My go to flash for this type of look is the Godox Lux Senior. I've had good results plus the models love the retro look of the flash. I also like the glimmer glass filter.
I bought the Godox LUX Junior a few months back bc I wanted that punchy, small flash/close to lens look thats reminiscent of older point and shoot film cameras and I LOVE it. I always carry it even if im already bringing a bigger speedlight. it does the job perfectly. recycle times are good if you're shooting in daytime at lower power like 1/16 or lower. only drawback is i find myself going through pairs of AAA batteries after every other shoot or even a couple times throughout a wedding day. thinking that getting some rechargeable AAAs should be a quick and easy fix tho
I use Eneloop Pro’s with my EF-X20 and that takes AAA’s too and they’re awesome, fast recycle times and great endurance, can’t recommend them highly enough!
Great video. That part about the flash mount was particularly interesting. If I wanted to get a flash that aligned with the plane of the lens, to get that white wall portrait look, for a Sony APS-C body, do you have any specific recommendations? I'm hoping for something that works well for beach portraits too, but perhaps I can't have everything. I wish you lots of luck with your channel
Honestly any speedlite style flash would work great! I’ve never really shot with Sony so I don’t know of any particular flash options that are good but I’d imagine any decent speedlite with a little pop out diffuser on it mounted on a flash mount would do be just fine! I do know Sony actually has a unique flash connector that makes it a bit less compatible with third party options so if I was getting a third party flash I’d want to get a Sony specific one. (I’ve used canon third party flashes on Fuji and vice versa and never had any problems) When looking for a good flash the number one priority for me is the recycle time speed - it’s why that Godox is so good, I can’t stand slow recycle times especially when shooting quickly. The biggest downside of the EF-x20 is it uses AAA batteries and even with eneloop pro’s it drains them quickly and the recycle times turn into like 5-10 second long waits which is not awesome when you have limited light left and are trying to get as many shots as possible, but I make do because the flash is as small as it is haha
Great tips. I have always struggled with getting flash photos to lose that Law & Order human trafficking dungeon pornography aesthetic. I used to put masking tape over my pop up to diffuse it. 😂 I have the GR III and I'm not opposed to handholding an off cam flash, since it's a one hand operational camera anyway. I can have GR in the right pocket, flash int the left to balance my jacket a bit more too. I guess to reduce the shadows I can literally hold the flash right under the GR, and line it up with the lens, right?
You can definitely do that, but I think the thing I love about the older GR’s is that you didn’t need an additional flash, it was tiny pocketable and capable without adding extra stuff on. The lens and flash height of the regular GR are so close together anyway that mounting the flash closer doesn’t really do much in my opinion anyway, it’s why I love it so much - just easy to get good results haha
We totally need kitchen portraits video! Also, i cant find any similar flash brackets as you had, do you know if those are still avaiable and are they universal?
I released the kitchen portraits video a few months ago: here’s the link :) ua-cam.com/video/mgCwNweIDRU/v-deo.htmlsi=x6wcwvq9WX_e_jYV Check the description of this video for the link to the flash bracket, it’s on b&h and still in stock.
I mean this in a nice way. I thought you were another perv nude photographer from Instagram. However, this video proves me in correct in my assumptions. Amazing and educational tutorial which wasn't to fast nor slow, perfect pace with just the right amount of detail. Along side the good tutorial, it seems you have an awesome personality. Keep it bud. The pervy in your face shots may just be an Australian thing lol.
Haha thank you for the kind words! While I did my fair share of x rated photos in the past I am really trying to move on past that and this UA-cam channel has been a great way to branch away from that kind of photography and have an outlet for stuff I’m actually passionate about, not just what gets the most likes on instagram. I’m glad you found it helpful, I’m trying to make videos that I myself would want to watch and I’m so grateful for all the support! Plenty more awesome content coming in the future! :) Thank you for watching!
Awesome tips. I use a flash a lot. I mostly point the flash straight up and use a Rogue FlashBender. If I’m in a room with low white ceilings and white walls, I’ll bounce flash with a “Black Foamie Thing” (search for Neil van Niekirk’s video). Nice soft lighting. Usually I stick to bounce flash because it’s safer and more flattering. But your great tips and example photos are really inspiring me to play around with direct flash. I could see how that kind of lighting could work really well with certain kinds of fashions and locations. Excited to diversify my lighting skillset. Cool to learn about using a flash bracket and a Glimmer Glass filter. Those were the missing links in why direct flash hasn’t given me the look I’ve wanted in the past. Do Glimmer Glass filters come in different “strengths” like Black Pro Mist filters do? What strength do you recommend? Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Looking forward to learning more from you.
Thank you for the kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Yes Glimmerglass comes in a few strengths, I personally only use strength “1”. That said, it also depends on the look you want, if you want a bit more contrast and punch say for more high fashion stuff you don’t need to use it, so try it with or without using one! The flash bracket is also again only necessary if you have a big speedlite, with a small flash you don’t need one!
