Environmental Portraiture: Tell Your Subject’s Story and Create Dynamic Portraits with One Bag of Gear

Speedlights and flashes

Speedlights, or flashes, are getting more and more sophisticated. I carry two. One is the master, which goes on the hot shoe of my camera and controls the second flash remotely. I place this second flash on a stand off to my side, adding a little light to my subjects so they pop out of the scene. With this setup, the light hits them from the side, which is more interesting and flattering than if I lit them with the flash on the camera—straight on. If I do need more light, I will bounce the light from the flash on my camera onto a ceiling or wall if one is available.

In addition, sometimes I’ll use a snoot, which is a tube that fits over the flash, producing a narrow beam of light and limiting spillover. I have a store-bought ...