional, plus it saves you and your client time. Wedding photographer Doug Gordon has created a tutorial showing how to set up an easily adjustable shoot and the importance of doing so:

The first thing you’ll probably notice about the video is that he’s pushing the Pocket Wizard product. But he doesn’t go over the top with it, and he gives some really good advice on how to build some light set-ups and how important it is that you can change those set-ups when you need to.

wireless flash set up

Using a wireless flash transmitter, you don’t have to worry about the flashes “seeing” each other

one flash wedding portrait

Certain wireless flash systems allow you to turn strobes on and off

The main point is that its a good idea to invest in gear that will save you time and effort. In Gordon’s case, the Pocket Wizard allows him to shoot alone without having to worry about his assistant making the right changes to his settings. He has complete control over the shoot and can make adjustments with just the push of a few buttons.

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2 responses to “Simplifying Off-Camera Photography Lighting”

  1. Josh says:

    This was somewhat informative but he really manhandled the model. He likely knew her from the glances and smirks she was shooting the assistant, but I would never grab a model like that.

    Also would have liked to see more of the actual shots. There were a few where he told the viewer the result of the photo without revealing it which makes me wonder if he was describing an ideal that didn’t turn up in the actual frame.

    Overall, this was somewhat informative but felt the professionalism was somewhat lacking.

  2. Barry Kidd says:

    It was interesting to see how you approached the lighting in some of the shots. Simple things really but just as an example having the assistant hold the light over head the way you did. I’d not have placed a hard light at such an acute angle myself but the results were good when you did. I guess that just goes to show what you can get, or rather not get, by not trying anything new.

    Thanks for sharing the video and have a great day,

    Barry

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