Mark JesseSpeedlight Fundamentals. A guide to learning OCF.

5 hrs ·

I see these post...over and over again...."what are your settings". I have tried to explaint in the past
the FUNDAMENTALS of what I do. And every time I have in the past, a couple of the advanced
shooters come along and want to introduce advanced concepts, exceptions, etc to the process to
the point the exceptions and counter exceptions become one big pissing contest and very confusing,
not to mention, doesn't advance the fundamental one bit.
So let me simply start by saying, this is how I do it. I do it as a process. Not as a "setting" to be
copied, but a process.
I get the camera out and point it at the model. WITHOUT THE FLASH turned on, I set a manual
adjustment that looks good to me for the BACKGROUND. As a general rule, if I have the models
back to the sun, the model is going to be dark. So my focus is simply to find an exposure that looks
good to me. I keep my sync speed under 1/250 and adjust the aperature and ISO to arrive at a base
exposure.
Often it looks like this........ This is sooc

Mark Jesse THEN I turn the flash on and feed in flash power till the skin tones look properly exposed to me. Notice
the background is the same in both pics.

Mark Jesse When I'm looking at the background, I'm trying to make sure my exposure doesn't cause anything to be
"over exposed" and turn white...or burnt out. Once you hit that mark, any further adjustment to let in more ambient is
going to cause the hot spots to be burnt out.
Tim Kelly Right, because the shutter controls the background, the flash exposes the subject. TWO different
exposures. But explained very simply by Mark. Get it right w/o lights, then add the lights to make subject perfect!
Mark Jesse Then once I have the overall settings (both cam and flash) I sometimes move the flash a bit cloer or
further away to make micro adjustments to the flash power.
Mark Jesse So here's a test shot, for the background.

Mark Jesse too much flash...so I turned it down for the next one

Mark Jesse And the sun was coming in and out of the clouds which made my bd brighter too
Mark Jesse and after some adjustment

Mark Jesse These are all SOOC and all shot as JPEG fine.
Mark Jesse Opened in PS and made a slight curve adjustment to darken the black.....
 Mark Jesse cropped it, downsized it and sharpened it. Here's the final product.

Mark Jesse I can tell you my "settings" were F7.1 to F8 that day. But that doesn't help. What helps is understanding
that I set my background exposure to cap the highlights (dont let them over expose) and add flash to fill the model. I
do it every time.
Twyla Malone Hall Do you use any modifiers for your flash? I love these examples and your step by step. Is the flash
slightly behind you over your shoulder?
Lena Regina You have me thinking... I should do something similar at weddings. Do one with my cell phone and then
one with my camera and flash so I can show the difference, etc and etc.
Shiraz Dalal Yeah can you please talk about flash placement or power to ensure no shadows?


Jason Craven Do you shoot RAW? Can't I just do this in light room?
April Brunner Hagedorn Where was the flash in this pic and was there only one
Melissa Connell Very well explained Mark on fundamentals. I think what really throws people off is thinking there is
suppose to be a set setting for the flash when really it's just a few good educated guesses. Pick a point and go up or
down from there.
My question is your meter.
Because you agree exposing for the background are you spot metering, centre metering?
Mark Jesse Here's my model brushing her hair (while I set my background exposure). Straight out of cam.
Jason Craven What lens did you use here?
Mark Jesse here's my fancy light set up...2 bare flashes.

Mark Jesse And here's one straight out of the camera

Mark Jesse cropped and curved it in PS.


Mark Jesse Downsized and sharpened.

Mark Jesse Rotated to the left, same settings.

Jason Craven What were your settings?

5 hrs · Like · 6
Mark Jesse Nuttin but a curve adjustment and a downsize.
Ethan Smith To help wrap my mind around it a bit more, is it that you're using your shutter speed to aid in exposing
the back ground and then adjusting your aperture/ISO to get your exposure right for the flash/model?
Tim Kelly Ethan, he's getting the background exposure right (Shutter, Aperture, ISO), then he's adjusting the flash to
get the model right.

Mark Jesse My settings are always the one that keeps me from over/under exposing the background and then the
amount of flash power to make the models skin tone look properly exposed.
Mark Jesse Regardless of whether I am using an umbrella, bare light, big softbox
Mark Jesse I generally put my light just to my left. People learn to read left to right and generally prefer light from the
left (it's a subconsicous thing)
Mark Jesse I have and do use modifiers, but these were all shot using nothing but a bare flash. I use 2 flashes, one
high and one low to help kill the shadow cause by the one on top
Michelle Gillmartin Mark can you tell me where to find a light stand that holds two flashes please. Did you rig that
yourself? Or is it soemthing I can purchse?
Matt Bokey This is fantastic, and ridiculously logical! Generally, do you have a relative distance you place your
speedlights from the subject?
Mark Jesse the point of this post being, that it doesnt take rocket science or a ton of equipment
Joseph Lynn Michelle Gillmartin, super clamps work perfect for that.
Cindie Henry One more question...
Do you go with TTL or manual with the Flash?
Michelle Gillmartin Joseph Lynn do you mean this?http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-035RL-
Super.../dp/B0018LQVIA

