Off-Camera Flash Tips for Interior Wedding Photography

Flash Photography  •  Photography Tips  •  Wedding Photography

If you’re doing any kind of interior shots for a wedding, you have to know how to use off-camera flash. It’s the best way (and sometimes the only way) to properly light your scene and create high-quality images that your clients will love. In this video, Damien Lovegrove briefly shows how to use an off-camera flash in an interior setting for a wedding shoot:

Lovegrove covers some basics very quickly. He uses a Canon 5d with a ST-E2 transmitter and flash. Here’s a few things from the video that you should note:

• Use a flash transmitter – This is the easiest way to use an off-camera flash. On some you can even change the settings from the transmitter rather than the flash. You can also shooting with multiple flashes.
• Use a diffuser – Hard light is usually unflattering. Soft diffused light creates a much more pleasing image.
• Hold the flash off to the side – The whole point in using an off-camera flash is to avoid the dreaded directional flash that’s produced by pop-up and on-camera flashes. Putting your light source off to one side creates a much more natural lighting.
• Bounce the flash – Bouncing the flash off the ceiling or wall gives you a much bigger flash area and a much softer light. Reflecting light off of the ceiling mimics natural overhead lighting.
• Set your camera to manual mode – Before using the flash, meter for the ambient light. Once you’ve got the ambient light right where you want it, add the flash and adjust its output rather than changing your camera settings. This will assure more consistent lighting in your photos.

Pointing the flash at the ceiling creates a natural looking light

Damien Lovegrove has worked as a camera man and lighting director at the BBC for fourteen years, and now travels the world sharing his photographic knowledge.