Easy Outdoor Flash Photography | Ask David Bergman

[@bluerainbug]

LOL, that gear escalated quickly. I just happened to have all that camera gear on me while taking a short walk in the park -says no one ever :)

[@phototroopax0014]

Agreeed

[@ndon85]

lmao indeed XD

[@kristinamcgowan485]

I think he's just giving people different options so they can decide which will work best for them💜

[@jasonbodden8816]

Yeah, this is a 43" umbrella. it doesn't need to be that big. A standard 33" would probably be a lot better on a pleasure walk. Almost a foot smaller than the one David has here and will still give gorgeous light. Oh, and David was ridiculously close to Erica with that umbrella. Practically all up in Erica's face lol. You don't need to be that close to your subject at all to get soft light from most photography umbrellas.

[@Swoose17]

Great Video. Yes, I would like to see more of Erica. She is a real silent comedian.

[@petermartinka9274]

All eyes on her! That girl knows how to captivate everyone with just her movements! P.S.: Umbrella made best lighting.

[@Mikertt]

The moment he held onto his camera by the silicone bounce thingy... I'm sure a lot of us collectively held our breaths to see if the magnet would hold or not. I have never used the MagMod system, but dang, those are some strong magnets!

[@turbo_bikini]

I use it... Twice a year for family events. Really expensive stuff--just the magbounce is like 80 bucks alone. IMO, not worth it, but I'm beyond the return window haha

[@kefkapalazzo1]

I hear they’re pretty heavy. I wouldn’t risk it on my plastic flash lol I’m only a beginner anyways

[@ShelbyGotcher]

I almost lost it lol!

[@besmorpheous]

@@turbo_bikinimag mods are amazing

[@reganhulvey4213]

This video is beyond helpful!! I take outdoor dog photography & the lighting is one thing I haven’t been able to nail down in every situation

[@foilpainterfantasyartist1711]

Very good showing new products I never knew existed. Great help. Thanks.

[@gregoryscott4234]

A nice product that works for this, is FJWestcott, Pocket Box kit, works great for this, also works on A1, kit comes in a pouch that fits nicely into a lap top pocket. Can get real close, and doesnt catch as much wind as an umbrella on a windy day.

[@claydowdy9596]

Thank you for answering my question!😁👍🏽

[@Twobarpsi]

Great question!

[@AtlanticPicture]

We often use/d a flash w a small StripBox on an inexpensive monopod at the beach, so the assistant can stand further or can aim from higher, can dig it in the sand..etc. Works well on windy days, where a larger umbrella/softbox would end up on the "I used to have one" list.. but I might need to pick up one of those collapsible umbrellas for easier carry.

[@pattymattes7124]

I really appreciate this! I think this will come in handy for some things I may want to do outside. I already have the umbrella and adapter. I just need to get the diffuser and extension handle. This definitely has given me some ideas.

[@BankonJovan]

This is one of the greatest videos ive seen! Wow.Thank you!

[@JamesBoyer-plus]

Thank you for taking on such a tough question, David. Outdoor flash w/o an assistant is hard. There's another possible solution: ask Erica to hold the flash and modifier - combining the functions of both model and assistant. The setup you demonstrated near the end is almost perfect for this. Flip the umbrella around (a shoot-through umbrella will also work as a reflective umbrella) and ask her to hold it like a selfie stick. Then you can step back, move around her for a dramatic direction of light, and zoom in for a flattering perspective. I really like your features on Adorama. Please keep up the good work.

[@tinderbox218]

Possible of course in a pinch for a shot or two. But I wouldn't want to distract my model from doing their primary job for most of the shoot. And especially if it was a client or amateur portrait where they're already feeling awkward.

[@jasonbodden8816]

@@tinderbox218Yip. Me neither. I’d never have my model holding the light. Ever. There’d be no need. I’d just want full control of my lighting and the model to be 100% focused on posing and expressions.

[@kamauu-si2bo]

Thank you for this 🔥🔥💯 How you explained was amazing and easy to understand and thank you for the awesome ideas and introduction to flash photography

[@DeanPilgrimPhotography]

Great video, very clear explanation. I've been shooting for decades and I still learnt something.

[@georgeelizalde2035]

Awesome, Adorama.

[@ponymoore6140]

Loved the presentation,; loved Erica, what fun she must be to work with.. Great gadgets, many I have used, or similar Most of all a very good fun presentation. Thank you.

