Update To Learn Outdoor Fashion Lighting With One 580EXII
October 1st, 2009Outdoor fashion lighting can be a problem with some photographers. We have the elements to deal with, the hot sun, the constantly moving sun, wind etc. Add the fact that if it is a test you can’t afford to hire an assistant to lug heavy lighting gear around for you. Most of us don’t own a Profoto 7B pack because they cost around $4,000 to $5,000. So what does one do ?
Outdoor Lighting With a Speed Light
I shot this fashion photo with one Canon 580EXII and that’s it. No bounce cards or any attachments to the flash and it was attached to the hot shoe, not off camera. The time of day was 1:25 pm.
As you can see the sun is facing the model. Many photographers would think you don’t need a flash, the sun is hitting her. Well that all depends on the look you are going for. I like to use flash no matter where the sun is. In this case the flash brings out the details more and gives the image a crisper look.
So I put my flash on the camera. I was standing about 6 feet away from the model on a wide lens, 44mm so I could capture the entire scene around her. I set my flash to hi speed sync mode so I could shoot at 500th shutter speed. Why shoot at such a high shutter speed ? So I could capture a nice blue sky and not blow out the background. My fstop was 6.3 ISO was 160. Now when you use such a fast shutter speed you obviously need to demand more power from your flash. Also using an fstop of 6.3 demands more power. So I set my flash exposure compensation to plus 3 stops ! I also set my zoom head on the flash to 80mm instead of letting it set itself to 44mm automatically. As you can imagine I was asking my flash to do alot and demanding a ton of power. So I had a Quantum battery pack attached to it to give the flash the extra power it needed. And that is really all I did with this shot. I didn’t haul out the Profoto 7B with a beauty dish and another light for her hair. I positioned her so that her hair was lit by the sun and my key light was my flash.
This situation is why I cannot stress enough that you MUST know your fundamentals. If I had put the camera on auto then this shot would look nothing like you see now. ** This and many other photography fundamentals are techniques I teach you in my fashion photography workshop. It’s a two day workshop and you come out knowing MUCH more than you did when you first walk in. Check out the workshop page for more info and please feel free to call or email me with any questions you have concerning the workshop.**
If you have any comments or questions about this post, ask away ! 
October 1st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jason Christopher and Russ Green. Russ Green said: Update To Learn Outdoor Fashion Lighting With One 580EXII – http://bit.ly/iKlj6 [...]
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:06 am
to have that fast sync flash you would have used a medium format camera in the past … but … yup it’s definitely out of reach for the majority.
Nice tutorial!
Daniel
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Jason Christopher Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Hi Daniel,
Yes you are correct. It’s amazing how far technology has come in such a short time. Thank you for the compliment !
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October 2nd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Hey Jason,
You couldn’t have written this at a more perfect time. I recently got a 580exII and was wondering how to shoot it at a higher sync-speed then the 1/200 that most SLRs are limited to. Couple of quick Qs:
- Through “equivalent-exposure” wouldn’t setting the camera to f10 @ 1/200 lead to the same result without having to worry about high-sync speed? [Yes, i actually had to look up the apertures in 1/3 stops cos my memory sucks!]
- I’m able to +/- the Flash exposure FROM THE CAMERA but it limits it to +2 stops. So setting the Flash to +3 is only possible by manually doing it on the flash right?
Thanks again and i should go test this out in BDE!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Hi Shahn, well that is awesome ! The Canon 580EXII is really a great flash. To answer your first question, no it wouldn’t be the same because your shutter speed controls ambient light like the sky and daylight in general. Your fstop controls the amount of light output from your flash. But to take it a step further let’s say you want to blur out your background. Well f10 sure isn’t going to blur the background. So this is where you want to set a fast shutter speed and a lower fstop.
Your second question: depending on the camera you have you may be able to adjust flash exposure compensation on the camera. Which camera do you have ? My Canon 5DMarkII I can set it on the camera +/- 3 stops. But I prefer setting the flash exposure compensation on the flash directly anyway. Remember you can also zoom the flash head up to 105mm ! That is so awesome. At least I think it is lol.
Thank you for asking questions Shahn. Please review all my other posts and ask any questions you may have.
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October 7th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Big thanks for taking the time to answer my questions Jason!
I use the 580ex2 with my 5D and it limits the compensation to +2 stops if i try to do it in camera.
I was taught off-camera lighting in school but realize now that its a real handicap not being able to use on-camera flash properly. But i’m loving being able to bounce the flash and even zoom it in at 105mm with direct flash! I wish the big strobe makers (profoto and the like) would add this feature in their head.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Hi Shahn, my suggestion is to use the flash compensation on the flash. That way you will be able to go up to 3 stops. You could also raise the ISO. With the mark 2 there is barely any visible grain at 1600 and more.
Another suggestion is to take my private workshop and I will teach you things you never knew existed in lighting. And with Profoto heads you CAN zoom the head in and out. It doesn’t work like a speed light but you can zoom it forward or backward in your soft box or umbrella or even bare bulb. Thank you for being a part of my blog. Here is the direct link to my work shop if you are interested. http://jasonchristopher.com/blog/fashion-photography-workshops-los-angeles/
Cheers !
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October 20th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Jason,
Great shot…I’ll actually be attempting this in the near future.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Thank you buddy !
