Shooting Portraits with One Speedlight
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
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I think the assumption is that to get into shooting portraits with strobes, it's going to be a very expensive and technical pursuit. But in my experience you can actually achieve some great images with very little gear. In this video I share how you can create dramatic portraits using only one speedlight and a cheap modifier.
Share this video on if you found it helpful.
#portrait #strobe #speedlight
Some of you have pointed out that I mentioned changing exposure with shutter speed, and the fact there is a rough rule that aperture controls your flash exposure, and shutter speed controls your ambient exposure. This is technically correct, but not absolute, and often varies when using the longer flash durations of HSS with different shutter speeds, as well as the fact that aperture obviously increases both your ambient and flash exposure to some extent, so you still need to be careful when following this rule (for those who don't understand the rule I will get into it in future videos, especially an upcoming video on mixing strobe and ambient light). What I should have said to be more accurate in this demo is that I was trying to balance the exposure and using the shutter speed to make sure that no ambient light influenced the exposure in the shot, and then using the flash power to get the correct exposure for the portrait. Those settings ended up being ISO 100, F2.8... then 1/200 meant that I had no ambient light in the shot, and I then turned the flash power up to 1/16 power for a correct exposure from the flash only. I hope that clears things up.
straight rad content. unlike other photography channels. sir, i salute you.
Sean Tucker Hi Sean
I’m new to strobes and have been practicing the past few weeks. I initially heard on KelbyOne(I think it was!) to set up the camera with ISO100, f8, 1/125 and work with the lighting from there adjusting as you go. As you mention you shot these pics at f2.8, so for me to do the same is it just a matter of the same principle, set the aperture then work the lighting power around this setting?
Indoors there is no need to use HSS? Just put your flash power down. When you have ambient light in the image HSS can be used to control that when shooting with wider apertures that don't let you keep inside synch speed.
Indoors shooting like that HSS is just a waste of flash power. You can shoot wide apertures with low flash power - No need for HSS that will kill your batteries
or a 3 or 4 stop neutral will control the ambient, then you 'dose' the subject with flash.Depends how bright the day is. ;-)
I often crank up my Flashpoint 600's (Basically a rebranded Godox at Adorama) to 1/4000 or even 1/8000 to bring the overall watt seconds down so I can shoot at 1.4 or 1.8 when in studio. It's a lot faster than tweaking your trigger settings.
Finally, a youtube photography video that is to the point and not ego driven like everyone else on here.
Not like Tony and Chelsea
@@Fabianwew You find T/C ego driven?
@@gewglesux A bit. They talk very snobby.
@@Fabianwew Ok.... I was curious... thanks for the reply.
Well said. My exact thought.
The "How to fold a backdrop" part. Absolutely priceless :)
This was the best part of it. I've had backdrops I just left open for a day or two after walking away from the frustration of trying to fold it
@@chrissnyder4439 try weeks!!!
19:00 time stamp
Finally someone who isn't spending a small fortune on equipment and sees the value of the craft and not the stuff. Thank you so much, I've learnt so much.
This is probably going to be the most helpful photography video I've _ever_ watched, I bet it's going to save me so much money in the future, _and_ actually get me doing portraits rather than thinking that I'll never have the gear to do it!
Finally a photographer who is in depth without talking down to you with expensive gear. Flash Photography on a simple budget. Thanks!!
Photo magazines and photo websites have been discussing portable strobe techniques for over 20 years.
@@photorockbar471 are they talking about cheap gear?
@@dronedude4185 all types of gear.
People like this guy have saved me tons of money cuz I've considered getting 600$ cameras to replace my D3100. People like this guy show me that I can do just as much with my D3100 was a beginner with a Z7 II.
My god man! In twenty-two minutes you just covered every lesson I learned in the 16-week portrait photography class I took last semester. This is the first video I’ve seen of yours, and I cannot wait to see what else you’ve done. I’ve happily subscribed and turned notifications on. 😀
The one about Light and Shadow is a spiritual awakening of the deepest levels of your soul. Honestly!! He made me tear up after the 14:32 mark. I've experienced much loss in my lifetime and in just a few minutes he put it all into a totally new perspective. I have a new focus on my passion of photography.
RUclips university makes college look like a waste of time and money, well, when you're dealing with a hobby that thousands of people are involved it. It's easy to find free knowledge. I redirect anyone who says they want to "go to school for photography" (LOL) to here.
