Steelevisions Blog Rotating Header Image

Posts under ‘Flash Photography’

Canon Speedlite 430EX vs. 430EX II – Which is Better?

You might think it’s always better to buy the latest model of any photographic equipment, but that’s not always true. For example, there is a good case to be made for the older Canon 430EX flash over the newer 430EX II. Why? Watch the video to find out which one is right for you.

Off-Camera Flash Photography – How and Why

If you own a detachable Speedlite-style flash, and you are shooting with it on your camera, you are wasting your investment in that expensive flash. Face it, on-camera flash sucks. It drains the life out of your subject and makes everyone look like they are posing for a police line-up or a driver’s license photo. [...]

Choosing the Best Canon Flash for Your Needs

Choosing the right flash can be intimidating to beginning photographers. It’s easy to find lots of jargon-laden technical specifications, but hard to find a simple analysis in plain language of which flash is the best one for your needs. I’m going to make the choice easy for you. If you are a Canon shooter, you [...]

Hard Rock Model Shoot (Video)

It’s not every day you get to have this much fun.  Photographer Brad Mahler booked a suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, lined up some great models, and invited me to join him for a day of shooting.  How could I say no?  Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look at the whole process. [...]

Speedlite Headshots: Stephany

I just shot a headshot session with a lovely San Diego jewelry designer named Stephany.  These were done in my own living room with a combination of window light and Canon speedlite flash (off-camera, of course). If you’d like to see larger versions, plus some additional shots from this session, click any photo. These were [...]

Flash Photography with the Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord: Burning Man Film Festival

In a previous post I wrote about shooting an indoor event in a dark warehouse with the Lumiquest 80/20 with on-camera flash.  Today we’re going to look at another option for event photography: using the Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord (or a generic equivalent) to get the flash off the camera. If you want [...]

Be Your Own Flash Test Dummy

It’s about freakin’ time.  For years I’ve pestered family members, friends, and occasionally even strangers to stand in while I’m testing a lighting setup or indluging some photographic whim that requires a human subject in front of the lens. Thus I’ve gradually trained all the people nearest me to duck out the back door if [...]

New Year’s Eve Party Challenge: How to Shoot an Event in a Dark Warehouse

If you’d like to view the photos before reading about it, see New Year’s Eve Party. It’s the worst possible conditions for photography: a vast, crowded warehouse, minimal light, and no ceiling to bounce a flash from.  But somehow we’ve gotta light this scene!  We know that on-camera flash sucks and will make everything look [...]