Setup: The light is shining through the umbrella, which is pointing at the subject. (upper left)
f/8.0, ISO 800, 24-70mm L
These cupcakes were photographed with an umbrella and light directed at them (using a setup like the one shown on the left), without a bounce. Notice the shadows on the left side of the scene.
Tungsten WB, f/3.5, ISO 640, 100mm, Macro L
This photograph of cupcakes was also shot with the umbrella and light directed at them, but with a bounce. The left side of the scene is more illuminated now, and shadows are reduced.
Tungsten WB, f/3.5, ISO 640, 100mm, Macro L
This picture on the upper right shows the setup I use when shooting with a large white panel and the studio light. The light bulb being quite powerful, I decided to move it slightly away from the panel, and this had virtually no impact on the amount of light being diffused. My main concern here was that the light would burn a hole through the panel if it was too close. I used the Tungsten white balance setting and bouncing board in this setup, which shows the positioning of equipment that I used for these cupcake photos.
The light in the lower left photograph was diffused through an opaque panel. As it is diffused, the light falls softly on the subjects without shining harshly on them. The effect is similar to a photo taken with the flash pointing at them. It’s fine as is, but I took a couple more shots to test the effect of light being bounced back on the cupcakes.
For the photo on the lower right, the only thing I added to the setup was the white board on the left side, which was used to bounce light back onto the cupcakes and minimize the shadows. The shapes of the cupcakes became really well-defined without those shadows, and the whole picture retains a crisp look. The orientation of the light in this photograph is similar to what would be coming through a window, as explained in the Window Light section of Chapter 3.
Diffusing and bouncing are really important aspects of lighting—no matter if it’s artificial or natural. As you now know, I mainly use a white board to bounce light. I call my silver reflector Big Bertha, because I only use it when I need a more powerful reflector than the white card. I encourage you to try different reflectors—gold, silver, white—to figure out which one you like best.
Built-In Camera Flash
Whether you’re using a P&S or an entry-level dSLR, your camera probably comes with a built-in flash. Although, for a dSLR, it’s referred to as a pop-up flash, because it pops up when you turn on the Flash function. Whether or not you need a separate flash unit is completely up to you. It’s a matter of personal preference … like wearing green on Saint Patty’s day. You don’t have to, but it will probably make your day more pleasant.
If you happen to have a professional camera, you’ll notice that the major manufacturers have removed the pop-up flash and installed a hot shoe for your separate flash unit. I guess they assume people using pro cameras have explored the limits of camera-mounted flashes and know enough about the flashes’ limitations to get serious with separated flash units. Consumer models provide the option of using a pop-up flash or a hot shoe, which is a great feature for those who want to gradually explore flash-lighting options.
Setup: A large white panel is used in this setup instead of an umbrella.
f/6.3, ISO 800, 24-70mm L
These cupcakes were shot with light diffused through a large white panel but without a bounce. Notice the shadows on the left side of the scene.
Tungsten WB, f/3.5, ISO 640, 100mm, Macro L
This shot of the cupcakes used light that was diffused through a large white panel and bounced on the opposite side. The bounce minimizes the shadows on the left and makes the shot look more crisp.
Tungsten WB, f/3.5, ISO 640, 100mm, Macro L
There’s a lot you can do with built-in camera flashes, but once you get serious about artificial light photography, they can quickly begin to feel quite limiting. To get decent photographs with a pop-up, treat the flash as a separate light source and not as an extra setting on your camera.
What I mean by this is, if nothing else, do not point your flash directly onto your subject. Direct light casts harsh shadows and highlights that are quite unpleasant, and this startling light setup creates an unnatural scene.
Ooh, ooh … Hot Shoe!
A hot shoe is a mounting point on top of a camera. It’s where a flash unit can be attached, and it looks like a squared inverted U with a metal point in the center. The flash unit will have a matching adapter on the bottom, which lets the flash slide into the hot shoe. This adapter has a metal point that connects to the hot shoe mount to fire. To fire the flash, the hot shoe mount and the flash metal point are shorted together through a circuit in the flash unit. Some flash units have a little securing band or belt to tighten the flash on the hot shoe.
Of course, this is difficult to avoid with a built-in camera flash; because in most cases, it’s not possible to rotate the flash head in order to bounce the light off the ceiling or the wall … or to diffuse and soften it. So I recommend using little techniques to diffuse and bounce the light of your pop-up flash. They’re covered later in this chapter.
The photograph of the shrimp salad on the next page (upper left) was shot with the pop-up flash of a Rebel XTi camera, which was in a vertical position. The flash was aimed toward the salad and positioned slightly off center. The ceiling light in the room was on, too. Notice the strong highlights on the salad in the foreground as well as the hard light coming from the pop-up flash. Check the Hard Light vs Soft Light section in Chapter 3 for a refresher on these terms.
