Blue Fish Design Studio

A Beginner’s guide to lighting with Speedlights

Budget Budget Budget. It is usually the first thing to go when someone begins the hobby of Photography. First there is the camera and lenses. And inevitably next comes the lighting needed for dramatic portraits like this one…

So how does one dip their toe into this pool without robbing a bank or needing a lottery winning ticket? Well for me going strobist was the answer. Strobist is a website started by David Hobby and originally it was geared towards taking speedlights and using them off camera to create interesting photos. David recently started loosening up the requirements on the site to include all Strobe lights which includes all flash type lights (vs continuous lights). Without this website I would never have gotten as far with lighting as I have now so study it. Read the articles. And do some of the exercises.

So how do you get started? Well for me I started by purchasing the 580EXII which is currently the top of the line Canon speedlight. I did this because I knew I needed at least one speedlight that I could use on camera for shooting events. After I got the 580 I decided that I would look at flashes that were manual capable on ebay. I managed to pick up 3 Nikon SB-28s for about $90 a piece. Speedlights that are capable of being set manually are important so that you can set the flash for the appropriate exposure without it trying to readjust during the shoot.

Along with the SB-28s I got some radio triggers. Most professional photographers were using PocketWizards at the time. I couldn’t afford them so I went with the Elinchrom units. They are every bit as good but were about 60% of the cost. If I had to do it today I would consider the newer PocketWizards because they allow some level of control from the camera. This is handy when you have a light 9ft up and have to adjust the exposure. But I still have the Elinchroms and think they are really good triggers.

The nice thing about this type of set up is it is highly portable. It is nothing to pack it up in a small duffel and take it on location. Plus because the lights are small you can stick them in small locations where larger studio lights won’t fit. I did countless photoshoots on location with these small lights.

One of the other things you will need to consider is the accessories. The first thing I got was the Impact brand stand kits. They come with the brackets to attach the speedlights to the stands, the umbrellas and the stands. Quite a nice started kit for the price. You will also need the cables to attach the speedlights and the radio triggers. I honestly can’t remember where I got mine. I would imagine B&H would have them though. And recently Honl has released modifiers dedicated to speedlights. The biggest thing you will need?... batteries. Get some rechargables. You might think them expensive but with as many batteries as you will go through you will be glad you invested in some good rechargables.

So there you go. If you are looking to get started in off camera lighting this is the direction that I would point you. Next I’ll tackle suggestions for studio lighting.