[@Jakiyyyyy]

Thank you for this video, very useful informations. 👍

[@indiansimracer2448]

I am convinced that the speed light with umbrella is the best option for beginners.

[@xcx8646]

Yep. The basic Strobist kit is still the winner. Cost effective and versatile. All of these little gadgets would became a pain and would end up being left at home. You can do a LOT with a 7ft lightstand and a convertible bounce/shoot through umbrella.

[@MikeJamesMedia]

Fun and useful stuff as always, David. Erica is "pose-o-matic"! ...and I mean that in the nicest way. :)

[@mma171]

How many cups of coffee did Erika drink before this video? 😂

[@RonK]

hope you see she was jumping around 'cause she was freezing?

[@fintonmainz7845]

It's called being cold. Look at the clothes people are wearing. They were in the park for hours and she's lightly dressed. The photographer is bigger and carries insulation. Being aware of the comfort of people is part of people photography.

[@jasonbodden8816]

Great vid. If you don’t have a Stofen you can just deploy the built-in wide angle diffuser to spread the light and it’ll fill that umbrella quite easily. Always enjoy your vids. Keep truckin’!

[@g4money]

Favorable weather helps a bit with this demonstration, but hard to get a bad photo with Erika in any light. 😊

[@michaelmirecki3114]

idk, that cover photo for the video was pretty average... hand to the ear, really?

[@Gemini_Vibez]

Thank you David this is so helpful.

[@enduraman1]

Another inexpensive option is to bring a scrim or reflector and bounce the natural light into the face of the subject.

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Absolutely. But you might be limited to a certain angle and background because you can’t position the sun exactly where you want.

[@jasonbodden8816]

That's only if you have enough light to bounce back into your subject. A scrim is useless if the ambient light in the location is too weak. If you want your background a certain exposure and your subject a different exposure, sometimes your only option is to introduce some sort of artificial lighting so you can adjust your background exposure and the flash exposure on your subject separately to taste.

[@paulhills1967]

Great tips David. Thank you

[@nene1964]

The umbrella shot was so perfect!

[@mariar.colladorivera7059]

Great information! Thank you!

[@kenzito101]

Best instructor, tutorial and model.

[@kbqvist]

Great episode David!

[@SwoleBeastTribe]

Adorama this is 🔥🔥🔥 - Swole Beast🤙🏽🙏🏽✌🏽 P E A C E !

[@zfrancisdumas]

Amazing finale!!

[@oo0RECON0oo]

Love Erica! Definitely have her back. Hopefully every episode.

[@josediazh3890]

Muchas gracias.

[@jh__5285]

Thanks for the vid! Quick tip, can you put all the pics you took up at the end so we can have a direct comparison to the outcomes of each method?

[@proni32580]

Great video

[@ScottRadfordChisholm]

Love finding out about all these new little gadgets, hopefully can pick up similar in Australia. Oh and thanks for brightening the video up Erica lol ;)

[@L.Spencer]

I was thinking to bounce the flash off a reflector, either on camera or I got a cable-that doesn't extend very far-and bounce it a foot or two off camera. But I like the umbrella idea, I don't have an official one, but I have one that is UV and has some reflective in it, so maybe that would work better than a reflector and bounce more light back. This is going to be outdoors, a practice shoot with a fellow classmate.

[@paulbieber7103]

Excellent video with solid, useful information. Thank you.

[@JayWilsonOnly]

Fantastic!

[@randyschwager84]

Great suggestions! Thanks!

[@thenexthobby]

Even though that's a "big" camera today (and really no one brings a 1D casually out to a park ... ) the off-camera solution makes it usable. It's that in-between setup with the folding box or snap on diffuser that seems better suited to event photography instead. But out where you have time and space to use a small umbrella, might as well do that instead. I like James' idea of putting the model to work holding the umbrella support. That wouldn't always work, and wouldn't be fun for your subject necessarily. But for just a few shots, fine.

[@suhasnayak6286]

Nice video sir ,but wish you could do the video with some kit lens like canon 18-55mm f4-5.6 it will be helpfull for beginners like me wish for future video may be i can see thank you

[@freddiew74]

Great video i love how she's shaking her head in agreement with everything he says lol

[@kencrisp6333]

David, I enjoyed your how-to video, which is undoubtedly appreciated by many. I know there are numerous flash/accessory options available that would be totally impractical to try to cover completely in one video, but what you did cover should get people's minds churning to come-up with kit that works best for them. One thing I don't believe you mentioned was that portable flash units with round heads have become more popular. I would have been curious as to what flash accessories you would have chosen to demonstrate for those particular flash units. For example, the Profoto "Soft Bounce" modifier works great with the Profoto A-series flash units. I liked your "LumiQuest StripBox" photo the best. Besides putting-out an attractive light on your model, it also provided a great catch-light in her eyes.