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October 25th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Hi, I’m really really new at this.. seriously.. very new. I’ve just gotten myself a dslr and I’m studying up on the internet and just going crazy shooting at almost everything. My question is;
- how did you get that tone of color into the picture? (eg; the bluish tint in the the shadows of the jacket, the reddish in the shadow on the ground)
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Jason Christopher Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Hi Haz,
Thank you for coming to my blog ! Most everyone knows that I am not a huge fan of post production. In fact I don’t even do my own. BUT I do admit that sometimes adjusting the colors to achieve a certain look is ok. I NEVER have to use post to “fix” my lighting or correct any mistakes because I rely on my fundamentals to get me perfect exposures right from the camera.
On this particular shot I was messing around with Lightroom. I was literally just exploring what the program is capable of. When I saw this result I actually liked it. Unfortunately I am not able to tell you what settings I used because I don’t remember lol. Basically just go in and experiment. If you don’t like what you have done, just start over. I hope this answers your question. Please go through the rest of my blog and ask me any other questions you have. Ask me questions if you don’t see the info you need too !
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November 3rd, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Oh the things you can do with an on-cam flash. I have an old speedlight … been thinking about upgrading soon. Looks like I might be getting one of these babies … then learn to use it!!
Very useful post, thanks!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
November 6th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hi Jaime –
Thank you very much for the compliment. Yes! There is a lot you can do with the new speed lights like the Canon 580 EX2 or any of the Nikons, but the new ones especially because they do have the high speed sync mode. I would suggest getting a Quantum external battery because they do eat up a lot of power. Thanks – I look forward to more comments!
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November 9th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Thank you for this tutorial! I’ve always wanted to achieve the look of strong fill flash in high-noon sunlight but never really knew where to start. I’m going to try this very soon with a Nikon D300 and Metz-45 CL digital. This is very helpful!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
you’re very welcome Sarah ! If you have any problems make sure you ask on the blog and also post photos from your shoot so I can critique them for you.
Thank you for following my blog !
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November 16th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Eyes, eyes, eyes….
I shot a model this past weekend at a local park. Great blue skies and tons of sun. However, after applying her make-up she started to have a reaction (eyes) and after the first look (three were planned) her eyes were squinted or closed in the remainder of the shots (facing away or into the sun).
Now, I’ll give her the contacts issue…I’ve seen this before. But are there any tricks of the trade these models can use to control their eyes? 3 1/2 hours of shooting and only an hours with of usable material (if that) is a little frustrating.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Hey Steve,
If her eyes were squinted even when she was facing away from the sun it could have been an allergic reaction to the make up. Were they watering ?
When facing a model INTO the sun use the count to 3 trick. The photographer counts to 3 and on three the model opens her eyes. Make sure you tell her that when she opens her eyes her expression has to be the expression you’re looking for. Other things she could do is pretend she is looking off in the distance with her hand shading her eyes and you use just a kiss of fill flash to fill in the shadow. Shooting with the model facing the sun is a tough one but good experienced models know how to pull it off.
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November 27th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
great tutorial!!…would love to be part of a workshop but alas you are too far and too expensive…i’m on east coast…would you do a paid online workshop of sorts since you have have that great videographer of yours for the fashion videos and stuff….great stuff..thanks!
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December 2nd, 2009 at 8:51 am
Ok, i am doing a project on you! so i have some questions!! how do you decided what you next project will be, i know this i supper wierd but i need to no your age !! my project looks amazing but i really need to know thoose questions if you could help, i could most likly geat a really good grade in digital photo sooo plzz help me!!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Hi Logan,
Well if a client calls me to shoot an assignment then I shoot it. There really is no decision process. If it pays I shoot it lol.
If I am shooting a test, on rare occasions, I get ideas just from inspiration of art and real life and other photos I have seen.
I will be 41 Dec. 6th.
Hope this helps Logan !
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December 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 am
Thank you so much!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
you’re very welcome Logan ! Anytime
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December 22nd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
[...] He told me he loves digital photography because he doesn’t know the basic fundamental lighting techniques and he just fixes his photos in Photoshop. If he needs an extra light he just pops it in where he [...]
May 19th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Thanks for the advice. Lighting on this is awesome, and it’s good to k now that can be done without a ton of equipment.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 9:32 am
Thank you Kim. Yes today’s speed lights are amazing, you just need to learn how to manipulate them.
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November 15th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Hey Jason – love using speedlights. Curious if the Quantum helps with the overall power you can squeeze out, or the recycle time?
Also, what do you think are ideal scenarios to use high speed sync and what times wouldn’t you use? I have honestly never experimented with it, but you have me curious.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
November 18th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Hi Doug,
Yes I highly recommend the Quantum battery pack for use with your speed lights. It does help squeeze more power from the flash especially if you are putting some tough demands on it and it does make the recycle time much faster
As far as high speed sync is concerned, ideal situations would be when you want to capture that nice blue sky and also if you have some really bright hot spots then using hi speed sync will control those to an extent. This function is best used when the sun is high and bright and blowing much of your color out.
Therefore the times you would not need to use high speed sync would be later in the day when the sun isn’t so harsh.
It takes a good amount of experimenting and testing out before you use it on an actual job. So get out there an practice. You don’t even need people. Shoot objects, you can see how the high speed sync works just the same.
Thank you for your questions Doug ! Feel free to retweet this post.
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