Flash Photography for Available Light Photographers
“I am an available light photographer.” In the past, this is how I referred to myself all the time because I was terrified to use off-camera lighting and didn’t want anyone else to know it. I could never seem to get the light balanced; I always had unwanted shadows, the light looked cold and unfriendly. For these reasons, off-camera lighting was so frustrating. That is until I started hanging around Piet Van den Eynde. Piet’s approach to lighting is simple and effective. He took me from frozen in fear to receiving compliments from the editors of the National Geographic, “We are over the moon with the results of the photography…”
The Cover Shot
I almost didn’t even photograph this statue. It was dark and the only light was falling on the arms and stomach of the statue. Then I thought to myself, it’s a human form, silly, light it like you would a person. I did, with a light off to the subjects left and National Geographic Traveller used it as the cover shot for the supplement on Qinghai, China.
So if Piet can do this for me, there is no question in my mind he could do it for you as well. Of course, I am fortunate to have Piet as a co-host on my workshops. But you can take Piet home with you! Light It Up!, the second edition of Piet’s 185-page ebook on off-camera flash is available now. If you think flash is complicated or if you struggle to get good results, this is the book for you. In this 185 page PDF eBook, he introduces you to the concepts, techniques, and gear that are required to create stunning photographs with flash. The eBook is the culmination of over 10 years of experience with real-life location flash in general and off-camera flash in particular.
This is the original image shot got the Qinghai supplement of National Geographic. I used one large light off the subjects left to fill in the sun shadows. You can see the sharp shadows from the ledge she is sitting on. Normally, I would put the sun behind her to create a rim light around her shoulders, but we wanted the large prayer wheel in the photo.
This image was shot with one light off to the subject’s right. I shot several photos to get the one with all the sheep and the lady looking directly into the camera.
I can’t encourage you more. Piet’s techniques and clear examples have made me a better photographer overall. How can I say that? Because as a professional photographer I can’t be satisfied with only “OK” images, I have to have great photos. My clients didn’t hire me to deliver mediocre images, they want and deserve the best. So if I find my images are flat and grainy because I had to shoot in subpar light or up the ISO till grain is overly noticeable, then I am in trouble. But Piet has given me and you new resources to achieve surprising results with simple lighting setups.
With the help of Piet’s lighting techniques, I have seen my images on the cover of a supplement for National Geographic Traveller. All of the images that appeared in National Geographic Traveller were shot with one simple light!
This photo was shot inside a super cramped space. Again, using nothing more than a single light and softbox. Yet, something so simple manages to make a full page image.
The eBook we are talking about
These are not complicated lighting setups, but they can be intimidating. As you can see in the images above, with just a simple one light setup I was able to achieve warm and enticing images.
You have until April 8th to take advantage of this off.
Early bird bonus
When you buy Light It Up, using this LINK, you will be presented with two purchase options. A Standard Edition which is the ebook alone or a Deluxe Edition that adds two valuable pieces of bonus content:
1) A set of three bonus videos
Totaling 45 minutes of videos in which Piet explains even more about his flash workflow. In the first video, ‘For The Birds’ you see him creating an iconic image of an Indian Sadhu on the Ganges, from capture to final edit in Photoshop. In the second video, ‘Layering Lights,’ he builds upon the concepts that he explains in the post-processing chapter of the eBook. Finally, in the last bonus video ‘Creating Light,’ he takes you through a number of his images and explains his reasoning and lighting setup.
2) A set of 5 Lightroom presets
I rarely pitch offers to you. But this is one I am personally involved within away. Piet uses many examples and images from the workshops we have done together to illustrate his points in this book. I feel I was behind the scenes on just about every page. This gives you an insight into the knowledge and skill that Piet brings to this book. You will learn so much if you take advantage of this offer.
