One flash is all you need to make amazing portraits
Jul 4, 2016
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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If you’ve only got one flash, or you’re about to dive into flash, and aren’t sure how many lights you need, or which lights to get in order to shoot portraits, then you’ll probably want to watch this video from Joe Edelman.
In it, you’ll see that it’s really not about how many lights you have, but how they are used. Or rather, how one light is used, in this case.
It’s amazing what you can actually do with just a single flash and maybe a reflector or two, so don’t let limited gear stop you from creating what you want to create
I have to admit, I’m one of those photographers who seems to collect flashes. Between my studio strobes, ringflash and speedlights, I probably have about twenty.
Do I need all of those lights to make a decent portrait? No, not even close. Often, I’m only using one or two.
Why so many? Well, they give me options when I need them. Sometimes I need more power, sometimes I need lighter weight and portability, sometimes I need the specific design or capabilities of one flash over another, and sometimes I do actually need 7 or 8 lights to flick little bits of light into all the dark corners of a location shoot.
But, one light can still achieve great things, regardless of whether it’s a speedlight or a big studio strobe.
Do you usually shoot portraits with just a single light? Let us know and show off some of your work in the comments.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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5 responses to “One flash is all you need to make amazing portraits”
using one light, often creates a more interesting look. and also is easiest to setup. i used it for this shot here
http://www.mattypro.com/blog-08a/illumia08a
Very nice indeed Matty.
Jennifer Bake check out this vid. Some good tips!
Awesome! I’m doing a portrait this morning eekkk
I usually shoot with only one Neewar speedlite, usually with a shoot through umbrella. Here’s an image I shot using it!