Flash by Name - Flash by Nature

Mike McNamee talks to Uzair Kharawala aswpp and discusses how he uses Nikon’s wireless flashes to create images with a difference. Here he talks about his simple off-camera flash techniques and how he uses ‘directional lighting’ by taking the flash away from the camera.

I have used the SB800 flashguns since they were available and was excited by the new wireless feature. Since I don’t have a studio, all my work is shot on location. This meant carrying heavy studio kit-bags with studio flash heads, light stands and accessories. Not to forget the various wires/leads trailing all over the place, specially when setting up in a home with young kids and pets. So I decided to shoot a portrait session at a client’s home and just use the SB800s. This was about three years ago and since then I have never taken my studio flash heads out on location. I was thrilled by the quality of the images, the portability and the quick set-up times. Yes, you cannot compare the SB800 to a traditional flash head, but the flexibility I get using the SB800 wirelessly far outweighs everything. Taking the flash offcamera gives the image that 3D look with directional lighting. I can work quickly and far more efficiently than I ever could, specially at weddings, where one has to work very, very fast in the least amount of time available.

Most of the time I shoot with the camera and flash set to manual. This way I have total control over how much light is going through my lens. I can adjust my exposure very quickly, when needed. You can only shoot ‘creative’ images when in manual mode. I often

underexpose the ambient light by around 2 stops and expose my subject using the off-camera flash. The main advantage of using the off-camera wireless flash is the speed of set up. The remote flash can be powered up or down from your master unit, which is on the camera. This saves a lot of time running up and down to the actual remote flash and adjusting its power. In order to assess the exposure, I first expose a test shot, have a look on the screen of the camera or, when I am using a wireless transmitter, I can instantly see the image on the MacBook Pro. Then I adjust the flash output, plus the shutter speed, if required. Usually I can get the exposure correct on the second or third attempt. It is very simple and easy to control the flash output. I hardly ever fire the flash at full output, since these are very small flashguns, you need to take into account recycling time. You can control this by the combination of high ISO and a slower shutter speed. Balancing the ambient and flash light also gives a more natural look to the images.

DIRECTIONAL LIGHTING

The use of ‘directional lighting’ can add dramatic effect to your image. This is one of the most important and creative elements of my photography. No matter what you shoot, you’ve got to carefully look at your light source and shoot accordingly. Window lighting is one of the best and freely available light sources. However, what do you do when you don’t have a window and also when you are shooting at a time when there is very little available light? This is where my Nikon flashguns come into play. If you are new to off-camera lighting, then I would suggest you start with a two-light set up, one being the sun and the other the flash gun. These are my main tools to creating 3-dimensional and dynamic images. Depending on what I am trying to create, I may use the available light as my main light and the off-camera flashgun as my fill-in. However, many a time I reverse this by using my flashgun as my main light and using the available light as my fill-in by underexposing it. Having a very portable lighting kit makes all the above very simple and easy to set up and shoot.

So let’s have a look at how I use my off-camera lighting throughout an entire wedding.

At the Salon

Get your assistant to hold the flashgun to shoot images where space is tight. Issues of health and safety come into play if you wish to set up studio lighting. Bear in mind that there will be other clients in the salon as well.

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Photo Quote: In a photograph, if I am able to evoke not alone a feeling of the reality of the surface physical world but also a feeling of the reality of existence that lies mysteriously and invisibly beneath its surface, I feel I have succeeded. At their best, photographs as symbols not only serve to help illuminate some of the darkness of the unknown, they also serve to lessen the fears that too often accompany the journeys from the known to the unknown. - Wynn Bullock