Easy system for off camera flash

Today we are continuing my series on Off Camera Flash for beginners. If you missed the first two posts in the series check them out!

Part 1  //  Part 2

In this post we are going to talk about what to actually buy for your OCF system. When I first started looking into OCF and speed lights I was INSTANTLY overwhelmed and confused with all of the different options and terminology associated with everything. I couldn't distinguish between a speed light and a strobe and a trigger and a pocket wizard and a slave and a master (<---what the heck?!?!) 

I kept putting everything off because I just didn't want to deal with it all. 

But then I was going to shoot my first wedding and I KNEW I needed to be prepared. So I dug in, did my homework and figured out a system that worked for me! I've made a few tweaks since I first started but now I am so happy with the system that I use and in all honestly, the investment is minimal for what you end up getting! 

A simple and inexpensive OCF system for beginners

First thing to mention...if any of the terminology I use confuses you, go back and reference Part 1 in this series to brush up on the lingo. 

Second thing to mention...my set up is mainly for wedding photography, but the system I describe could be used for multiple things. The hardest thing to get your head around is how do you set off (trigger) the flash when its off of your camera? And also...if you also have a light also ON your camera...how does that all work together? 

Let me 'splain. (<----10points if you get that reference) ;-) 

What I use

Currently I use:

• three Yongnuo 560 iii's 
• one Yongnuo 560 iv
• one Yongnuo 560TX (trigger) 
• Two light stands
• Two umbrellas
• lots 'o batteries

To make this as simple as possible since this is a beginner tutorial, I want us all to pretend that I actually have FOUR 560iv's instead of a mix between two different types of flashes. In an ideal scenario, that is what I would have, but I had already purchased the 560iii's before the 560iv came out, so I'm just making what I have work. But if you were to buy anything after reading this tutorial,, I would absolutely recommend you buy TWO 560iv's (or three if you think you need two off camera) and one 560TX. 

Ok so now that we have that out of the way....let me talk a little bit about how all of this works. 

These flashes all have built in transmitters to they can talk to each other without the need of additional triggers. This is SUPER awesome because it eliminates the need to attach other things (pocket wizards, radio poppers etc...) onto your camera and/or the flash on its stand. The flash units will simply talk to each other as is, which just make everything that much simpler. 

So you can have a flash on your camera and another on a light stand across the room, and you can control that flash that is far away (change the amount of light it emits or even turn it off all together) from the flash that is on your camera in your hands. 

If you don't need or want to have a flash on your camera, the 560TX will also control any of the flashes you have on stands around the room. 

In order to make the most sense of this, lets look at a couple of different scenarios. 

Scenario 1- The Wedding Reception 

In this situation, this is my normal set up:

• Flash on camera that I use for bounce light
• Two flashes on stands on either side of the dance floor pointed at the dance floor

I can set all of the flashes on the same channel so they will talk to each other and when I click my shutter all three of them will fire. 

I can change the light output for the flashes around the dance floor from my flash or turn them off altogether if I end up not wanting them on for a few shots. 

Scenario 2 - The Dramatic Shot

Lets say I wanted to take my couple outdoors in the evening during the reception to do a more dramatic night time shot. I want to put them in front of a large tree and light up the tree a little bit as well as light the couple from the left hand side. 

I would put the 560TX on my camera, put one flash on a stand and diffuse it with a large umbrella and put another flash on the ground behind the couple pointing up at the tree. Now I can change the flash output settings for the two off camera flashes from the 560TX that is on my camera. I will underexpose the background and make sure my shutter speed is lower than 160 and shoot everything in manual in order to get desired exposure on the couple with the slight backlight of the light on the tree. 

In this first video, I talk a bit about the system that I use along with different types of speedlights I use and the one trigger that controls everything! 

In the below video I go over the following:

• How to change the channel on a 560TX
• How to change the channel on a 560IV (the same as changing the channel on a 560III)
• How to change the group on a 560IV
• How to change the 560IV from transmitting to receiving mode

You would want to use a setup like this (TX on camera, 560IV off camera) when you don't actually need a flash on your camera as well. 

