Simple One light Setup

[freddyfromutah]

I thought I would share a simple one light strobe setup that can be used for fill light when shooting a single subject (or more depending on size of the group ).

First off, lets take a look at the shot:



Canon Rebel XSI
Tamron 28-75 F2.8
Aperture Priority Mode (AE)
F2.8
55MM
ISO 100
1/200
RAW + Jpeg

Looking at the subject, the sun was behind him and slightly right, partially blocked by a building, he was almost in the shade. I used the following as a setup:

1 - 430EXII Flash
1 - STE2 IR trigger
light stand and shoot through umbrella

The Light was placed to MY left @ 45 degrees and set to ETTL. The flash was set lower than the subject and pointed up, hoping to get rid of any shadows on his face. I used the shoot through umbrella to create a more natural and less harsh light. I was able to capture this expression when I asked him to pull a "silly" face, I loved how you could see him searching his mind for one.

One more note, the family wanted "fall" pictures, seeing as most if not all the leaves had dropped I used F 2.8 to blur out the mostly bare trees in the background, it still gives the impression of fall. Off camera lighting can be intimidating, but even a simple one light setup can make a HUGE difference in the quality of your photographs. The shadows on his face would have made this image much less usable.