Can anybody explain how his lcd screen seems to be bright but it should be black during shooting with flash?
@@Wakodaf You just set it up in camera options to show the frame, not actual exposure. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to frame and focus :)
Filip F ok! Thank you
Well that’s probably the most direct, to the point, high information filled RUclips instructional video I have seen . What an absolutely delightful experience. Guess I’ll be up for awhile exploring your other content Thank you so much for all the work that you put into this.
Brilliantly paced, no blatent product placement, no pretense, informative with seemingly a genuine desire to encourage resourceful affordable creative photography.
‘A lot of people who declare themselves natural light only photographers but who are actually just afraid of using strobe”. That’s me all over. Fucking terrified. Thank you so much for this video... it was so incredibly helpful, like all of your videos.
Same here. Took me forever to get that thing to even fire. Once I did with a softbox my images were great.
Boom -- me to a T
Bought the background, soft lighter, speed light and trigger he showed in this video, immediately my portraits improved. Loved and love this video
im in this picture and i DONT like it!
Hahaha, great comment!! When I started (over 20 years ago) I just jumped in and tried everything my wallet could afford... I practiced on friends and figured I could always delete pics and sell the equipment if I wanted. I ended up with some amazing photos and and learned along the way.
This video is AWESOME and I can't wait to use these techniques!
I'm a pro portrait photographer and this is the best film I've seen! well done.
Genius genius genius. Straight to the point without suggesting fancy expensive gear. Great job
I’ve seen this videos several times in my photography career. It got me inspired lots of times from different types of angle view, portrait, flash gear, lighting style. Today when I see it again, I think it’s a fantastic video for beginner photographes. Everything is well thought in the explanation. The only drawback to put a small softbox in a small space for portrait ,it is the ratio on the left and right face when it’s side lighted or rambrandt lighted, since the light is so closed to the face, the light falls off very quickly, therefore, one side of the face is so much brighter than another side. For sure it can be adjusted in post production , but it’s just a remark I’ve got. Again really great video, thanks for sharing !
This is, by far, my favorite RUclips video. I return to it every now and then before a portrait session. Simplicity is king.
Thank you, Sean. I appreciate your videos and insight greatly.
Only one word for this tuturial. Brilliant. Thank you for sharing your skill and enthusiasm.
Showing how to fold the backdrop is enough to deserve a “like” 😆 I remember it took a while for me to learn to fold a 120cm reflector.
Love how you get to the point and pack tons of info into 20 minutes. Thanks.
Sean, you have no idea how overwhelmed I am after watching your series of videos (shadows, highlights and manual mode). I am overwhelming relieved to see that it is possible to take portraits without having expensive gear. Thank you so much, you are a blessed soul sharing so many secrets that photographers normally hoard. It is a hobby for me and I am not doing anything commercial.
I am cracking away on the Pentax K50 I have and have started saving to buy a full frame camera.
Thank you so much for all the time you invest in spreading this knowledge to people like us. As you put it, I was one amongst the many who think that expensive gear = good photographs. I was able to apply your principles and get a good shot from my mobile phone. I am sure I can get many more once I start applying your teachings to the gear I have. I have started writing down your points like I used to do in school. So simple to follow and learn from your videos.
May you live long and strong Sean.
Now, your RUclips feed streams on my laptop instead of Netflix; whenever I have time away from work.
Thanks my friend. Good luck.
Really great info in this video, Sean. You clearly have a knack for teaching and you get the information out there simply and concisely. I used to do a lot of TV/video environmental stuff and corporate talking head interviews about twenty years ago working with Arri fresnel hot lights, all sorts of modifiers and now that I want to get into shooting with some still cameras and strobe I could not ask for a better series of videos. I'm glad there have been advances with battery operated strobes, small flash units, and HSS to get these kinds of shots. Thanks for the videos.
I've watched this video over and over.. it's really got me excited to build a little kit and give portraits a try. Thank you for your no nonsense approach to your instructional videos 👍
You are the best teacher on RUclips 🙌🏽. Thank you!
such a good instructor. clear and to the point
Excellent instruction, Sean! Thanks so much. You teach quickly and well, and I like your portraits too.
Sean Tucker, a professional, and incredibly generous!!! Thank you...ever..ever...
Love this tutorial. I love that he left nothing out from the start and was very thorough. Different tools and what they do, and why he likes them or why not. Love that he helped with settings for camera and speed light including power setting. Described in detail different possible setup of light and what they’d create. Even how to fold down the back drop...which I’ve had issues folding cause no one has showed me how. Over all an educational video that’s very thorough without being overboard or dragging on and on. Great work and thank you.