@@rudermanphoto Thanks for the extra details. I have a Godox V860 II and Godox V350. They’re a bit too high on the camera for the look you described. So I’ll have to get a flash bracket. Maybe the Godox Lux Junior you mentioned would work better. I’ve also seen a cheap flash with a similar flat form factor sold under various brand names like Pomya, Ciciglow, Pusokei, Camnoon WS-25, Xinwoer, etc. on Amazon that I’m 99% sure are the same flash.
@@MarcusSortijas yeah the Lux junior is the one I’d get if I didn’t already have a EF-x20, I have heard great things about it and it’s nice and compact and cheap too!
You can’t, it will look awful - you could potentially set up remote strobes next to the performer but firing a flash from a big distance away your best bet is to raise ISO a bit and try use as MUCH light as possible, keeping flash power not too high so it doesn’t look super harsh. In almost every indoor theater performance I’ve shot they will have a spotlight on the performer so you shouldn’t really need to use a flash anyway, the spotlight will be more then powerful enough to illuminate your subject!
@@rudermanphoto I appreciate the reply, and makes total sense. For the nightime beach photo in your thumbnail, I'm assuming you fired with manual focus since your screen would have been black in those conditions with normal settings?
@@brandoconklin nope, on Fujifilm there is a setting called “Preview Exp/WB In Manual Mode - set it to “Preview Exp/WB” when shooting without a flash and to “OFF” when shooting with a flash or in a studio - the live view will be boosted and you can see what you are actually doing. I set it to a shortcut button, the right d-pad so I could quickly shift between flash and no flash shooting. Other cameras have something similar, on Lumix the option is called “Constant Preview” and “Live View Boost”
I’ve seen that, looks like a great option - what’s the battery life like? On one hand rechargeable battery is nice but not great if you need to quickly recharge when on a shoot.
Kitchen portraits look great! Would love to see a full video on those
Thank you! I’m in the process of planning that video, but I have a few beforehand to post first :)
The kitchen portraits video is now live! :)
My go to flash for this type of look is the Godox Lux Senior. I've had good results plus the models love the retro look of the flash. I also like the glimmer glass filter.
probably one of the best video about this topic! Complete and simple to understand well done
Thank you so much!!
I bought the Godox LUX Junior a few months back bc I wanted that punchy, small flash/close to lens look thats reminiscent of older point and shoot film cameras and I LOVE it. I always carry it even if im already bringing a bigger speedlight. it does the job perfectly. recycle times are good if you're shooting in daytime at lower power like 1/16 or lower. only drawback is i find myself going through pairs of AAA batteries after every other shoot or even a couple times throughout a wedding day. thinking that getting some rechargeable AAAs should be a quick and easy fix tho
I use Eneloop Pro’s with my EF-X20 and that takes AAA’s too and they’re awesome, fast recycle times and great endurance, can’t recommend them highly enough!
@@rudermanphoto Thanks for the rec! Will give those a try. Great video btw-- love your work 🫡
Hi Matthew, thank you for this video! I really love your channel and your photos, keep going!!!
Thank you so much! 💖
Great video. That part about the flash mount was particularly interesting. If I wanted to get a flash that aligned with the plane of the lens, to get that white wall portrait look, for a Sony APS-C body, do you have any specific recommendations? I'm hoping for something that works well for beach portraits too, but perhaps I can't have everything. I wish you lots of luck with your channel
Honestly any speedlite style flash would work great!
I’ve never really shot with Sony so I don’t know of any particular flash options that are good but I’d imagine any decent speedlite with a little pop out diffuser on it mounted on a flash mount would do be just fine!
I do know Sony actually has a unique flash connector that makes it a bit less compatible with third party options so if I was getting a third party flash I’d want to get a Sony specific one. (I’ve used canon third party flashes on Fuji and vice versa and never had any problems)
When looking for a good flash the number one priority for me is the recycle time speed - it’s why that Godox is so good, I can’t stand slow recycle times especially when shooting quickly. The biggest downside of the EF-x20 is it uses AAA batteries and even with eneloop pro’s it drains them quickly and the recycle times turn into like 5-10 second long waits which is not awesome when you have limited light left and are trying to get as many shots as possible, but I make do because the flash is as small as it is haha
Great video! Really helpful.
Been searching forever for how to get the right look with the white background flash photos!! Thank you!!!
You are most welcome!
Great tips. I have always struggled with getting flash photos to lose that Law & Order human trafficking dungeon pornography aesthetic. I used to put masking tape over my pop up to diffuse it. 😂
I have the GR III and I'm not opposed to handholding an off cam flash, since it's a one hand operational camera anyway. I can have GR in the right pocket, flash int the left to balance my jacket a bit more too. I guess to reduce the shadows I can literally hold the flash right under the GR, and line it up with the lens, right?
You can definitely do that, but I think the thing I love about the older GR’s is that you didn’t need an additional flash, it was tiny pocketable and capable without adding extra stuff on.
