Chapter 5: Setting Up a Wireless Studio
The beauty of Speedlites is their small size and portability. You can easily fit several Speedlites, stands, remote triggers, gels, extra batteries, umbrellas, and additional light modifiers into one gear bag.
In this chapter, I show you what equipment you need to set up a home studio suitable for portrait and small product photography. Because not everyone can come to your studio, location work makes up a good part of what photographers do. Being able to quickly grab your gear and go is key. This chapter covers what you need to make your studio mobile. With continuing advances in Speedlite technology and equipment getting smaller and more powerful every day, many tasks previously handled by cases of heavy studio lights can now be achieved with one bag of lightweight Speedlite gear.
With a few basic tools and an understanding of Speedlites, you can create images like this one. Here, I’m using two off-camera Speedlites, RadioPopper PX receivers/transmitters to provide E-TTL control between the camera and flashes, and two Lastolite EzyBox hot-shoe softboxes. Exposure: ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/200 second with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.
Introduction to the Portable Studio
In addition to a well-equipped studio, most photographers also find that they need a portable lighting kit. This kit should be compact, lightweight, and ready to go whenever ...
