Lighting Tips

As I've been reading through my lighting books, I've picked up on a few facts I think are crucial for shooting weddings.

1.) The larger your light source (in relation to your subject), the softer the light is. This is why it is important to bounce the flash - to create a larger light source when you bounce flash off of various surfaces.

2.) Directional lighting is a good tool to use, rather than using light that is coming only from the camera's viewpoint. Directional lighting allows for a different, more dramatic perspective while giving shape and form to a subject. It also helps create texture. (Off camera flash techniques would be helpful.)

3.) Being able to distinguish between the light given and how much intensity of the flash is crucial while creating an interesting composition. Being able to use the existing light and using flash to fill in the missing light spots is something that needs to be practiced, for sure.

4.) Flash often gives a blue tone to the color balance. Various surfaces can cause other colors to appear more dominant in the color balance as well. Playing with the color balance on the camera to achieve the best exposure will need some time to perfect. This is something I also will need to practice. Going to the places I know I am going to be shooting, practicing bouncing light off of various surfaces in that area, and playing with my settings will help me achieve a sufficient composition.

5.) TTL is the auto flash. The opposite of TTL is manual flash. With manual flash, our aperture and ISO choice will affect our exposure. With TTL, our aperture and ISO will not affect our exposures, as long as we stay within our equipment's capabilities. I do not quite understand all the details of TTL and manual flash yet and when to use one over the other.

6.) My book recommends getting a CANON CP-E4 battery pack so that the flash will be able to achieve more consistent exposures by providing a faster recycling time.

7.) My book also talks about flash brackets and how they can help make life easier for a wedding photographer. These allow you to rotate the flash when going from horizontal to vertical or vice-versa easily and without much work to quickly and efficiently get your shots without missing a moment.

That's what I have learned so far...