What is off camera flash ?

Off-camera flash photography is a technique that can take your wedding photography skills to the next level. This technique involves using a separate flash unit that is not attached to the camera, and is triggered remotely. This allows you to have more control over the lighting in your photographs, especially where the natural light is low such as evening time, or during the golden hour when you want to capture a sunset or starburst image. It can help create a more dynamic wedding photo. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at off-camera flash photography, and explore how you can use this OCF to enhance your wedding photography.

Below a sunset off camera flash image taken at a wedding in South Wales

What is Off-Camera Flash Wedding Photography?

Off-camera flash wedding photography, as the name suggests, involves using a separate flash unit that is not attached to the camera. This as you can see from the photo above allows you to have more control over the lighting in your photographs, and can result in more dynamic and professional-looking images. With off-camera flash photography, you can position the flash in different locations around your subject to create different lighting effects. You can also use multiple flashes to create complex lighting setups. The result being that you can darken down the sky and highlight the brides dress making the wedding photo more "punchy" and dynamic !

What is off camera flash ?

This method of using flash is traditionally used by studio photographers where they have the room and more importantly the time and studio set up with permanent flashes and umbrellas in order to capture stunning portraits in flattering light. In other words its how epic shots should be done! And you will often see marketing campaigns for large brands in sports and product photography use this method by their photographer. A photographer can achieve any desired result by adjusting lighting and portray a subject in the manner of their choosing.

So lets talk about weddings!

If this method is so good; Why is it that wedding photographers use very little if any off camera flash? Well the answer is that weddings are fast paced events. Wedding photographers simply do not have the time to set up a studio on a wedding day or shoot tethered and see the results of what they shoot on a laptop in order to check the results! But if we were allowed the time to do this then wedding photos; especially the traditional family group photos would go from good to absolutely fantastically amazing!!!

This is however how a lot of the old wedding photographers used to work ! - Remember the days from your parents weddings where you'd stand around for hours doing group photos??!! Well.. its not because the wedding photographer was in any way slow..

( well they might have been !! )

It's because its traditionally the best way to capture family portraits! You won't see a royal wedding photographer for example shoot a royal wedding just using natural light.

Modern day wedding photographers however also need to move often and quickly in tight spaces, such as crowded reception areas or during fast-paced moments like the ceremony. Carrying and repositioning off-camera flashes or light stands can limit mobility and hinder capturing spontaneous moments. And since most weddings are now shot naturally and candidly and timings are quite tight; most photographers do not even have a set of flashes or umbrellas in their boot of their car. They simply do not bother!

Personally I try to add in at least one great off camera flash image from a wedding day, usually its done in the evening time when the pace of the wedding has slowed down and there is the time to set up and get some of these striking and dynamic images for the couple. It really can make the world of difference!

Even so, Its not always possible at every wedding to get images like this. Bad weather, and other wedding suppliers such as bands, first dance timings, singing waiters, drunk guests and other things that are beyond our control mean that sometimes it just can't be done!

Also it does come down to a matter of style Some photographers prefer to use what's called the look of natural light or may feel that flash, especially if not used carefully, can create harsh shadows or an unnatural look. For photographers who emphasise soft, natural, or ambient lighting in their style, off-camera flash might not align with their creative vision.

Photo above taken at the Jetty at Hensol Castle, Wales.

Photo above taken at weddings at Oxwich bay hotel, Wales