Follow me on 13 photo sessions & learn to create beautiful light using small flashes & take stunning dramatic portraits.
Learn the fundamental principles and advanced concepts of using off-camera flash to take stunning portraits. This is a very comprehensive, practical photography course that covers everything you need to know.
Learn how to create beautiful light using small flashes.
- Follow me on 13 indoor photo shoots
- Take stunning images on a small budget and in a small room.
- Learn the easy steps to getting your flash off your camera
- Discover the inexpensive equipment you need, with links to the gear
- Learn what modifiers do, and how they can make a significant difference.
- Understand the various triggering methods and which one suits you best
- Learn and understand the 5 aspects of off camera flash exposure
- Understand why Manual mode is best, and what makes it so easy
- Learn advance techniques, controlling backgrounds / multiple flashes / gels / light patterns / etc...
- Everything explained in detail, with a fun teaching style
- Be amazed at the results from my 'bonus' product photo shoot using a DIY box
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Class Outline
- Camera Flashes, Stands, and Brackets. Choosing an off-camera flash can feel overwhelming. Photographer Bernie Raffe will take you through the flashes he prefers to use for portrait photography. He’ll mainly focus on the Yongnuo 560 EX Mk III. But he’ll tell you about other manual flashes, and show you how you can fit them into flash stands by using adjustable brackets.
- Triggering the Flashes. You’ll learn various ways to set off standalone flashes, including cables, infrared systems, and wireless radio triggers (today’s most reliable method). You’ll also take a look at various light modifiers, such as umbrellas, softboxes, and honeycomb grids. They can soften your lighting, or create a more dramatic effect.
- Using a Light Meter and Apertures. People differ about whether or not modern photographers should use light meters. Purists say you must, but Bernie finds them time-consuming and cumbersome. Next, you’ll learn about how aperture controls flash exposure, and how to optimize aperture during your shoots.
- Inverse Square Law. Bernie will explain what this law means for photographers. By positioning a model closer to a light source, the light falls off drastically, as opposed to gradually.
- ISO, Manual Mode, and Shutter Speeds. You’ll learn how ISO fits into the overall photography puzzle, which is comprised of aperture, shutter speed, and flash. Manual mode can help you better understand how these puzzle pieces fit together. And you’ll gain a deeper comprehension about how shutter speed controls exposure for ambient light.
- Simple Shoot Setup and backgrounds. You’ll see what you can accomplish by shooting in a small, indoor space. Observe the difference between shooting with and without an umbrella, and experience how light affects photographs at different distances from the subject. Bernie will also teach you how to control the background of your photograph by applying the inverse square law. It lets you keep light on your model, but keep it off your background.
- Exploring Lighting Setups. When it comes to family portraits, the photograph needs to capture multiple faces of different ages in the same frame. Here, you’ll learn how to set up lighting that will flatter older faces, as well as dramatic lighting that will capture facial lines. Then you’ll move onto lighting that’s best for capturing headshots for actors and models. Finally, you’ll explore the use of harder light sources, and look at a wide variety of lighting patterns for portrait photography.
- Household Objects and Honeycomb Grid. You’ll find that household items, such as patterned candle holders, can create interesting shadows for your portrait’s background. Bernie will also offer posing tips for your models. Then the light from a honeycomb grid will hit their faces in the most flattering way possible.
- White Backgrounds and Triflector. It’s difficult to create completely white backgrounds, but Bernie will show you how to do by lighting your background and your subject separately. Then you’ll see how to create glamour lighting by only using one flash, three reflector panels, and a basic infrared flash trigger.
- DIY Product Box. You’ll learn how to turn a cardboard box into a professional product showcase—by cutting out windows, covering them with tracing paper, and placing the product you’re photographing inside.
