Essential Guide to Simple Off-Camera Flash Setup and Indoor Wedding Photography
If you’re a photographer that despises Off-Camera-Flash (OCF), this is for you! Off camera flash seems intimidating when you’re trying it for the first time. It requires you to control and understand light in a new way. Instead of not having control over the light source (you can’t change the sun!), you are now in charge of everything about the light source! From placement to power to height to direction… It’s all up to you!
If you’re not using OCF, chances are… your images from receptions look somewhat like this: Dark background, Flat and dull, Just kinda…. Blah. But with just ONE Off Camera Flash and some basic flash setting knowledge, you can transform your reception shots! This is the setup that I recommend for specialty dances like the first dance, father/daughter and mother/son dances.
Step-by-Step One-Flash Setup
- DETERMINE YOUR BACKGROUND (your direction): When I’m setting up my one-CFP setup, I am normally doing it on the dance floor and I’m deciding what I want in the background. I normally choose to have my background free of the DJ and his equipment.
- PLACE YOUR FLASH 45 DEGREES (to your right or left): This is important! You don’t want your flash in the background of your shot, we are using your OCF to expose the FRONT of your subjects. The main light source is your OCF placed 45 degrees from you to your couple!
- TAKE A TEST SHOT AND DETERMINE YOUR SETTINGS: This is the technical part that gets a little tricky! Overall, I don’t want a crazy amount of flash power coming from my one OCF. If it’s too powerful, my clients will be over-exposed and the background will literally become black and dark!
I prefer a lower flash power and a higher ISO! This allows the flash hitting my couple to be softer and the background glow to show up! I also recommend not shooting higher than a 2.8 aperture with this setup!
| Setting Type | Recommended Value |
|---|---|
| Flash Power | 1/64 (a good place to start) |
| Aperture | Not higher than 2.8 |
| ISO | Higher ISO (to allow background glow) |
| Placement | 45 degrees to the right or left |
Top Tips for Indoor Wedding Photography
As a wedding photographer, your couples might choose indoor venues, or weather conditions may force you to photograph indoors. Even though indoor locations can also add a unique touch to wedding photos, indoor venues can sometimes be small or dark or maybe both. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t create stunning photographs in these situations. It’s all about having some (photography) tricks up your sleeve!
- Shoot RAW: Even though you might have to spend more time in the post-production process, RAW files give you more flexibility when editing wedding photos. If you are shooting in poor lighting conditions, then shooting RAW could give you the chance to considerably improve your photos later.
- High ISO + Black & White: Increasing the ISO of your camera can help you better capture indoor wedding photography ambient light. Converting the image to black and white in your post process editing will turn those noisy and grainy photos into timeless and classic captures.
- Embrace Moody Lighting: Moody lighting can be found at most venues! Look for available light sources, like overhead light, wall sconces, or a chandelier. Working in moody light will give you a chance to showcase your skills and create masterpieces with limited resources.
- Keep the Continuous Shooting Mode on: This will help you take more photos faster and ensure you don’t miss out on any special moments. Sometimes the photo you take right after the planned or posed one might come out better!
- Learn How to Bounce Flash & Diffuse Light: Knowing how to bounce a flash or diffuse light can be very helpful. You can use a flash diffuser to soften the light.
You can do SO MUCH MORE in the locations that you’re shooting in! Don’t delete any images immediately out of habit. If you keep and evaluate them later, you might end up finding some that can be fixed in Lightroom or Photoshop.