The lens and flash height of the regular GR are so close together anyway that mounting the flash closer doesn’t really do much in my opinion anyway, it’s why I love it so much - just easy to get good results haha
lol 🤣🤣👏
You have an ad200 i bet you will love the r200 (a ring flash)
Great video! I would really love to see a video on the kitchen portraits🫶🏼
I’ll be making it soon! Hoping to release it within a month :)
Awesome video and great tips, thank you!
Thank you!
good tips bro
Thank you my man!
We totally need kitchen portraits video! Also, i cant find any similar flash brackets as you had, do you know if those are still avaiable and are they universal?
I released the kitchen portraits video a few months ago: here’s the link :)
ua-cam.com/video/mgCwNweIDRU/v-deo.htmlsi=x6wcwvq9WX_e_jYV
Check the description of this video for the link to the flash bracket, it’s on b&h and still in stock.
I mean this in a nice way. I thought you were another perv nude photographer from Instagram. However, this video proves me in correct in my assumptions. Amazing and educational tutorial which wasn't to fast nor slow, perfect pace with just the right amount of detail. Along side the good tutorial, it seems you have an awesome personality. Keep it bud.
The pervy in your face shots may just be an Australian thing lol.
Haha thank you for the kind words!
While I did my fair share of x rated photos in the past I am really trying to move on past that and this UA-cam channel has been a great way to branch away from that kind of photography and have an outlet for stuff I’m actually passionate about, not just what gets the most likes on instagram.
I’m glad you found it helpful, I’m trying to make videos that I myself would want to watch and I’m so grateful for all the support!
Plenty more awesome content coming in the future! :)
Thank you for watching!
11:48 Katya!! 😂😮
Please do the kitchen portrait video. It’s inspiring to see what one can do when you understand its underlying mechanic
It’s in the works!
Awesome tips.
I use a flash a lot. I mostly point the flash straight up and use a Rogue FlashBender. If I’m in a room with low white ceilings and white walls, I’ll bounce flash with a “Black Foamie Thing” (search for Neil van Niekirk’s video). Nice soft lighting.
Usually I stick to bounce flash because it’s safer and more flattering. But your great tips and example photos are really inspiring me to play around with direct flash. I could see how that kind of lighting could work really well with certain kinds of fashions and locations. Excited to diversify my lighting skillset.
Cool to learn about using a flash bracket and a Glimmer Glass filter. Those were the missing links in why direct flash hasn’t given me the look I’ve wanted in the past.
Do Glimmer Glass filters come in different “strengths” like Black Pro Mist filters do? What strength do you recommend?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Looking forward to learning more from you.
Thank you for the kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Yes Glimmerglass comes in a few strengths, I personally only use strength “1”.
That said, it also depends on the look you want, if you want a bit more contrast and punch say for more high fashion stuff you don’t need to use it, so try it with or without using one!
The flash bracket is also again only necessary if you have a big speedlite, with a small flash you don’t need one!
@@rudermanphoto Thanks for the extra details.
I have a Godox V860 II and Godox V350. They’re a bit too high on the camera for the look you described. So I’ll have to get a flash bracket.
Maybe the Godox Lux Junior you mentioned would work better.
I’ve also seen a cheap flash with a similar flat form factor sold under various brand names like Pomya, Ciciglow, Pusokei, Camnoon WS-25, Xinwoer, etc. on Amazon that I’m 99% sure are the same flash.
@@MarcusSortijas yeah the Lux junior is the one I’d get if I didn’t already have a EF-x20, I have heard great things about it and it’s nice and compact and cheap too!
Any tips on shooting indoor flash from a distance, for example at an indoor theater with speakers on stage?
You can’t, it will look awful - you could potentially set up remote strobes next to the performer but firing a flash from a big distance away your best bet is to raise ISO a bit and try use as MUCH light as possible, keeping flash power not too high so it doesn’t look super harsh.
In almost every indoor theater performance I’ve shot they will have a spotlight on the performer so you shouldn’t really need to use a flash anyway, the spotlight will be more then powerful enough to illuminate your subject!
@@rudermanphoto I appreciate the reply, and makes total sense. For the nightime beach photo in your thumbnail, I'm assuming you fired with manual focus since your screen would have been black in those conditions with normal settings?
@@brandoconklin nope, on Fujifilm there is a setting called “Preview Exp/WB In Manual Mode - set it to “Preview Exp/WB” when shooting without a flash and to “OFF” when shooting with a flash or in a studio - the live view will be boosted and you can see what you are actually doing.
I set it to a shortcut button, the right d-pad so I could quickly shift between flash and no flash shooting.
Other cameras have something similar, on Lumix the option is called “Constant Preview” and “Live View Boost”
My favorite cheap flash currently is the Ulanzi LM20 its 40 bucks and has a rechargeable battery.
I’ve seen that, looks like a great option - what’s the battery life like? On one hand rechargeable battery is nice but not great if you need to quickly recharge when on a shoot.
❤
Very good and practical tips 🫶🏻
Thank you!