How to Take Great Portraits with One Flash
Although I always bring a whole bag, well, really a few bags full of flashes of all sizes and powers, many times I find that using one flash is an easy way to get the right lighting while still being flexible enough to follow the subject and make corrections quickly.
I recently shot a senior portrait session with a variety of lighting setups. I always try to be flexible and give lots of options in terms of lighting, background, and ‘looks’. While I am always working towards a thought out end photo, I will happily stray from that as light allows, or when things come up during the shoot, which they always do. As we went through the shoot, I was moving back and forth from flash to available to bounce and all combinations of the two. On these wide ranging shoots, I find that working with the different combinations of lighting helps me keep fresh perspective throughout the shoot. Each small change of lighting can lead to a new idea.
For this setup I was using a Nikon SB-800 Speedlight with a 24″ softbox and a 48″ circular reflector with the gold side bouncing a bit of warmth back on the subject and filling in the deep shadows. The SB-800 was triggered by radio. I do use Nikon’s iTTL with commander and remote flashes, but for this set up I was moving back and forth, changing cameras and lenses and needed to be sure the flash would be triggered. The bright sun has played tricks on the communication between commander and remote flashes in the past, meaning you need a pretty direct line of sight between the two. So for this I did do some minor tweaks to the flash, set in manual mode, increasing or decreasing the power as needed. Yes, it’s an extra trip to the flash, but we were moving around quite a bit and it didn’t seem to break up the flow too much. The movement and small break in shooting will also give the subject a little space to catch their breath before getting back into it. I find that with professional models you can get away with more sustained shooting, but with amateurs a little break is always helpful, if only for a few seconds.
The Nikon SB-800 had the dome diffuser off, but the wide angle flap down. I generally use the dome diffuser to give a slightly softer light through the softbox, but due to the intense sun I needed that extra bit of power that the dome diffuser takes away. I was running the SB-800 between 1/4 and full power. Having blown a few SB-800’s running on full power in the past, I generally try not to use it too much, but if I have to, I try and slow my shooting down to allow the flash to safely recycle without frying. The amount of ambient light and strength of the sun also kept me using the SB-800 instead of my SB-900 which will shut down if it starts overheating. Yes, it saves the flash, but a flash that stops working mid-shoot, while under normal circumstances is frustrating. I’ve heard good things about the SB-910’s thermal shutoff. Hopefully they have extended the range of heat allowed, or figured out a way to get rid of the heat more efficiently.
I could have just as easily used a battery powered monolight such as my SP-Systems Lancerlight 160 or an Elinchrome Ranger. I choose to use a smaller flash only for ease of movement. The larger monolights are just that, larger, so if you’re running around moving the light every few exposures, having the small flash helps keep the hassle to a minimum.
How to take great photos with studio and small flashes
(Wedding dress model lit with one flash. SP-Systems Excalibur 3200 flash with a 32" octagonal softbox, camera right. Nikon 17-35mm 2.8, Nikon D2x. The shutter was fast enough to eliminate the ambient light, creating the deep shadows and dramatic lighting.)
(Doctor and patient with MRI machine. Multiple flashes light this scene. Two Nikon SB-800 Speedlights provide the purple to light the foreground. A SP-Systems monolight with a hex-grid camera left adds a little pop. A SP-Systems Excalibur 3200 with umbrella, camera right, fills in her back, the wall and gives a little rim light on her hair. A SP-Systems Excalibur 3200 soft box camera left lights her face. Triggered with a combination of radio and light slaves. Nikon D2x, 17-35mm 2.8.)
(Model lit with one flash. Balancing the ambient light with the flash (off to camera left). Both the model and I were on helper's shoulders to get the right perspective and include the amazing frozen chandelier. Monolight flash with softbox, Nikon D2x, Nikon 50mm 1.8.)
(Models standing in a river, lit with one flash. One flash, SP-Systems Excalibur 160 with battery pack and umbrella, camera left. Triggered with a radio trigger. Nikon D2x, Nikon 70-200mm 2.8. Moments later the umbrella caught a tiny gust of wind and fell into the river! Note to self only use an umbrella outside with someone holding it. Not to worry, after a thorough drying, I still use the flash to this day.)
How to Take Great Travel Photos
Great travel photos are all about being in the right place at the right time. Does that mean it’s all luck. No way. You can ‘create good luck’ but doing a little research, talking to people, and generally saying YES to opportunities.
I love travel photography. It’s what pushed me towards pursuing photography (instead of silversmithing, which I was intensely studying), it has been the driving force in my professional life, and it acts as a rejuvenating activity to keep me fresh creatively.
