› ›kelbyone.com07 1Michael CorsentinoI
ncreased bandwidth, less expensive memory, pow-
erful processors, a host of mature software titles,
competitive data rates, and robust cloud-storage
solutions have all helped usher in a mobile photography land-
scape that now includes file formats such as TIFF and PSD, once
the sole province of the desktop. The march forward is ongoing
and promises to continue unabated—great news for the photog-
rapher on the go!
Lighting manufacturers have done a great job keeping pace
with the never-ending quest for increased portability, bringing
exciting, first-of-their-kind, lightweight, battery-operated, TTL-
cap able, and wireless radio-enabled strobe and handheld flash
products to market. These, along with a plethora of high-quality
portable lighting modifiers designed specifically for photogra-
phers on the go, represent a revolution in location lighting and
its possibilities. Whether you’re shooting with handheld flash or
small strobe, there are exciting developments and new products
in each arena.
The gear landscape is vast, so in this article I’ll focus only
on the tools and techniques with which I have personal expe-
rience. I’ll explain how and why I use these tools and share my
two favorite, no-fail location lighting patterns. Hopefully, you’ll
gain some insight into the exciting world of portable lighting.
I’ll be talking specifically about off-camera flash, otherwise
known as OCF. It’s how I work 99.9% of the time and it’s
what I recommend to anyone serious about lighting work. If
you’re not already using OCF, start now! This topic alone could
fill an entire book, but suffice it to say that getting your flash
off your camera will dramatically improve your results with
artificial light. Don’t be afraid, just jump in!
HANDHELD FLASH
Let’s start with handheld flash. There are a ton of great options out
there but my personal hands-down favorite is the Canon 600EX-RT
and ST-E3-RT Speedlite system (http://www.usa.canon.com).
This first-of-its-kind radio-enabled wireless flash-and-controller
combo is itself a revolution in handheld flash technology and
usability via its built-in radio, powerful features, mix-and-match
››LIGHT ITexposure modes, flexible groups, and super-simple interface.
(If you’re interested in learning how to unleash the power of this
exciting system, be sure to check out my forthcoming class on
KelbyOne. Yep, a shameless plug!)
I’ll cover a few of my favorite Speedlite modifiers below,
but first here are my favorite ways to work with the 600EX-RT.
As I mentioned above, OCF is the way to go. Once off cam-
era, I vertically orient and manually zoom the flash head to
200mm. I do this when I’m working with bare flash. This
does two things: It creates a beam of light that more closely
matches the vertical shape of the human body, and it creates
a tighter pool of light with a natural, in-camera fall-off. (That
means less vignettes needed in post!) If you’re working with a
light modifier, you’ll want to let the shape of the modifier dic-
tate orientation, and zoom your flash head to a value that pro-
vides enough coverage for that modifier. The 600EX-RT also
provides a lot of flexibility with respect to exposure modes. I’ll
discuss when it’s best to use manual, TTL, or High-Speed Sync
(HSS) below.
If you’re a Nikon shooter or you’re using an older Canon
flash and you’re interested in wireless radio-based com-
munication between your off-camera flash(es) and your
camera, look no further than the PocketWizard FlexTT5
system (http://www.pocketwizard.com). These rock-solid
radio triggers are reliable and provide both manual and
TTL capabilities.This cross-lit image perfectly illustrates the benefits of
radio-enabled communication between flashes and triggers.
Because radio signals are unconstrained by line-of-sight
requirements, I’m able to easily hide and trigger an
accent light placed behind the wall, camera right. This is
something not possible with optically based systems.Canon’s 600EX-RT Speedlite has built-in radio-enabled wireless com-
munication, an easy-to-understand streamlined interface, mix-and-
match exposure modes, groups, high-speed sync, and much more.