Video & Camera Equipment

camera speedlight

Take Outdoor Portraits like the Pros!   by Sherry Blowers

It appears strange but do you know that using a flash when taking pictures outdoor will give you sparkling, vibrant images? Well it’s true. Back in the days when I was starting out as a photographer I learned that using flash for daylight pictures really improved on the image quality of my pictures.

I practice this system in different sun light conditions. I’ve always been a canon shooter so I have a canon flash head. Although I was using my flash outdoors, in the sunlight hours I saw that not every my pictures where good shots. Nonetheless the shoots where very creative but not what I wanted.

I realized that as a way to take good pictures during the sunny hours during the day you need to prepare the shot. What on earth is meant preparing the shot is using equipment and that old real-estate quandary, location, location, location.

The right equipment is a transportable flash head. This can be the flash that sits on top of your camera. I own a Canon Speedlight and also a Quantum Trio. I personally use my Trio a lot more than my speed light outdoors. The reason why I use my Trio often than my speed light isn’t for the reason that speed light doesn’t work for the outdoors. It has to do with preference. I like my outdoor pictures to have a great deal of sharp color and sparkle. To do this I need a studio style portable light-weight flash head.
A few things i do to get great outdoor pictures is I meter beyond my subject and obtain the ambient light readings. Next, i set my flash to be 2 stops higher, meaning you will end up brighter than the sun. Applying a powerful outdoor flash head like Quantum Trio product you possibly can accomplish beautiful light. Now this is just one step to great outdoor portraits.

The second part is that old quandary from the Real-Estate industry which is location, location, location. Here it is plain and simple, DON’T MAKE IT HARD ON YOURSELF. Scout your location be your subject(s) arrive. Select locations have shade. That is it. Shade is the key. Your flash head will provide the sunny rays but you control how much sun you want.

So to round up my expert consultancy! This is exactly what you should get from this article.

1. Use the shade when possible and reflect light on your subject
2. For creative shoots you will need a very powerful flash
3. Face your subject outside the sun
4. Use large light diffusers

While practicing my own advice I was able to manipulate the light as I pleased and build great images. I always look in my models eyes to position them for top level light.

About the Author

I’ve been a professional photographer for 15 years. I specialize in Wedding,Quinceanera photography, family portraits, and children photography. To learn more about my style please visit http://www.marksarriaphoto.com
High Speed Camera Flash – Nikon Speedlight SB 600

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SB-910 AF Speedlight $546.95 The SB-910 is Nikon’s most sophisticated and powerful Creative Lighting System portable Speedlight designed for use on camera as well as for complete wireless control in the studio or on location.

Nikon Speedlight SB-910 Flashlight $549.99 The SB-910 is Nikon’s most sophisticated and powerful Creative Lighting System portable Speedlight designed for use on camera as well as for complete wireless control in the studio or on location.

SB-700 Speedlight Shoe Mount Flash $326.95 High performance versatile speedlight brings simplicity to on-camera, remote, and multiple flash photography.

1 SB-N5 Speedlight $146.95 When you need more light, or are looking to add a creative touch to illumination, use the new Nikon SB-N5 Speedlight. Plug this compact i-TTL compatible flash unit into the camera’s multi-accessory hot shoe. Angle the flash up, down, left or right and bounce light to precise advantage.

Nikon Speedlight External Flash $149.99 Bounce or direct the flash from this Nikon 3617 Speedlight to easily fill shadows for improved digital photo capture using your Nikon 1 V1 digital camera. Five flash modes and i-TTL and manual flash support provide a range of photo-optimization options.

R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System (Camera & Lens are NOT included) $484.95 Nikon’s R1 Wireless Close-up Speedlight System works with Nikon i-TTL SLRs with built-in Speedlight Commander and features two SB-R200 Speedlight units enabling superb close-up lighting control with exceptional flexibility and ease. Designed for use with Nikon SLRs featuring built-in Speedlights and Commander such as the D70, D70s or D200 and supporting Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS) with exclusive i-TTL (intelligent-TTL) flash technology, the R1 system offers more sophisticated lighting possibilities with astonishing accuracy. The system comes with all the necessary components to make complicated lighting easy, including the SX-1 Attachment Ring, two SW-11 Extreme Close-up Positioning Adapters, a SW-C1 Flexible Arm and a SW-12 Diffuser Panel and more.

SB-400 AF Speedlight $116.95 The SB-400 gives photographers the opportunity to enjoy brighter and more natural lighting for images taken using a flash. It is designed to suit entry-level Digital SLR users while also suitable for more experienced users. Those who have a camera within the D2 series will also benefit from the convenient portable flash unit. The SB-400 offers a guide number of 30 (ISO 200, m), and effortless bounce flash function and is controlled in i-TTL and the D40’s M (manual) mode.