What a treasure trove of helpful information and teaching. Thank you Sean for sharing this so freely with us!
This video is one of the best tutorials I've ever seen on RUclips or anywhere else, period. I subscribed and I hope you will make many more photography tutorials explained in such a clear way, using gear that doesn't break the bank. Respect !
Best and clearest video I've seen on here. Examined so clearly without being overly technical. Nice work.
As someone coming late into photography, I find so much inspiration here on RUclips. You are one of my favorites for various reasons, number one being your honesty and spiritual approach to the craft. Thanks very much Sean and best of everything to you.
This is probably the most useful and straight forward tutorial on flash portrait photography.
So refreshing to watch a video by someone who knows their stuff and is able to put across the info in a concise, clear understandable fashion. Great video.
BEST TIPS EVER! This is well worth watching and has helped me immensely!
Sean, I really appreciate your clear and thorough explanations of techniques we all need. So very useful, without all the hugely irritating music, posturing and other nonsense so many guys use. Keep up the great work! Subscribed from my first view.
Hugely inspiring for a penniless photographer, so clearly explained many thanks for taking the time to make these
Very honest tutorial. No gimmicks no unnecessary talking, to the point and straight form the heart. Thank you. Apart from that I also like the the way you shot the video.
14:53 OOOOH! So THATS how you "cancel out" ambient light in a room using a strobe! Wow.. that little beginner tip, just sets off all kinds of photography epiphanies for me lol! Thanks Sean.
This is one of the best photography videos I have ever seen. The simplicity of the explanation makes it easy to understand.
This is so well articulated, thank you! An advanced concept concisely explained with the photographic evidence to prove it. You are an artist.Thanks again Peter (Melbourne, Australia)
How have I not discovered this channel until now? Hands down one of the best photography channels I've ever come across on RUclips. I learned a lot just from this one video!
Just seen this today and i love how simple yet amazing lesson. Through the difference between images from the setting time and final images, i notice that your quality adds so much to the image beyond that camera setting.
Thank you so much. In a world full of expensive and complicated gear setups, you are always teaching us how to improve and grow in a nicest possible way, by building solid basic skills and techniques that will take where we need to go. So happy to watch this. Thank you again Sean and please keep them coming.That's so interesting:)
Fantastic. My phobic anxiety about having a go with studio lighting swept away in one unpretentious video. Clarity of presentation is 10/10. Thank goodness the flow is not interrupted by adverts.
I'm out of practice with studio lighting and this was one of the best tutorials to follow that I've seen in awhile! Thank you so much!
Sean you are a legend man, got into photography 2 years ago and you were 1 of the original guys I would binge videos of. I became quite confident in my landscape and outdoor lifestyle photography but now I am back on youtube pouring through lighting videos as I want to add that to my skill set, this is the video that has pulled together a lot of what I have been learning. Thanks mate!
That video us an absolute keeper! Thank you so much for creating and sharing this with us.... And to Sarah, for being a fantastic model (and her beautiful poetry on IG that brings my day to a welcomed pause!) - thank you both!
Having watched many RUclips videos on this subject and still not being happy, Sean hits the mark on all levels. Very concise, straight forward and encouraging. Thank you Sean
A breath of fresh air. Such a change when someone sets out to simplify the subject with no "showing off". Superb!
Sean Tucker!
Simply respect!
Easy to understanding.
First class!
Amazing work Sean, you're an inspiration! Thanks for sharing your valuable experiences and skills!
When in need for great photography advice
Sean is your guy!
Thank you.
So much great information, including how to fold the backdrop. Thank you!
Sean this is one of the absolute best photography tutorials I have ever watched, your presentation & content have been second to none & I can't believe I just stumbled across your work by accident. Thank you for your effort in making this! I look forward to watching more :-)
لغزب
Excellent presentation Sean. You did an amazing job of distilling hours of information into a 20 minute video. Thank you.
Fantastic, thanks for walking us through and demystifying the strobe. I find your videos very helpful.
This should be required viewing for anyone starting out...all you need to know in 22 minutes. Solid. Nice job Sean.
You re awesome man, you re so inspiring and ego free. You re a blessing 😊
Dear Sean! I’m thankful for you and for RUclips that have afforded me such a chance to learn! The world needs more photographers like you. I’m very impressed with the simplicity and humility of your presentation that hits at the heart of making beautiful portraits! I can’t compliment you enough! Thank you a lot!