[@Tampaxd45]

Nice video David. Won't the LumiQuest StripBox block your flash's ETTL sensors?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

E-TTL is reading the light "through the lens" and not from a sensor on the flash. So no worries about blocking it at all!

[@hawg427]

Next time Erica models in studio I would like to see her makeup process, especially a few shots of her w/o any makeup at all. I need something to show my models-non-models the makeup basics for photography and how different it is than everyday makeup. Thanks.

[@natestain7103]

Or hire pro esthetician to do the makeup for shoots

[@Photofuel]

I agree about her makeup. I think Less reflective makeup or better yet, the Natural Look.

[@JasonandaCamera]

5:40 It looks like a little chef's hat haha. Great video!

[@shawnvine4918]

That was a lot of good information in a short video. Thanks. And it's always nice to see Erika in any of the Adorama videos.

[@certified.iceboy]

what were the first settings you had on the flash without any flash attachments?

[@haiderhusain9964]

nice presentation

[@itaylorm]

Well explained

[@photo2000]

great little tutorial

[@njrivetelite]

Awesome vid, always looking for cool ways to travel light & small when shooting out n about

[@robgerety]

I tend to use manual mode for my camera and flash. Is it correct for outdoors to set camera settings to expose well for the ambient light, or background, giving consideration to depth of field and not exceeding sync shutter speed, and using low iso if possible? Then add in modified flash by trial and error with test shots to get pleasing exposure on subject?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

I did a video about balancing ambient with flash outdoors here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYuyn5-his2ipsU

[@fuji3164]

Sir you make me feel like I'm learning from my teacher.😃

[@ShelbyGotcher]

Ohhh my god that magnet trust fall freaked me out lmfao!! Thanks for the video!

[@Twobarpsi]

Excellent video and advice!!

[@Pytr007]

what was the setting on your flash?

[@nunocarneiro464]

I hope you took her for a hot cup of tea because she was freezing 😊

[@MrBanda77]

She is great 😊🥰

[@ADivaForLife]

Thank you Thank you 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@Fexone718]

Dave u rock

[@MartinV.]

great video!!!

[@jer3006]

Wow, if ever a guy needed a backpack that could transform into a work table! Impressive, David, that you could make all that gear work for you as if you were just walking through the park with a camera. I love all the gadgets and may give some of them a try. Gotta admit, they are solutions to the question you were asked. Well done. 👍

[@howardchud9097]

Are you using an automatic mode like TTL?

[@Sappylittletrees]

Erica is working it!

[@sloop24]

Is there a difference in shooting through an umbrella vs bouncing it

[@ikkangoochelen]

And what about a light stand? Is there any good small easy to carry aroumd lightstand?

[@sanjayfgupta2167]

Thank you!

[@kevinramsey2967]

I suppose the kit is 'relatively small'- relative to a professional studio setup- but I wouldn't consider it suitable for an occasional walk in the park :)

[@trevorandrew8726]

However for a professional on the move in outdoor settings it’s a perfect size!

[@LuBrown]

how did you screw the umbrella on?

[@joshuagharis9017]

What if you feather the speedlight at like a 45 degree angle?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Wouldn’t really help outdoors if there’s nothing to bounce the lost light off of.

[@srodigital]

Genuinely...Erica is a brilliant subject/model. More if possible.

[@Jewe1]

I learned a lot! 📸

[@shacharcohen8664]

David how to reduce saturation when i use flash

[@kaosiungtaichung9925]

Great video as usual David. Would the use of a small 5-in-1 reflector for one hand be easier than using the flash? The light would be less harsh as well?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Sure. I considered using a reflector with flash but the issue is that you’d have to bounce the light - or shoot through it - and that’s challenging to do with one hand. I wanted to show solutions that were easy to do without a stand or another person. If you are talking about using a reflector alone, that is great for diffusing the sunlight on your subject, but you won’t be able to control the light in the same way you can when adding flash.

[@RyanTroy]

you are correct. but if someone wanted to travel light then know but if a person didnt mind bringing the reflector then yes of course!

[@ikkangoochelen]

Can you make please a video of using on camera flash outside in a city or park? Because a lot of us are living in a big city and there is no space to set up off camera flash, due to the tourists…..thnx for your videos!