Canon 5246B002 Speedlight 320Ex Flash $424.43 BUILTIN LED LIGHT CAN BE USED TO ILLUMINATE NEARBY SUBJECTS IN DIM LIGHT. VERSATILE VERTICAL HORIZONTAL BOUNCE CAPABILITY PROVIDES AN EXTENDED RANGE OF POSSIBLE LIGHTING EFFECTS. FLASH RELEASE FUNCTION TRIGGERS THE CAMERA WIRELESSLY FROM THE FLASH ON A 2SEC DELAY ALLOWING THE FLASH TO BE REPOSITIONED TO ILLUMINATE THE SUBJECT. WIRELESS SLAVE FUNCTION SUPPORTS 3 GROUPS 4 CHANNELS ALLOWING THE FLASH TO BE POSITIONED OFFCAMERA. FLASH COVERAGE CAN BE SWITCHED BY EXTENDING OR RETRACTING FLASH HEAD. LIGHT COMPACT BODY. USEFUL FOR SHOOTING VIDEO AS A MODELING LIGHT OR AS AN AF ASSIST BEAM (WITH LIVE VIEW). PROVIDES UP TO 4 HOURS OF CONTINUOUS LIGHTING WITH FULLY CHARGED AA BATTERIES;REQUIRES 4 AA BATTERIESUPC : 013803136678Shipping Dimensions : 6.30in X 4.60in X 3.60inEstimated Shipping Weight : 1.1

Canon 5247B002 Speedlight 270Ex II Flash $288.33 COMPACT LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN IDEAL FOR COMPACT POWERSHOT CAMERAS (G SERIES SELECT SX SERIES) EOS DIGITAL REBEL CLASS CAMERAS. IDEAL FOR COMPACT POWERSHOT CAMERAS EOS REBEL CLASS CAMERAS. 28MM 50MM 2STEP COVERAGE ANGLE SELECTION . BOUNCE FEATURE FOR AN EVEN GREATER RANGE OF PICTURETAKING OPTIONS. SIMPLE SETUP USING THE CAMERA S REAR MONITOR. COLOR TEMPERATURE COMMUNICATION. OPTIMIZED RECYCLING TIME APPROXIMATELY 0.1 3.9 SEC. QUIETER CHARGING. EASY STORAGE SOFT CASE . REQUIRES 2 AA BATTERIESUPC : 013803135268Shipping Dimensions : 3.00in X 2.60in X 2.60inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.48

Di866 Mark II Speedlight for Canon Digital SLR Cameras $349 Nissin’s Di866 Mark II has several new features including: A new metal foot, whisper quiet zoom head, expanded sub-flash range, an improved wireless sensor, and color and auto rotate display: The Color Display will automatically follow the camera from the horizontal to vertical positions.

Di866 Mark II Speedlight for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras $349 Nissin’s Di866 Mark II has several new features including: A new metal foot, whisper quiet zoom head, expanded sub-flash range, an improved wireless sensor, and color and auto rotate display: The Color Display will automatically follow the camera from the horizontal to vertical positions.

SB-R200 Wireless Remote Speedlight $169 Nikon’s SB-R200 Wireless Speedlight features a built-in target light and AF Illuminator allows for proper position of Speedlight on the subject as well as autofocus operation in low light situations, i-TTL Flash control for accurate flash exposures in close-up and other multiple lighting applications, can be set to one of three Speedlight Groups (A,B and C), and much more.

Di466 Shoe Mount Digital Flash Speedlight for Canon $139 Nissin’s Di466 shoe mount digital flash speedlight for Canon features an auto zoom function, a wireless remote flash, a wide angle diffuser and catch light reflector, and much more!

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Di 866 Mark II Speedlight for Sony Digital SLR Cameras – Black $349 Nissin’s Di 866 Mark II Speedlight features an auto rotate color display, wireless TTL, a 24-104mmm auto zoom head, fill in sub flash, and much more!

Blue Crane Digital Understanding the Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Instructional DVD $24.99 The Blue Crane Digital Understanding the Nikon SB-700 Speedlight NBC206 instructional DVD offers step-by-step instructions for easy comprehension and real world examples to help you get started using flash photography.

D5100 Digital SLR Camera – Body Only $596.95 Nikon’s D5100 Digital SLR Camera delivers a galaxy of professional features in a consumer digital camera. A high-resolution 16.2MP DX format CMOS sensor and an EXPEED 2 image processing engine guarantee superb quality and high performance. The 3″ vari-angle tilting LCD monitor allows you full freedom in composition, with sparkling 921,000-dot resolution. Full 1920 x 1080p video with full-time autofocus (for tracking subjects in motion) and stereo sound (using optional microphone) is always available, with in-camera editing and creative controls to bring out your inner director. The Effects mode provides a dazzling array of special effects for putting your own individual stamp on all of your images-still photos or video. Selective Color, for instance, isolates any color within a scene, and Night Vision captures details in places too dark for your own eyes. High Key effect will create bright, glowing images filled with atmosphere and mystery, or you can emphasize the mood of a scene using Low Key, or Miniature Effect-which produces a scene that looks like a miniature scale model. With sensitivity ranging from 100 to 6400 ISO, you’ll be able to make photos and videos that are amazingly rich, even in low light. In-camera HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode will tame high contrast situations by automatically capturing multiple exposures of the scene and combining them for vastly improved contrast and low noise. A blazing fast 11-point autofocus system and split-second shutter response mean that you won’t miss photo opportunities waiting for your camera to catch up. The built-in speedlight has i-TTL for accurate, well-balanced flash every time. With the Scene Recognition system, 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 16 automatic exposure scene modes, and Active D-Lighting, your control over your photos and movies will be more precise and simple to carry out than ever. The automatic image sensor cleaning prevents dust from ruining any of your images.

ST-E2 Wireless Transmitter $236.95 Canon ST-E2 Wireless Speedlight Transmitter.

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