Wedding Photography Tips: Preventing Unwanted Shadows

Posted on March 28, 2014 by ShutterBug

We take a look at how using a flash bracket and TTL cord with your on camera flash can improve your photos. Preventing Unwanted Shadows bit.ly/bhpreventunwan…
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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25 Responses to Wedding Photography Tips: Preventing Unwanted Shadows

  1. XtremeProductions570 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 10:57 am

    Any decent photographer will tell you NOT to point the flash directly at
    your subject. BOUNCE the flash. Not only does this produce better photos
    and less unnatural shadows, it also does not blind your subject. But hey,
    you’re in the business to sell products even if they are not needed, right?

  2. Frank Preston says:
    March 28, 2014 at 11:17 am

    Or, when shooting for hours at a time the frame gives you several ways to
    hold it. I then place it all on my shoulder sling readily hanging right to
    where my hand goes into the hand strap. Then I have a smaller strap as a
    safety in case any of the hardware breaks or unscrews. I spend 4+ hours
    whether landscape shooting or weddings. I like my alternative ways of how
    holding and resting my hands. Different things work for different people.
    If it works for you then do not care what others say

  3. ManOfDeath567 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 11:36 am

    Why can’t you just get a Gary Fong Light Sphere for $25?

  4. Miguel Sanchez says:
    March 28, 2014 at 11:51 am

    which is the best I see so many. I also see gary fong’s diffuser.

  5. Anthony L says:
    March 28, 2014 at 11:52 am

    Thank you for the review, which helps when purchasing from you guys, but
    this bracket is horrible IMHO because the shutter in vertical shooting is
    at the bottom of the rig, which is wrong. It also renders a vertical grip
    useless as it would then be on your left side.

  6. ukmitch86 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 11:56 am

    I’m confused – why is this bracket necessary? Just bounce the flash, you
    should never point it directly at them anyway.

  7. ManOfDeath567 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 11:57 am

    I’ve tried shooting vertically with the shutter button down and it’s very
    uncomfortable. I guess some people get used to it, but I can’t imagine
    shooting vertically with the shutter button down.

  8. trevorpinnocky says:
    March 28, 2014 at 11:59 am

    There are several reason for getting the flash off the hot shoe: i. it
    reduces red eye by changing the angle of incidence, critical for wedding
    shots, ii. it helps shadows to fall out of the compositional frame as he
    explained, iii.it allows you to be more compositionally creative with your
    shadows, iv. in situations where bounce is not available, highly likely in
    a wedding situation, it allows you to control your light.

  9. takeme2urmac says:
    March 28, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    Which of the Vello cord was that you were using? 1′ or 3′?

  10. B and H says:
    March 28, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    That is the 3′ Vello TTL cord. Thanks for watching.

  11. devonmale69 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    For flat lighting ie the worst you can get, do what this guys is telling you

  12. Moho Mami says:
    March 28, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    This is advertisement

  13. Moment Photography says:
    March 28, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    @ukmitch86 I agree, small light sources like a flash mean hard shadows. By
    bouncing it, whatever you bounce it off becomes a large light source and
    gives much softer light. Just make sure you don’t bounce it off a brightly
    coloured surface. Those flash frames look intimidating to the subject
    matter and can mean you miss the emotion you require from your subject
    unless you take ALL your photos statically like this example.

  14. Michael Zola says:
    March 28, 2014 at 3:26 pm

    Im going to purchase one for capturing low light live performances.
    Fantastic tutorials to all experience levels of photographers.

  15. B and H says:
    March 28, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    @DCUPtoejuice The FlexTT5 will support E-TTL functionality with a sole
    430EX positioned off camera. One mounted on camera will control a second
    FlexTT5 with your flash attached to it. Chuck

  16. xplicitlyrix187 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    @mervie17 – brackets are old school… your better off bouncing your flash
    off the ceiling or wall and raising your iso up to 400-800 (even higher
    depending on how well your camera can handle noise).

  17. Tony Fernandez says:
    March 28, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    This so FUNNY.. there are countless Youtube vids on the beauty of off
    camera flash preventing the UGLY washed out look of straight on flash…
    SMH.

  18. superste66 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    I have a bracket(not this one but similar) It does improve the light but is
    ridiculously uncomfortable especially used in portrait. Notice the
    precariousness of the thing when he turns it on it’s side. The wobble from
    the weight is obvious as well as his hands being twisted into a strange
    proximity to focus and fire. I keep mine for some bizarre emergency one off
    situation it might be essential for but other than that there a ton of
    better lighter solutions.

  19. fotoguy41 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    I USE This Type of Bracket for All The Weddings I’ve Done,…& It Also
    Helps Prevent “Red~Eye”….You Cant Go Wrong..!! Very Professional Results
    Every Time ….!!

  20. Marmbo says:
    March 28, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    @ukmitch86 That’s great if your shooting indoors with a low neutral
    ceiling, however, there are plenty of times where your outdoors or the
    ceiling is 20+ feet above you, curved wrong, made of dark wood, etc. Sure
    it isn’t needed in every situation but flash bracket is the way to go.

  21. jh3835 says:
    March 28, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    TTL is for noobs.

  22. Theo Lubbe says:
    March 28, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    @ukmitch86 Not all flashes have tilting/rotating heads. You’d also use
    these to change the position of the flash so you can control at which angle
    the light is coming from on your subjects, relative to the camera’s
    viewpoint.

  23. crispycritterz says:
    March 28, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    A flash on the camera will almost always give you harsh shadows to the side
    and behind your subjects. The bracket will allow you to have the flash off
    of the camera, removing most of the shadows, provided you’re shooting from
    the front. Also, the bracket gives you great flexibility when it comes to
    tilt and over head lighting. It’s literally up to your imagination as to
    how you can use it. If I tell you, you’re just using my imagination, not
    yours.

  24. CASA says:
    March 28, 2014 at 9:15 pm

    You can’t bounce when the wall has colours.

  25. Zach Ashcraft says:
    March 28, 2014 at 10:13 pm

    Bouncing a flash off dark wooden walls will 1. not put out enough light 2.
    often leave odd color casts, even after correction

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