JULY 31, 2017
INTERMEDIATE
Speedlight Tutorial: Artificial
Sunlight Technique
Featuring DAVID TEJADA
Wireless off-camera lighting with Speedlights may seem like a daunting
proposition at first glance, but its easier than you might think. With Nikon’s
Creative Lighting System, you can easily set up a Speedlight or two (or more) and
control their output right from your Nikon D-SLR camera. A pair of Speedlights and
a minimal amount of effort can add a dramatic look to your images.
David Tejada is a location shooter. Mainly a corporate photography specialist, his
subjects are found on job sites, industrial factory floors, executive offices and
more. Using a minimum amount of gear, he’s able to create photographs that look
as if the lighting were more complex than it actually was.
Bring in the Sun
© David Tejada
Just because the natural light isn’t cooperating doesn’t mean you can't make
images with dramatic lighting. David will explain how the addition of just two
Speedlights, using CTO (Color Temperature Orange) gels to warm the light
output, along with a cuculoris (also known as a cookie) or gobo to add a bit of a
dappled effect, looks just like warm afternoon sunlight, as it passes through tree
branches, and into your image. The sharpness of the shadows from the cookie is
dependent on how far away the light source is from the cookie. The closer the light
source to the cookie, the softer the shadows, the further the distance, the sharper
the dappled shadow pattern will appear.
© David Tejada
The two SB-900 Speedlights are positioned on a stand, one atop the other,
and placed outside the window. Both are set to Channel 1, Group A. CTO
(Color Temperature Orange) gels are added to each flash, which warm up
the ambient light's bluish hues. The light from the pair of SB-900
Speedlights are passing through the cookie, causing dappled light to reach
the subject. The built-in pop-up flash on the D7000 D-SLR acts as Master,
to set off the remote flashes. The white balance was custom set to 7000°
Kelvin. A Nikon D7000 D-SLR with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens was used to shoot
the final images. Exposure was 1/125 second at f/4, ISO 200. Inset shows
the placement of the Speedlights in relation to the cookie.
Watch the video, to learn how two Speedlights can provide your images with
sunlight even when the sun isn’t shining.
To see more of David Tejada's photography, visit his website at www.davidtejada.com.
Featuring
DAVID TEJADA
MORE ARTICLES BY THIS CONTRIBUTOR ▻