The shrimp salad was shot with the pop-up flash aimed toward it. Notice the intense brightness and strong highlights on the salad in the foreground.
f/3.2, ISO 400, 24-70mm L
This was also photographed with the pop-up flash aimed at the shrimp salad. The flash was covered with a white piece of paper. Notice the softer appearance of the scene and the toned-down highlights.
f/3.2, ISO 400, 24-70mm L
This was shot with the same setup as the previous photos in this set, but the flash was covered with a soft pop-up diffuser instead of a white piece of paper. (upper right)
f/3.2, ISO 400, 24-70mm L
This image was shot with the pop-up flash aimed at the shrimp salad. The ceiling light was on and the flash was partially covered with a white piece of paper. The light was bounced with a white reflector.
f/3.2, ISO 400, 24-70mm L
But before you rush off to buy a speedlight, which is an off-camera flash unit (described in the next section), know that there are a few easy ways to better use a built-in flash. I suggest you try these, because speedlights are pricey and require a tad more studying and practicing.
The first very easy and very cheap way to diffuse the harshness of the direct light of a pop-up flash—on a P&S or dSLR—is to take a piece of white paper and hold or tape it to the front of flash. Once taped onto your camera flash, you are freehanded to angle the paper in different ways to further manipulate the light coming from the pop up (explained below). You can also use a reflector next to your subject(s) to bounce more light onto the scene.
The paper diffuses the light a little, so highlights are diminished. This gives the elements in the shot a little more definition. Yet the white paper, placed flush with the flash in the upper middle photograph on the previous page made the light slightly too soft. The image could be improved by bouncing the light.
To further improve on this idea, I used a nifty trick in the picture on the previous page (lower left). The same white piece of paper was placed over the pop-up flash, but I angled it away. The paper functioned as a small but powerful reflector next to the pop up. This allowed the light to bounce off the paper, adding plenty of light to the scene. And a reflector placed next to the shrimp salad further brightened the frame. This is a great way to use the harsh light of a pop-up flash to your advantage.
If you’re using a dSLR, the last workaround is to use a soft pop-up diffuser, such as O
pteka or Gary Fong ($8-20), which comes mounted on a band that you simply secure onto your pop-up flash with a rubber band. Note that these are more see-through than a white piece of paper, which means they produce less of a noticeable improvement.
The third picture on the previous page (upper right) was shot with a soft pop-up diffuser over the camera’s built-in flash. The highlights are softened a little by this small device, and this small bit of diffusion improves the overall intensity of the light. It’s an improvement over the first shot of this series, which was created with the pop-up flash alone.
I like the effect produced by a white piece of paper attached to the flash (lower image on the previous page) more than that of a soft pop-up diffuser. And you’ll find that a white piece of paper works especially well when your flash is used as a supplemental light and not the main light source.
Never feel intimidated to use what you have available. You can get good shots with your in-camera flash by using little tricks, like the white paper approach, or inexpensive diffusers. But when you’re ready to step up your game, a separate flash unit will make a world of difference.
Remote Flash
The most commonly used off-camera flash units on digital cameras are speedlights. Other units, such as thyristor flashes, exist; but their technology is not ideal. They can easily damage the camera with their unregulated use of high voltage.
Off-camera flash units can be set in the hot shoe of your camera or on separate stands or tables. Operate speedlights directly through the hot shoe and flash setting of your camera. (Models vary, so please refer to your camera manual.) Or connect them to radio triggers or another type of remote-control device—either while they’re in the hot shoe or away from it.
The extreme portability of these light accessories and their built-in power source make speedlights a favorite tool among photographers of all levels and fields. Starting around $300, they are not cheap; but they will be your best long-term photography investment. And as long as you downgrade or upgrade your camera over time within the same manufacturer’s line, you won’t have to replace your speedlights when you switch out other gear.
But there are other options to consider, such as larger strobes … although it’s important to know that these are a bit more difficult to master than speedlights. Strobes are covered in more detail later in this chapter.
Some two-light strobe kits that come with soft boxes, a carrying bag and two light stands can be purchased for less than $250 from B&H in NYC. Just understand that, at this price, these kits are not top quality. But for photographers starting out on a shoestring budget, they’re a viable stepping stone. In fact, this inexpensive option may even yield a better light for food than a single speedlight due to the size of the lights it includes. But remember to diffuse strobe light to make it more appealing.
Again, since each camera brand has different models and nomenclature, I recommend using a flash that’s made by the same brand as your camera. It is possible to use a flash from a different manufacturer, but it will not utilize the metering to its full capacity. This is because the technology used inside the flashes are proprietary and made to work to their maximum potential within their brand. Sticking with your primary brand ensures that your equipment is fully integrated.