Finally put together a similar setup, so simple and yet so effective. Thanks Sean you put an end to years of procrastination on what to get, and an end to battling with off cuts of material, card as a reflector and a bare speed light.
Incredible value in this video! Thank you so much for passing on these quick tips!
The most thorough explanation I have ever seen on youtube. Thank you for not being a gatekeeper! Love this.
Sean I have to say, I really really love your no nonsense style to photography and the way you make your videos and how you so easily get the points across that are important without drowning them in technobable. I'm an amateur wildlife photographer who's trying to learn to use speedlights etc and yes I'll admit I was avoiding them because its so much easier with just natural light etc. Kudos to you and keep on making videos exactly like this!
The best speedlight tutorial out there. Thank you, Sean!
Sean...I really took away alot from this video. You are absolutely correct about beginner photographers being intimidated by the cost of equipment affecting pursuing studio shots. Thank you again for being so up front and honest.
'How to fold the backdrop' was worth the price of admission ;-) Thanks for the consistently excellent content, Sean. I come because I am a novice and need the technical help but I stay for the life lessons. Keep them coming! Grace and peace as you enter 2021.
Love this! The folding the background tutorial is an added bonus. I always struggle with this!
You know what, this was a nice reminder of the power of simplicity. Feeling inspired by it, last job I did, i left the big soft boxes at home and shot the job with a single beauty dish half way between a Rembrandt and a Loop, with a single handheld reflector for some bounce. Client/ & subject loved it. It also gave me time to get a real rapport with my subject, I got reminded that sometimes getting really technical and fiddling with multiple lights means you often end up treating them like a still life rather than a person.
Nice one Sean. Only thing, my assistant had nothing to do! but it was great for her, as she learned a great setup to always have in her back pocket and I was reminded to stop dicking around ;-)
Thanks Sean. Love that you’re keeping the setup simple in this example. Inspired to go do my own
Sean, I’ve watched this video around 20 times, love this set up and I think I’m ready,,, love the one light also, thank you so much for your videos, I’ve learned so much! Happy New Yesr
same, and I keep coming back to it every now and then to remind myself about how you only need basic things to get by as a photographer.
Honest, unpretentious, and your results are excellent. Thank you!
Thank you, great video, I’m buying one of those backdrops now :) I also wanted to say that you are one of the best photography teachers on RUclips, thanks!
Wow! This is the best video on using a speed lite, I’ve been watching videos for the past 2 hours for my new speed lite and until now, I was still confused. You cleared up all my questions in this video and gave me some great ideas on extra gear to buy to get better pictures with a strobe. Thank you!!!
Bro this is the best 22 minutes on RUclips. I legit started working with flash a few weeks ago. I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle but after this I am pumped.
Wow, I'm just starting off and this is perfect for me. Super cheap and very effective. Thanks.
good work
Aside from the video being incredibly useful, I'm very glad that now I'll stop looking like a muppet.
I really enjoy an instructor that talks to you instead of at you. Practical to the core. The simple addition of 24mm over lets say 125mm setting on the flash let me see flash zoom so much easier.
@@westyavro Agreed, especially since as a beginner, I have avoided flash for the same reasons but now I'm going to replace my continuous lights with flash, I might even replace my houses lightbulbs with flash.
Best tip in the video, I was a muppet for sure folding those things back up, lol
@@CountSorinsRealm Actually burst out laughing there, lol.
@@CheeseColeslaw Yes Sir, thank you Sir!
Man, your channel is a jem. As a beginner photographer from Russia, I thank you from a bottom of my heart
Really love this video. Learned a lot... and that backdrop folding demo's a gem!!! Thanks Sean!
Incredible work. Very valuable and practical too. Thanks!
Superbly explained, to the point! 10/10!
Thanks to you from Berlin/Germany, Sean: These instructions helped me to find a stable basis for all indoor portraits for relatively little money and with manageable effort!
This is a great tutorial for dramatic headshot/portraiture, all aspects really well explained. I will be using a lot of his suggestions.
Just what I needed... Thank you Sean! It's just the push I needed to get into this setup... Had been contemplating since a while but had been putting it off... But thanks to this video... Finally going ahead with it...
I bought a really similar setup like this off ebay a year or so ago. It is so much fun playing around with the flash. Results are epic.
