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By using your flash off-camera, you are able to create more interesting lighting situations. I am not going to explain the different methods of using unleashed flash, but here is a nice introduction to the topic, written by Robert Kneschke on the photography blog Kwerfeldein.

I used two Nissin Di622 flashes (one borrowed from my brother) to light my lovely model/girlfriend Maria from the left and right hand side. I only have one diffuser for one flash (2), so I fired the other one (1) towards the wall to have indirect and therefore softer light from this side. I spared neither trouble nor expense to visualize this scene for you (notice the neat floor texture and the plant!):

The Nissin flashes are optical slaves, i.e. they are triggered by other flash light, in my case the humble Cullmann 20 AF-C (bouncing off the ceiling). As you can see in my sketch, I’ve laid two sheets of white paper on the floor to have a completely white background. So much for the set-up…

I took all pictures at ISO 100, f 5.6 (my Sigma 17-70 has its best resolution at f5.6) and 1/200 sec. shutter speed (the max. sync-speed of the flashes), but of course with different focal lengths. I was fairly satisfied with the out-of-the-cam results, so I did not adjust contrast and exposure much. To cut a long story short, here’s a picture of that afternoon:

Maria ©

If you have suggestions what to improve next time, criticism or opinions, leave some words in a comment!

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