Canon Speedlite System Digital Field Guide

Michael Corsentino is an award-winning photographer, Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Lightroom expert, author, national speaker, and workshop leader based in Northern California. His blend of photojournalism, fashion, and editorial styles have made him an in-demand portrait and destination-wedding photographer.

Introduction xiv QT Quick Tour 1 Getting Up and Running Quickly 2 Taking Your First Photos with the Speedlite 3 CHAPTER 1 Exploring the Canon Speedlite System 9 Features of the Canon Speedlite System 10 600EX/600EX-RT 11 600EX/600EX-RT specifications and features 11 Main components 14 Function buttons, dedicated buttons, and Select dial 17 600EX/600EX-RT accessories 19 580EX II 20 580EX II specifications and features 20 Main components 22 Control buttons and Select dial 26 580EX II accessories 27 430EX II 28 430EX II specifications and features 28 Main components 29 Control buttons 32 430EX II accessories 33 Other Components of the Speedlite System 34 270EX 34 270EX II 35 320EX 35 OC-E3 Off-Camera Shoe Cord 36 Speedlite transmitter ST-E3-RT 38 ST-E2 wireless transmitter 41 Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX 43 Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX 44 CHAPTER 2 Setting Up Your Speedlites 47 Power Requirements 48 Non-rechargeable 48 Rechargeable 48 Flash Modes 50 E-TTL II 50 E-TTL 51 Manual 51 Multi-stroboscopic flash 52 Zoom position 54 Auto Zoom Adjustment for APS-C Sensors 56 Adjusting Flash Exposure Compensation 56 600EX/600EX-RT 57 580EX II 57 430EX II 57 AF-Assist Beam 58 600EX/600EX-RT 59 580EX II 59 430EX II 60 LCD Panel Illumination 60 Custom Functions 60 Setting Custom Functions on the flash 61 Setting Custom Functions via the camera 68 Auto Off mode 69 CHAPTER 3 Flash Photography Basics 71 Studio Strobes or Speedlites? 72 Color Temperature and White Balance 77 What is Kelvin temperature? 77 Choosing the white balance 77 White balance presets 80 Balancing for the ambient light 84 Using Bounce Flash 85 Why and when to use bounce flash 86 Camera and Speedlite settings 88 Explaining Flash Exposure and Specifications 89 Guide number 89 Aperture 92 Distance 93 Guide number / Distance = Aperture 93 Sync speed 93 Second-curtain sync 94 Fill flash 94 CHAPTER 4 Using Your Flash Off Your Camera 99 How the Speedlite System Works Wirelessly with Your Camera 100 Overview of Wireless Flash Setup with the Canon Speedlite System 101 Step 1: Choose a fl ash mode 101 Step 2: Choose a wireless mode 101 Step 3: Choose a channel 102 Step 4: Set up groups or slave IDs 103 Step 5: Adjust the fl ash ratio levels 103 Setting Up Master and Slave Flashes 104 Masters 104 Slaves 116 Setting Up a Wireless Manual Flash 120 600EX/600EX-RT in Manual mode 121 580EX II in Manual mode 123 Setting slaves for manual flash 124 Using Wireless Multi-Stroboscopic Flash 127 Setting Up Channels and Groups or Slave IDs 127 Channels 127 Groups 128 600EX/600EX-RT 128 580EX II 130 430EX II 131 Setting Flash Exposure Compensation 131 Setting FEC with the 600EX/600EX-RT set to Master 132 Setting FEC with the 580EX II set to Master 132 Setting FEC slave fl ashes 133 Testing and Modeling Flash from a Slave Unit 134 Remote Release from a Slave Unit 134 Linked Shooting with Radio Transmission 135 Using Your Speedlites with Radio Triggers 137 Using your Speedlites with PocketWizards 137 Using your Speedlites with RadioPoppers 139 CHAPTER 5 Setting Up a Wireless Studio 141 Introduction to the Portable Studio 142 Cables, Cords, and Triggers 143 Extra-long E-TTL cords 143 Custom cables 145 Cable releases 145 Tethered shooting 145 Radio triggers 146 White Balance and Filters 146 White balance and the ExpoDisc 146 Neutral density fi lters for wider apertures 148 Light Modifiers 148 Reflectors 150 Gels 152 Grids and snoots 154 Diffusers, small flags, and bounce cards 155 Umbrellas 157 Softboxes 161 Beauty dishes 166 Ring fl ash 167 Specialty brackets 168 Backgrounds and Background Stands 168 Seamless paper backdrops 169 Collapsible backdrops 170 Muslin backdrops 171 Canvas backdrops 172 Contemporary backdrops 173 Backdrop stands 173 Motorized backdrop support systems 173 Space Considerations 174 Setting up for indoor shoots 174 Setting up for outdoor shoots 177 Traveling with Your Wireless Studio 179 Camera cases and bags 179 Portable light stands 180 CHAPTER 6 Lighting Concepts and Patterns 183 Concepts of Lighting 184 Studio lighting 184 Portrait lighting types 186 Mood and drama 195 Lighting patterns 196 Using Speedlites for Outdoor Locations 205 The preflight 208 Remembering light theory 208 Setting power output 208 Modifi ers and Their Qualities of Light 209 One Light, Two Lights, Three Lights! 213 One light 214 Two lights 221 Three lights 227 APPENDIX A Posing Basics 231 Developing Your Style 234 Positioning the body 234 Positioning the hands and arms 236 Paying attention to the details 238 Positions to Avoid 240 Planning Poses 241 Traditional posing 242 Editorial posing 243 Glamour style 245 APPENDIX B Rules of Composition 247 Keep It Simple 247 Silhouettes 249 Limiting focus 251 The Rule of Thirds 252 Field of View 254 Leading Lines and S-Curves 256 Symmetry 257 APPENDIX C Resources 259 Websites and Online Learning 259 DVDs and Video Downloads 260 iPad Apps 262 Books 263 Workshops 263 Trade Shows 264 Magazines 264 Associations 264 Light Modifiers 265 Light Stands 265 Reflectors 265 Brackets 266 Lenses 266 Radio Triggers and Remotes 266 Backdrops and Support Systems 266 Cords and Cables 267 Equipment for Tethered Shooting 267 Filters 267 Bags and Cases 267 APPENDIX D How to Use the Gray Card and Color Checker 268 The Gray Card 268 The Color Checker 269 Glossary 270 Index 279