The image above shows the before and after results of a home that I recently shot. The before was “Natural Light” and due to the time of day, the house was in the shade. The sun was just off to my left.

I decided to break out my 640WS Paul C. Buff Einstein and put the 7 inch reflector on the head. In addition, I had the Vagabond Mini portable power pack with me to power the Einstein. I had my assistant stand off to my left and I triggered the Einstein with a Pocket Wizard. The Einstein was set to Full Power which is 640WS. Since my assistant was holding the Einstein, she could move back and forth and around to help get the results that I was after.

In addition, as you can see from the before and after, the grass was brown and it’s green in the after. The image was taken in the Winter time in Raleigh, North Carolina, so brown grass is typical. In post production editing, the grass was made green in photoshop.

I am a big fan of strobe and speedlite photography both inside and outside. That doesn’t mean that I never shoot with available light because there are appropriate times to use the “Natural Light.” One thing that I don’t do is say that I am a “Natural Light Photographer” because I am scared of strobes or speedlites. If you are not using strobes or speedlites in your photography on a regular basis, you should start trying it out to see what you think of the results. Like anything, it will require some testing if you are not use to shooting with strobes or speedlites.

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The post Using A 640WS Einstein Strobe Outside To Light Up A Home And Fill Shadow first appeared on .

The model was in a shaded walkway area between two office condo buildings.  I wanted the bright light that you see behind her to help make the image pop.  The daylight reading was f/5.6 which I adjusted the camera via ISO and Shutter Speed to get.  Although I was on manual, you could set your camera for aperture priority at f/5.6 or on manual at f/5.6 and get the meter to even out based on the f/stop by adjusting your shutter speed and potentially ISO if needed.  I purposely slightly over exposed the image, so my meter was NOT exactly even at f/5.6.

I used a C-stand with a boom arm mounted with an Einstein strobe and a 22 inch beauty dish.  I used two sand bags on the C-stand to keep it from tipping over.  I adjusted the strobe manually instead of using a light meter.  With the adjustment on the strobe, I shot a few images until the light looked like it was balanced.  If I had of used a light meter, I could have adjusted it to f/5.6 to match it with the daylight.

***Equipment List…
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 70-200mm F2.8
Pocket Wizard
Paul C. Buff 640 WS Einstein (Strobe)
Paul C. Buff 22 Inch Beauty Dish (White)
Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini (Outside Power)
C-Stand with Boom Arm and Sandbag
Visit Paul C. Buff

***As for equipment, depending on where you are with your photography, you may not have most of the items listed and you may not be shooting with professional gear. That’s OK! You have to start where you are and use what you have. If you have a camera, a lens and a flash, you can still try to balance daylight and strobe together to create a similar shot.

The post Outside Photography Tip: Make Your Outside Images POP by Balancing Daylight and External Strobe first appeared on .