The first of several posts I created for photographers starts with one on how I use off camera flash (OCF) at wedding receptions.

If you’ve been in the business for any time at all, you know that OCF at wedding receptions is nothing new. Some might argue it’s not needed as it could get distracting in shots or cumbersome to setup, especially for a single shooter or a small intimate venue that doesn’t warrant it. For me and my business, I use it almost every wedding, even destinations abroad. It has become a part of the look of my photos produce and what my clients expect. In my opinion it gives you that extra oomph that will set you apart from the competition.

I often shoot with at least one but sometimes two second photographers at a wedding. Each photographer has their own OCF solution as not to interfere with each other. In the beginning we were using two or three light stands that just started to get clumsy, took long to setup and turned into an eye sore if not well hidden. Each photographer uses two flashes, one for each side of the dance floor. The flashes are placed 180 degrees apart from each other and on different channels, this allows us to work the entire room and adjust individual flash settings independently.

Here’s the reception equipment breakdown…

• Cheetah Stand – C8 Light Stand
• Cheetah Stand – Sand Bag (filled with 4 water bottles for weight)
• Canon 580ex ii (not manufactured any longer – replaced by Canon 600EX-RT)
• MagMod – With 20 degree grid and 1/2 CTO gel
• Radio Popper JRx Receiver (2 individual channels per photographer, one for each side of the room)
• Impact Lightbar Tilt Bracket with 4 Locking Shoes
• Think Tank Photo – Logistics Manager  (rolling camera bag that holds all of the lighting gear)

On the camera…

• Nikon SB900 (not manufactured any longer – replaced by Nikon SB910)
• Nikon SD-9 Battery Pack (used to reduce recycle time)
• Radio Popper JRx Transmitter (Channels A, B for each side of the dance floor respectively)
• Flash Zebra – Screwlock PC to right angle miniphone plug

Here’s the reception setup…

The on camera setup (Thanks for being my model Justin)

Some examples of what this all looks like

I’ll post soon about my other OCF creative lighting solution for wedding and engagement portraits soon.

If you have any questions I look forward to hearing from you.