[@tomaszkostecki7166]

Softbox is the best 👍

[@danielgray1874]

Do I need just the trigger for my ttl flash or does the flash also need a receiver to shoot off camera flash? I'm new to using flash and I'm finding it more confusing than I thought! When I go to by a trigger, it often is coupled with a reciever...can you give me some clarity on this? I have a Nikon Z6 and a TTL flash.

[@veselinvasilev9362]

Thanks!

[@iurecezarcardoso5653]

An interesting video! And Erica is a beautiful model. I really like adorama videos. However, I have troubles with flash outdoors, mainly because some photos got an unnatural color and some faces become highlighted. So, I haver to spend a lot of time in Photoshop to correct it. Even in the photos with the beautiful Erica we can see highlights! So, how could you help me?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

I did a video about reducing shine (essentially - highlights!) on skin here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHrXgqSrpd9nqtk

[@Twobarpsi]

@@DavidBergmanPhoto that was an excellent video as well!!

[@johnc3826]

What metering mode is being used?

[@samhardy2038]

We’re you shooting at full power Ttl

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

In TTL, the camera sets the power so no way to know exactly how much power it was using on each shot.

[@samhardy2038]

@@DavidBergmanPhoto So what was the flash setting? And were you using ttl? Thanks

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

@@samhardy2038 Yes just on TTL.

[@anthonyshepard9606]

: Can you adjust the zoom in the flash to get less of a hotspot in stripbox LTP?

[@jasonbodden8816]

Just deploy the wide angle diffuser (the clear one).

[@blackdarkghost1212]

David, I think lens was way too close to the model, which resulted in unflattering portraits. If lens were farther away from subject's face, would the same techniques work the same way?

[@RyanTroy]

Correct.. the 35mm lens is never good to be doing something like this.

[@noahlamrock]

35mm seemed an odd choice of lens...

[@alexs.818]

He chose the 35mm for this particular flash demonstration. 50mm or above could just be a little too far for a modified speed light outdoors.

[@drparham]

Went from just my camera on the go to a make shift studio

[@rodinnyfotograf]

Nice video BUT I would expect that you would show us some more poses of the model - not just the one from the same distance ( e.g. whole body photos). And of course some work with natural light, how to avoid shadows and how to find a good spot for photos. This was just a presentation of your stuff. I think she expected some advices. I really love your other videos and took many good ideads from them. Alas in this one you were more like a shop assistant! :)

[@edwardgilyoutube6583]

Is fust not on camera flash have to carried extra equipment

[@Wiseash2023]

Why not use the cameras built in flash ?

[@rommynine]

Erica so scorched ⚡️🔥

[@Psalm136_bit]

Some sharp highlights though..

[@vaibhavpisal7729]

But how to balance ambient light with off camera flash?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Check out my video about that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYuyn5-his2ipsU

[@brian_serafin]

I've never liked flash photography, still on the fence with it. In these examples and a few others, with doing portraits, make up is very revealed. But photography is subjective. I don't want to spend too much time post editing face make up personally. But I may experiment with my kids and my Godox flash gear and see what I get.

[@yellowberrypie]

Agreed

[@anthonypaladino1006]

WHY not carry with a you a light - stand?? I always do and not practical to hold camera one handed. ME-one light-stand with Godox S-2 mounting bracket. These allow U to use a Professional umbrella or any softbox with your choice of light as in Godox AD-200.

[@MiniAwesomeyeah]

Thank you for these tips. And Erika is such a beautiful girl 😍

[@jjadaddy]

Do you respond to any questions?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Sometimes. :)

[@NeonShores]

I think this is all a bit much for a simple walk setup. In fact I think the answer was near the beginning, just reduce flash power (or exposure comp if TTL) so it blends with the background and do a tiny bit of touchup later.

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Just depends how much you want to bring! I wanted to give multiple options.

[@DigitalDesignsbyPJ]

Yeah for a serious photographer, it’s not that hard just to carry a couple extra things in your camera bag with your camera. Because it’s worth it when you get great photos with softer light.

[@Betterifitsfree]

Great demo. Thanks for posting. Erica seems a little nervous though. Does she have outstanding Warrants or something?

[@kelsonphillip9127]

Was the flash in TTL mode or manual

[@kelsonphillip9127]

Ok got the answer now

[@aniquewaseem6259]

This video is about outdoor flash and no a word about flash settings. LTP and umbrella are just the means.