Its been a long time since I've done speedlight portraiture. I've forgotten most of it. This was a nice refresher. It comforting to know there are other people who aren't technical about it. The math confuses me. lol This was simple and straight forward. Thank you!!
Terrific video - delivers the information in a very pleasant and simple way. A delight! Thanks, Sean
What a tutorial. Really amazing and so simplified with full of content. Gives confidence to shoot portraits. I saved this video for my reference to take portraits. Thank you so much Sean. Great tutorial fully engaging. 👍💐
I’ve always done my shoots in natural light but now I think I’m ready to try strobes. Your videos are super helpful!
Thank you very much for this. I've been a natural light photographer for all this time and I've been really looking forward to start venturing into the strobe/flash photography. This will help me a lot in getting started to it. 👍
A Very Happy New Year to you Sean. This is a fabulous video & thanks for encouraging to shoot portraits with minimal gear. Absolutely beautiful images. Thanks for showing the setup from scratch.
This is such an excellent presentation, on so many different levels. I've always been impressed with your communication skills and speaking style. Your organization of topics and explanation of what you're doing and why is very easily understandable without skipping crucial bits of information. I'm always excited to see when you've put out another video...always thoughtful and informative. Thank you so much. Jon
CostaMesaPhotography do you understand why he is using HSS? I thought that was a significant gap. Otherwise - yes, he does a great job at presenting! (Just a little long winded sometimes/always in his intros)
@@bthemedia My sense was that he covered this fairly well, but based on your comment I went back and looked again. At about the 13 minute mark he mentions HSS and 1) the importance of making sure you have a flash that supports HSS, and 2) explains that HSS allows you to use shutter speeds above sync speed. To your point, he doesn't really explain WHY you might use a shutter speed that fast. Again at about the 14-1/2 minute mark he demonstrates that he wants to cut out all ambient light and only light his subject with the flash....he shows that with the flash off, his exposure produces a black frame...classic HSS, but again to your point, he doesn't explicitly say that to achieve that you might need to raise your shutter speed above the sync speed, but with an HSS-capable flash, you have the freedom to do that without worry. And of course he didn't mention the downside of HSS (and there are few), and that is that it eats up the batteries quite a bit faster. It's a downslide, but it's not a reason you'd avoid HSS...you use HSS because you have to (i.e. when you're trying to achieve a particular result which requires fast shutter speeds...cutting ambient light, freezing motion, etc...).
I still put Sean Tucker's video as very high on my list of must-watch, and must-subscribe channels.
bwvids yes, it’s so that he can go to any shutter speed without worrying about flash sync times as he explained.
Simply amazing! Thank you very much for making this practical type of video. Really helpful even for beginners. Cheers :)
Putting the cheaper suggestions at the end of the video instead of just saying "and you can get cheaper stuff" is really appreciated. This video is great and I'm going to add it to my favorites so I can reference it again. Definitely going to check out your other work
Absolutely brilliant, to the point and no BS. Thanks a lot kind sir! 📸
Wowsers Sean, What an absolutely awesome video - I love the way that you make real world recommendations about technique and kit. Superb :-)
Hey Sean, thanks so much for such a refreshingly intelligent, charismatic and informative demo without the need to be a larger than life caricature which is so prevalent with online photog demos. Totally quality mate, awesome work on your site btw. Thanks again.
Best video on RUclips. I wish I would have found this video straight away before I watched the 1000 other videos. You cover everything from A-B and de-mistify photography to make it not seem so overwhelming and complicated. Good job man. Thank you. I will subscribe.
Sean, I just wanted to thank you for your work. I’ve been watching your videos for a while now and I find them very inspiring and at the same time very practical. You can explain technical stuff in an easy way (like in this video) and at the same time talk about photography as a/your life approach. Photography is my hobby, at least for now and learned a lot from your content. I’m looking forward for what is coming!
Another great video Sean. Really liked that you took us through it from the beginning to the end, as well as talk about the min. gear required. I've got a Godox for my APS-C Sony, may have to give this a go!
This was brilliant. Just amazing and honestly I have subscribed just for the folding tutorial at the end. Bought the backdrop on Friday and couldn't get it folded again!
I feel like he knew exactly what my issue is.. not a fear of using more than natural light but just being more so intimidated by moving up to a speedlight! Bought my first one, so now I’m watching videos. Thank you for this
This is the best portrait photography video i've ever seen.... And I have been watching a LOT. Thank you so much.