As an amateur photographer who was struggling financially, buying off-camera flash was daunting and uncertain expense for me. Not knowing exactly what type of flash I would need and its costs made buying one an uncertain choice; additionally I didn’t know what would do with it once purchased!
As soon as I was out on my own, I bought my first flash with no research, no education and based solely on price. Even now I don’t recall which brand it was because it barely seemed to work with my camera; most likely due to user error; all photos I managed were startled-deer-in-headlights photos: direct flash right in their eyes! Perfect.
Owing to my earlier flash experience, I avoided flash for several years after. Even when launching my fledgling photography business, I did not use an off-camera flash. While my photography had significantly improved since those early days, daylight still prevailed as my only light source.
Flash produces results you just can’t achieve with daylight; after booking my first wedding reception coverage with full reception coverage I had six months to become proficient with speedlights.
Researching and studying was key: taking online courses, attending in-person workshops and reading up. Practice was necessary – much practice! But who knew? Eventually I discovered that flash photography actually helps my photography!
Though I may still not be an expert, I know enough to achieve the results I desire when shooting events. With my flash setup and night portrait lighting capabilities, I can create golden hour conditions quickly or use flash to illuminate subjects for night portraits. Even knowing how to balance ambient light while illuminating subjects with flash has made a tremendous difference in my photographs.
There’s always more to learn and I wish that I had been braver about dabbling in flash photography earlier. With prices for flash systems matching or surpassing those of lenses you may want, deciding how and when to invest is a delicate matter.
My current recommended equipment for off-camera flash is two flashes, a Godox trigger system (including on-camera trigger and two receivers per flash), an external battery pack from Godox, as well as any additional modifiers or softboxes you might require later on. But really all that is required to start off-camera flash photography is something to connect the flashes when they’re not on your camera – walls and ceilings make great softboxes!
My photography kit contains the Godox trigger system because when I began, my flashes did not feature built-in radio transmission (aside: optical line-of-sight transmission can also work, though radio transmission offers much more reliability, flexibility and consistency).
But modern gear does come equipped with built-in radio capabilities! So if I were just getting into off-camera flash photography now, these four pieces would form the cornerstones of my kit.
1. Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT
I recently upgraded my old 580EX II when it broke, and am delighted by this incredible 600EX II-RT from Canon. Built-in radio transmission makes using it with Canon ST-E3-RT Speedlight Transmitter simple – no receiver unit necessary beneath 600EX II-RT!
2. Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT, or 430EX III-RT (with radio unit built-in). As your second flash, if possible purchase another 600EX II-RT; otherwise the cheaper midrange 430EX III-RT should suffice (it also features built-in radio capabilities; hence its designation). I have used its predecessor, the 430EX II, successfully as my backup flash for years – its performance more than meets my needs!
Keep in mind, however, that 430 Speedlites cannot accept an external battery and thus must rely solely on AA batteries to power it. While I find this an inconvenience in most instances, the recharge time might become an annoyance if firing flashes at maximum power frequently.
Of course, having two flashes is optional – you can do quite a lot with just one flash off-camera. To start out on your photographic journey with just one off-camera flash you just need the 600EX II-RT flash and ST-E3-RT transmitter (below)! How simple!
3. Canon ST-E3-RT Speedlite Transmitter This unit, with built-in radio flashes, is all you need to get your flashes off camera without receivers underneath every flash or stacks and stacks of batteries consuming power! I am still using my old 430 EX II that doesn’t come equipped with radio flashes so when that one eventually dies I will buy myself an ST-E3-RT transmitter as soon as possible!
4. An external battery such as the Godox PROPAC PB960 Power Pack Firing off flash bursts quickly is difficult with AA batteries alone, and I found the Godox power pack one of the best additions to my kit for that reason. Though technically optional – with two RT flashes and the ST-E3-RT transmitter, you should already have an excellent core kit with many creative opportunities! Consider making it the first addition on your add-ons list once you begin shooting off-camera flash!
Don’t be intimidated: Off-camera flash is enjoyable
Once you learn the fundamentals, off-camera flash can open up new creative horizons for you. For an overview on starting out using flash photography in photography on my blog.