Manfrotto 035RL Super Clamp with 2908 Standard Stud - Replaces 2900 - Black
The original Super Clamp that has thousands of uses....
AMAZON.COM
Joseph Lynn Yes, I have several and use them for adding an extra light to stands or even mounting lights on tree
branches or conduit in a gymnasium. They're extremely versatile and hold 15 lbs.
Mark Jesse Inside or in a studio, I apply the same process, except I use a flash to obtain my background exposure,
then I add the main to light the model, then I add rim lights for highlights.
Joseph Lynn There are generic versions for slightly less as well
Mark Jesse ^^^ Straight out of cam.
Michelle Gillmartin Call me stupid but I am not seeing where the flash would mount. I can see that it attaches to the
stand but do I need something else for the flash?
Joseph Lynn You'd use a standard umbrella bracket and cold shoe just like on top of a stand. There's a spigot on
the clamp.
Mark Jesse Melissa, I don't meter. There is this thing on the back of my digital camera so that when I take a photo, I
can see it (much better than using film). So I take my test shot and I look at the back of the camera. Sometimes I use
the meter to meter off a grey card just to get a ball park figure and then adjust to taste. Sometimes I use a sekonic
and then adjust. Sometimes I look at my histogram.
Mark Jesse Hardly ever use the in cam meter and hardly ever use my Sekonic
Mark Jesse Don't need a meter to know I need more flash on this one. She's too dark.

Mark Jesse Don't need a meter to know she is too exposed here.

Julia Burgess Cantley Is this TTL or manual flash?

Mark Jesse Needs flash...don't you think? How can you tell if you weren't there and don't have a meter?
Mark Jesse With flash...not metered...turned it up till it looked good to me.

Michelle Gillmartin Got it! Those I have.

Mark Jesse Where do you ever find cute models? I'll never tell!!!!!!! hahahhaha
Audra Elizabeth Crall Thanks Mark Jesse flash is something that I 've struggled with as amateur photographer. This
makes more sense.
Audra Elizabeth Crall I wonder how black light would work with flash
Rikki-Lee Jono Wrightson Mark Jesse can you let us know what those bare flashes were and the stand you used? I
have been on the hunt for a flash stand that takes two speedlites. But if you are using different flash can you let us
know what they are?
Jon D what is hanging on your two light setup on teh red lanyard?
Tim Kelly Jon D, pretty sure that is his gray card.
Mark Jesse I take a Bogen Super Clamp and clamp it on the light stand about halfway down. Then I just attach a
standard umbrella bracket to the brass piece (that is the same shape as the top of the light stand)

Mark Jesse The bare flashes are just standard speedlights. I have some yonguoos and some nikons. I run them all
in manual. The thing hanging from the stand is a set of "grey" cards.
Mark Jesse If you hold one out in the light and spot meter off it, it gives you what the camera thinks is a middle grey
exposure. It's a starting point.
Mark Jesse The stand is just a standard Avenger brand stand.
Mark Jesse For those who are having trouble visualizing what is going on. Imagine you put your camera on a tripod,
in a room with the lights on. And all you are trying to do is take a photo of the room.

You would have to set your ISO, Aperature, and shutter ...See More
Mark Jesse So I did this, literally, with the room light (ambient) and a flash light. Here's the ambient/available light
photo. I adjusted the cam to get a basic exposure.
Mark Jesse Then I turned on a flash light and pointed it at the cup.....woah...that's way to much....and no, for God's
sake, I did not use a meter...I looked at it. It's too bright. Just look at it. LOL.

Mark Jesse I turned it down and pulled it back a bit.

Mark Jesse Most people who are complaining about a "flashly" look, are actually complaining about the contrast.
Just a touch of flash, will pop the colors, fill the shadows and avoid the "flashly" look.

Mark Jesse And to be entirely clear, EVERYTHING on manual. If you try to do this in a metering mode, as you add
the light from the flash, it will try to average the exposure and your background exposure will go all over the place.
Connie Barwick Grant What's that smoke thing?
Mark Jesse It's a smoke bomb like you buy at the fireworks stand for 4th of July
Mark Jesse I like smoke

Melissa Houser Biggers I just learned more from this post then I learned from a $300 speed light workshop I took .
Thank you Mark.
Rikki-Lee Jono Wrightson I am so bloody thankful you have stressed you do NOT need a light meter! I have never
used one and I honeslty think my eye can tell me if something is over or under exposed. Unless there is an issue with
your LCD screen on your camera, you should be able to "see" it.
Mark Bernhardt If you're on a budget these clamps are also plenty for holding a
speedlitehttp://www.amazon.com/.../ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00...
Manfrotto 175 Spring Clamp - Replaces 2936
this Manfrotto Spring Clamp attaches onto bars up to...
Mark Jesse Light meters are usefull. But you need to learn some basics first