One of the questions I seem to get asked a lot is how I use flashes. Typical placements, and powers and how to go about setting them up and using them properly.
Its like most things in life and photography, its practice. I use flashes on 80% of shoots I do, and that's pretty often, so for me anyways its almost instinct. I can rock up to a spot, take a look at the ambient light and guess what the flashes need to be pretty spot on first go.
So when I want to set up and strobed shot I do this:
- Take a second to look around, work out where the sun is, what kind of terrain there is to work with
- work out what lens to use, long, wide etc etc
- work out what angle you want to shoot from
- work out if you want a nicely balanced shot, so flash and ambient work together well, or if you want something more flash heavy.
- Then get the flashes out of the bag.
- Work out where you want light to fall on the rider/trail...put them where they need to be to do that.
- Then work out zoom and power settings
- then start shooting...
Something that not to many people seem to realise is that shutter speed only really affects ambient light , and not flash, and flash light is controlled in camera by the aperture.
So if you set up the flashes and they are a bit hot, go for a slightly higher Fstop, and in turn lower the shutter a bit. Or just go and turn the flash down... ha
Anyway now I will show you a few of my fav shots I have used flash on and tell you where and roughly the flash set ups for each shot.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYL99_MGqlB-ByhyphenhyphenP_n9TDTyGH-c_dbuwzVcpyqlasAolVH1UUIaTMjmV9HHTuh4XP3Is0y2RX_rGz_fR46u7OLjs83y2lk9QRZVS-d6IUD2rFybGKtlY7QiBXLGT17txOFC_IqkoHXcn/s400/Untitled-11.jpg)
A pretty balanced shot as far as lighting's concerned...one flash behind the tree in the center of the shot on about 1/16th power and pretty wide zoom. one flash just out of shot to the bottom left of the shot on about 1/4 and about 50mm zoom...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBCsCZnVMpIiCwCGjZ8QhPVCy1Up6NHAQlCQLDRWg6cBh7FAhSJN4P9mN4AzMDeP1pR4sr9XgnSFiScAoU4cSEY1_Bgmtmzg2Nsa0-plxUn3R36kxdYPqXc0zHJLgTcY57RipKCNARatk/s400/Untitled-12.jpg)
A more flash heavy image here. Flash behind the tree on the left of the image will have been wide and about 1/8th power. then flash just out of shot on the right on the same side of the track as me on about 1/8th and again wide.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIV6jSkLGfiLYU1NY-MELdTY3I6MOP_WgW5SPPZvowJVluCGTI7KNDxYwFkFx0XbaKzXaDYd7qMU4kZLnjyXGOBOAl8tc5tfoC1m1ONgLf-032Pj1zFDxV7Yp77OpSLGQ9ZR4D86NS238/s400/Untitled-13.jpg)
This is a good example of using the sun as a natural rim light. Only one flash used just to the left of the camera, very zoomed in around 80-100mm and on about 1/4 power as I was about 20 feet from the rider.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXS5vcCbT_t_kbuIlkNKgVdfb4W4e5osv7piKJblkcVA7j_p1qIDPxCEKQUp_UP6b0tuqtf1Ul8MGGrfWbGbnDFkiPxsUwkbatHbzC_F-dA85CAhrltkwSHPJyZgRLf3FLfKDsDeYghAJW/s400/Untitled-14.jpg)
Flash just out of shot to the right of camera , wide and about 1/16th power. Flash just out of shot to the left is about 6 foot lower down the landing, zoomed in to about 50mm and about 1/8th power. Sun as natural rim light.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoMX2ygmhbUQqlgQdpUK9-vesjYd9ysqAXp_F4GdZ2Hd6SGfBK2i9eWMqB9WqehMGlQsF3gfOgBjBFkTYWuczivM8CsYrGkHV8eFMm9QcKoZ67B9UaWyan2Hcjizu4-GlIIFIJU8p91o1/s400/Untitled-14s.jpg)
Again a pretty balanced shot ( I tend to shoot this way ) Flash out of shot on the right is pretty zoomed in and on 1/16th power. Flash out of shot in the left is wider probs about 24mm and about 1/8th.
So the typical lighting set ups are normally 2 flashes. I have 3 but don't really use the 3rd as 2 well placed lights is normally enough and takes a 3rd of the time to set up.
You often see flashes in a diagonal line crossing the rider. One as Rim and one as main fill...That's a tried and tested set up that just works. But for more interesting shots, you need to think a bit more outside the box...
Try and guess the lighting set up for these ones, if any one guesses them I will send you a free print... ![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uOLYEfemIhEcoHRSgKxFGiwL3VM9iHAJ9TnonbfiCFVKV1G15-4ow49KE7QaCv-drrgfQlDIo7rHkjnP-6D8K77VzS2hTyjuWY_leDOUKcyJMQS821MXaUkUiBO_evENND=s0-d)
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uJLhFnySQolsP6slb_264os0Y1N04DK39Py_2TThmhXTo6t4vBIQZDd2bnw8Ew-0afVTzohbgDhLxbDpeI3COs1FxkbZiaXQZURkz4szlv8LNoufKzvrrPZ0p-Ekw5Tf2amQ=s0-d)