Travel photography makes you think fast, observe closely, and generally helps to push you out of your comfort zone. When you only have one chance to get the shot, it should make you think just a bit more about the kinds of photos you want to create. When you are seeing things for the first time, you have the perfect opportunity to capture them in a creative way.
Nikon F100, 70-200, f3.2, Fuji Velvia 50, b&w processed in Photoshop
While riding around the countryside outside Kep, Cambodia on the back of my friend/fixer Rya’s rented moped, we had stopped so I could photograph the landscape, verdant green rice paddies leading up to dark green mountains. After a few minutes this old man came walking down the road. He was a 72 year old rice farmer that had survived the Khmer Rouge and the civil war in previous decades and was happy to chat and be photographed.
The light was hard from a late afternoon sun, but there was enough bounce from the light red dirt road we were standing on to not give super deep shadows. Although I shot a number of different angles of this man, I like the shallow depth of field keeping the focu on his weathered, kind face.
While traveling may begin as a search for place, it ultimately ends up being about people.
Nikon F100, 50, f4, Fuji Provia 100
Before children were to put on a traditional Khmer dances, there were filling a school room getting ready. It was slightly chaotic with kids running around, so I looked for interesting moments I could focus on to calm the scene.
When the action starts I find myself on auto-pilot, shooting instinctively, flowing really well. It’s these moments that I strive for, a photo-zen.
Nikon D2X, 17-35, f7.1, 30secs
As the chaos of the annual water festival swirled around town, I worked my way down the river, grabbing shots where I could. It was a sea of humanity, many sending floating candle boats down the river. From one of the bridges I made this long exposure of the candles blurring as they make their way down stream. I wasn’t carrying my tripod, so the camera is resting on the edge of the bridge, triggered by the self timer. I definitely had one hand on the neck strap, in case the camera decided to jump off the edge.
Traveling to countries while they’re having annual celebrations is an easy way to soak up the local culture and there are photo opportunities everywhere.
Nikon F100, 24-120, f5.6, Fuji Velvia 50
Traveling presents encounters that you don’t get in your normal life.
After driving all day through overcast skies, we reached our destination for the night, Oggi Noor Lake. We were sitting in our SUV, mustering up the energy to set up camp, when the sun dropped below the clouds and bathed everything in it’s golden light. I jumped out of the SUV and started shooting when I noticed a group of teenage boys on horseback on the beach below me. They saw me and waved me down. I clamored down to them. They were very excited and offered me a drink of vodka. After a few minutes of hand gestures we all made our way back up to where the others were. I shot a bunch of group photos and a few portraits before they headed off in different directions. In a few minutes, what had been a drab day turned into the best light I saw the whole trip.
Nikon F100, 70-200, f2.8, Fuji Velvia 50
After the young Mongolian riders left, I captured this shot that I think sums up Mongolia the best and has been a favorite of mine over the years.
Nikon F100, 24-120, f4.5, Fuji Provia 100
This was a grab shot while meandering through the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. It was tough shooting with the bright smoggy haze that blanketed the city. The city was hot, in late summer. Shooting in touristy places like the Summer Palace, it’s sometimes hard to find new and engaging images that haven’t been taken a billion times before. This image came about as I was shooting the pond of lilies behind her. She sat down and started fussing with her hat. I made a few frames before the crowds overtook me and I moved on.
Nikon F100, 24-120, f5.6, Fuji Provia 100
Getting lost is part of traveling.
If your aim is to get lost, are you really lost?
Nikon F100, 24-120, Fuji Provia 400
While in the process of documenting the small Muslim community in predominately Buddhist Cambodia’s city of Siem Reap, we were invited to join some of the community for a Ramadan meal. It was just after the time the USA was entering the war in Afghanistan and it was unclear how they would receive us. As with most people I meet traveling, they were exceptionally welcoming. I made this shot of an old man tentatively watching us from across the mosque, through a railing.
When I’m shooting I always look for things that can go in the foreground of a photo. I want to give depth and a sense of scale, add a bit of color, or just add a little framing. I couldn’t see over the railing, so shooting through it made more sense. You have to work with what you have.
Nikon D2H, 50mm, f4.5
If you really want the shot you might have to put up with some little annoyances.
The flies in Lake Mungo, Australia are persistent little buggers. You have about a minute from exiting the confines of your car until they cover you…or at least they covered me. I could barely handle it.