In the below video I go over the following:

• How to change the channel on a 560IV and 560III
• How to change the 560IV to be transmitter
• How to change the 560III to receiver
• How to ensure the groups are the same on both flash units
• How to change the settings of an off camera flash from the flash on your camera 

This would be the set up you would likely want to use during a wedding reception when you need both an on and off camera flash. 

I know it doesn't look like flash "C" went off in the video, but I promise it did! LOL. 

I hope this is helpful to you especially if you are new to the world of OCF and are considering the Yongnuo brand of flash equipment! As always, if you have ANY questions at all...feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email! 

Should I Invest in a Wedding Album?

Being engaged is one of the most exciting times of your life. You are about to make one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) commitments of your life and there is much to plan for the big day when you say "I DO!" 

There are thousands of decisions that need to be made as you make your way towards the journey of covenant. Where? When? How? How much? Who will be involved? Who will be invited? Who will we hire? The questions and answers and decisions go on and on and on. 

For many engaged couples these countless decisions are fun and exciting and for others they can be taxing and a total drag. Either way it's a LOT to process in a relatively short period of time and gives you as an engaged couple a chance to really "practice" what it's like to make decisions as a team! 

One of the many many decisions that you will likely have to face as an engaged couple is whether or not to invest in a wedding album. Although it may seem like a relatively small or inconsequential decision in the moment, in the long run, it's one of the most important decisions you will make before the big day! 

When we got married, Paul and I chose not to get an album for a couple of reasons. 

1. Our photographer didn't offer them! 
2. I was getting the digital images from my wedding, so I figured I would just make my own. 

Now, almost five years (FIVE YEARS GUYS!!!) later I have a totally different perspective about that choice...not only from the lens of a married couple who loves remembering everything about that FIRST day, but also as a photographer who recognizes the importance of the images themselves, the story that they tell and the tangibility of the product. 

3 reasons you should invest in a wedding album

1 // So you don't have to make it yourself

I do finally have a custom, heirloom wedding album now. Three and a half years after we got married, I finally got around to making one. AND I happen to REALLY enjoy album design and I know what I am doing. 

If it took me that long to get one complete, imagine how long it might take you to get one made and on top of that...do you even know how to get a high quality album that won't deteriorate in time? What about paper quality? Lay-flat? Flush mount? Center cut or crease? Will it get a red ink line down the center? How do you size your images? How do you even pick the images to go in the album? 

Most high quality albums come from professional labs that only cater to photographers as well. You may be able to create one through Shutterfly or Target, but how will your image quality turn out? Will the paper fade in time? Will your kids or grandkids even get to see the album? 

An investment is an investment because it is WORTH something. Your time is valuable as is the photographer's knowledge and expertise. Having your photographer do the work and hand you a beautiful product that is meant to last for generations is WORTH the investment to not have to deal with all of that on your own! 

2 // Its a great way to see and touch the story of your day

I received over 1000 images from my wedding photographer, on a disc, organized into different folders from the day. While the day I received them (and a few days after) it was fun to to through everything, I quickly picked out around 100 images that were my absolute favorites, but the only way to see them was to crack open the computer and click, click, click my way through them. 

If a friend came over, I couldn't hand them a beautiful leather album so that they could flip through the pages one by one to see our day and the events that took place. 

There is so much beauty in being able to feel and touch something in this day and age of electronic gadgets and glowing screens. You may have many favorite images from the day, but it's not feasible to print all of them and wallpaper your house with them (no judgement if you have done that!) An album is the perfect way to house the beautiful start of your love story and you can keep it on the table or mantle and look at it whenever you want! 

3 // For generations to come

Your story matters. Your legacy matters. The the two of your joining together and saying to each other, "I'm IN, no matter what!" MATTERS. Not only to the two of you, but to the legacy you are starting for generations to come. I have an album from my grandmother...its not a wedding album...but an album of her as a young girl and I cherish that album like it was gold. I don't have a wedding album from my parents but I wish I did. I wish I could see how their day transpired. Who was there and how they celebrated. All of that matters even in the busy and the hustle of everyday life. A wedding album is more than just deciding to invest a large sum of money into something pretty that you can show your friends, it's deciding that the two of you is the start of something amazing that will be celebrated and cherished for generations to come.