How many of you are SUPER INTIMIDATED about using a flash?! Or how many of you when you use a flash, wind up with an over exposed image?! Better yet, how many of you have seen an amazing image, wonder profusely about how they did it and come to find out they actually used a flash??!! "HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!"

 

If you raised your hand for any of those questions, welcome to the club! =) This topic (aka Off Camera Lighting or OCL) has been on my mind for months and for the past few weeks, I've really taken time out to try to figure it all out. Do I have it figured out yet? Not fully (there's so much to learn!) but that's the fun part about photography... whether it's a better way to process your photos, learning new camera settings or even just a better technique to shoot; there's always something new to learn.

Isn't that photo above awesome?! If you guys haven't done so already, be sure to check out Zach Arias' websites. He's does these workshops that I've been trying to get in since I've hear about them...they're his One Light Workshops. "What do you mean, trying to get in?" Check out the link and you'll know what I'm talking about...THEY SELL OUT FAST!! I've only read awesome things about his workshop and if you're like me, you're drooling over about being able to produce images like those on his site(s). Here's another image I snagged from his blog...

You might think that these images have gone through a vigorous post process in Photoshop but as Zach put it, "the post was limited to contrast, density, color balance, sharpening, crop, and a bit of vignette here and there. Lighting Skills - The Original PhotoShop. :)" Another person that has been more than helpful in my en devour to understand lighting, is my new friend John from Crozier Photography. As an aspiring photographer, it's always awesome to meet people that are willing to share their vast knowledge without hesitation. Check out one of my favorite images of his...

Here's one more...

 

Be sure to check out each of their sites and if you're feeling inspired, like how I was, feel free to let them know!

Thanks again Zach and John for all your wonderful help and willingness to share your knowledge!

Be sure to check back soon as I'll be posting images of my OCL experiment(s)!