Nikon D2H, 24-120, f4.5
Forcing myself to not freak out over the flies rewarded me with this ridiculous landscape of one of Lake Mungo’s sand dunes with an impending rain storm that almost trapped us in the outback.
The weather can change in seconds. Those times can present stunning landscapes and colors. You may have to run for cover in a few minutes, but the leading edge of storms is a beautiful thing. Dark skies can also help to bring out the colors of the landscape.
Nikon D2X, 7mm, f1
There are times when you just get a feeling about which lens to use and how to shoot a space. When you’re in the golden orb at the top of the Bayterek Tower in the new section of Astana, Kazakhstan the time is right to pull out the fisheye. While I think that fisheye shots can be gimmicky, there is a time and place for every lens.
The need to keep changing things up when you’re shooting is key. Along with the fisheye photos, I also shot with a telephoto lens and a normal wide angle. This gave a whole range of images to work from. Knowing that I wouldn’t be back to this place again on our trip, I made a point of a taking a few extra minutes and making a few extra frames.
Take the time to stop and look around.
Packing the gear bag for the day in an unknown city is a tough exercise in preparedness, economy, and guessing. You want access to all your gear, but you don’t want to lug it around day and night. What I bring depends on if there’s a car involved or if I’ll be hoofing it all day. This day in Astana we weren’t doing too much walking, but we were still moving around too much for my huge backpack. I used a medium sized shoulder bag, carrying two Nikon D2X’s, 70-200mm, 17-35mm, 50mm, and 7mm lens, one SB-800 flash, and an extra layer of clothing. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but when creating images is what you do, you drag that bag around until your sore and tired.
I love all my gear, but there are days when it’s good to go super light, back to basics, one camera one lens. I usually go for the 50mm. Forcing yourself to work in that limited frame will get you thinking about your photos and lead to more creative shots. Going back to basics is a good thing to do, revisit what you know, push the boundaries a bit. One camera one lens, especially a prime lens forces you to move your feet, changing your angle and giving you a new perspective. Zoom lenses are wonderful, but nothing beats moving your feet.
Taking great photos is about patience when you’re waiting for the shot, then hustling to work the moment until it’s gone. Setting yourself up for shots is as easy as paying attention to your surroundings. If you see something that works well as the background, be patient and wait for something to come in front of it. Something invariably will. Pay attention to weather and lighting, sunrise and sunset times and put yourself in places to make the most of each. Some places that are ‘known’ for sunset might be just as stunning at sunrise without all the crowds.
Nikon F100, 24-120, Fuji Velvia 50, SB-80 Flash, tripod
This shot was made just after sunset at Phnom Bakheng temple, overlooking Angkor Wat, in Cambodia. The camera is on a tripod, the flash is being triggered manually from inside the temple. The exposure is a few seconds. While making this photo we were already being hustled out by the guards before nightfall. You can always get a few minutes out of guards by being nice, starting to chat with them, and generally being polite. You’ll eventually have to leave anyways, and who knows, they might give you a private tour or show you some special place off the beaten track.
An interested, kind smile is your best currency when traveling, it is universally accepted and sometimes priceless.
Nikon D2X, 17-35mm, f18, 9 seconds
Try and get to places where you can have a view. This time lapse of the Bangkok, Thailand streets at night is from one of the many concrete pedestrian overpasses that are ubiquitous to South East Asia’s crowded cities. I wasn’t carrying a tripod, so I just rested the camera on the railing. It’s pretty hard to keep a camera still for 9 seconds, so find places to prop your camera. Time lapses are great for showing movement within a space. Is there crazy traffic? Are the crowds overwhelming? Go for the long exposure to convey the movement.
Nikon D2X, 17-35mm, f2.8
Follow your nose (and other senses) to take great travel photos. Street food is an amazing thing. Cheap, easy, and delicious. The best part is that people congregate near food, there’s usually lots of good color, and interesting moments to capture. And afterwards (or before) can you eat some interesting food! Ordering food or a drink from street vendors is a great way to break the ice and get you on a good foot for when you go back and ask to take photos of them.
When I’m traveling, it’s very apparent that I’m not your normal tourist taking little snapshots. When you bring out the big cameras people notice. Most people are very open to having their photos taken and I try and ask people if it’s okay before I get to it. If someone says no, then I just thank them and move on.
Nikon D2X, 17-35mm, f2.8
Traveling will surprise you.
Ok, so this isn’t a great photo, but it comes with a crazy travel story about getting lost in the Cambodian jungle on motorcycles. There are stories behind every photo.