Remote Flash Settings
Like your camera, your off-camera flash unit has different modes for you to use. In general though, the most common and easiest speedlight setting is Through the Lens, or TTL. This is a good one because your flash works with your camera to calculate the correct exposure and flash output. That is, when you press the shutter button, your camera tells your flash to send a signal to the subject to be photographed. It will record the amount of light reaching the camera sensor and determine how much flash output is needed. This information is sent back to the camera to be processed in order to coordinate the flash output in relationship to shutter speed and aperture. The camera then fires the flash to take the picture. And all of this happens in microseconds!
You can choose to use your off-camera flash in Automatic mode, but it will be like using your camera in Auto mode. This mode tells your equipment to calculate everything for you. In a way, this assures that you’ll get the shot, but it takes away your creative input.
There’s also Manual mode to consider; but here, you are completely in charge and must become the brain for the camera. This means you’ll need to adjust your f/stop to match the output of the flash for appropriate exposure. When shooting in Manual, it may be especially helpful to use an incident light meter, which provides the information needed to set the f/stop and shutter speed in relationship to the ISO. This external device, unlike the meter in your camera, will not rely on the reflected light but rather on the actual available light that’s hitting your subject. An incident light meter is particularly helpful in high contrast situations, where your camera light meter will average the reflected light—almost always incorrectly—for exposure.
There are as many light meters as they are camera models out there, so please research your options and priorities before purchasing one.
Not-So-Remote Flash
I know I just said that off-camera remote flashes are better than those that are built into your camera. Yet I’m now going to explain how to use speedlights on your camera. I know. Stay with me; there is a method to the madness.
One advantage of working with a speedlight directly on your camera … with it slipped into the hot shoe … is that you don’t have to worry about setting it somewhere—on a tripod or table. Doing so would require a sync cord or a set of radio triggers. (See more on this below.)
While it’s mounted on your camera, the head of the speedlight can be easily maneuvered into position as needed. Rotate it away from your food and up; move it sideways; or even swivel it toward the back of the camera. The ability to rotate the head gives you more options to soften, diffuse and play with the light. Bounce it off a white card placed to the side to reflect the light, or place a white card over it to diffuse the light … just as you would with a built-in flash.
On the next few pages, we’ll explore some easy applications for using a speedlight mounted on your camera. But first, take a look at the image on the right. A speedlight was aimed directly at the subject. The light was not managed at all. Therefore, there is nothing flattering about this shot. And there is very little anyone could do in post processing to fix the harsh shadows and highlights.
Metering
To use the simplest of incident light meters, just hold it next to the subject and fire your flash. The meter will register the amount of light hitting the subject and give you the appropriate f/stop and shutter speed relative to the ISO. You can then manually set your camera according to that reading. Of course, some models are more complicated. Refer to instructions for specific meters for operation information.
Note that in these pictures, the speedlight is used as a dominant light source and the ceiling light was left on to enable me to navigate around the room.
When creating this image, the camera body was positioned vertically, and a speedlight was aimed at the trifles. No diffuser or bounce was used to soften the light. The result is harsh shadows and unflattering light.
f/3.5, ISO 400, 24-70mm L
Fortunately, the terrible image on the previous page can be improved easily by simply pointing the flash off the subject … to the right or toward the ceiling, as shown (respectively) in these two pictures.
The trifles were shot with the flash head pointing toward the right, away from them. Without a bounce though, the left side of the scene remains slightly too dark.
f/3.5, ISO 400, 24-70mm L
Because it is directed away from the subject, the light is less intense in the shot on the left. This helps reduce the harsh highlights and strong shadows.
Keep in mind that there is always some amount of natural bounce taking place, even if you don’t position a bouncing device in your setup. The light from your flash will automatically bounce off othe
r things in the room. This is not a bad thing for food photography, because it softens the light until it reaches your subject. To bring more light to the scene, especially to the left of the trifles, a reflector or white board would have shortened the travel distance required for the light and better illuminated the whole frame.
In the shot below, the flash was pointing at the ceiling—which served as a bouncing surface that diffused and softened the light. As a result, the light now wraps around the trifles and falls softly toward the back. It also minimizes the shadows on the left side. Find more information on using soft light in the Hard Light vs Soft Light section in Chapter 3.
Here, the trifles were shot with the flash head directed at the ceiling, which serves as a bounce. This softened the light and reduced the strength of shadows on the left side of the scene.
f/3.5, ISO 400, 24-70mm L
Bouncing the light from your speedlight off a white surface helps you get lots of lighting bang for minimal effort. To achieve more bounce than the ceiling can provide, you can use a piece of white poster board held down with clamps. Or you can use the thick white diffuser that comes in the basic 3-in-1 or 5-in-1 diffusing kits. Just remember that the larger the bounce the more difficult it becomes to position it securely. A tripod with a mounted bracket or arm will make your life a lot easier in this regard.
Plate to Pixel Page 8
