Every day i am asked, Hey Tim, what do i need to get started with Off Camera Flash? Well, The answer is pretty simple, but can become rather complicated. This is why I try to make things simple for my students and equipment customers.
Off Camera Flash is exactly what it sounds like. It is flash used OFF Camera. I will just call it OCF going forward.
So, what do you NEED??
These are my recommendations and should not be taken as the be all end all answer. Even though, I have helped many a photographer transition into and become very successful in the OCF world 😉
The first thing you need is a flash that can be used off camera.
The most common first off camera flash – a speedlight, also spelled speedlite. There are a TON of options and different capabilities available and they will be covered shortly.
The second thing you will need is a light stand.
Again, this is MY list of recommendations. Can you do it without a lightstand? Absolutely. However, lightstands make your ocf world sooo much better.. trust me on this one. I will give more detailed info on light stands soon.
The third thing you will need, a way to mount your speedlight to your light stand..a mounting bracket.
I will give more information on mounting brackets shortly as well.
The last thing you NEED is a light modifier.
Light modifiers range from umbrellas to softboxes to beauty dishes and a few other items. Again, I will go into more detail on these things soon.
So, a quick recap of what I recommend:
1. Speedlight
2. Lightstand
3. Mounting bracket
4. Modifier
Over the next few days, I will be writing in more detail about each item. I will let you know the good, the bad and the ugly. I will give you a list of options and things to look for when making your decisions on what to buy to get started with OCF.
Probably would of added .. a trigger also…
I look forward to every new post!! Thank you.
Thank you Tim! I’ve been wanting to learn OCF for sometime now and have following your site so I’m very excited you are doing this!
Thank you Tim for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you…I need this info
Thank you for doing this and breaking it all down. Looking forward to learning more!
I so want to get this off camera flash. I feel like I have been procrastinating for so long … just. Sing afraid. I guess what can be the worst thing to happen? I fail at first. I know I can do it.
Thank you so much 🙂
Thanks for doing this Tim.
Great Thank you
How do I receive your blog to continue following?
Do I sign up somehow?
Awesome so much to learn .. I am so excited.. everything about OCF sounds easy and complicated at the same time.
Thank you Tim! Looking forward to diving into the world of OCF and I think your blog will be what I need.
Thank you, looking forward to next post!
Silly question…how do I subscribe to this blog so that I get the next one?
5. A trigger to fire the flash. Transmitter and receiver for a non reciver inbuilt flashes.
Nice write though. Thanks for this.
those things will be covered soon.. don’t worry.. 😉
Thank you!! I am so new and so old that this is wonderful. Love how you keep it simple. This is something I have wanted to do for so long and have been afraid to even try to tackle.
This will be the right step in to the right direction! many thanks…
Thanks Tim greatly appreciate you taking time to do this
Thank you. This is exactly what I need. Cannot wait for the rest of your blogs. Get this fingers typing, don’t make us wait too long please.
Looking forward to this Tim Is there a file section you can put this and if so where is it.
Hello Tim!
Thank you for starting this.
Is it really neccessary to have a mounting bracket? As at the moment my speedlites are fitted via the cold shoe on my stands.
as stated in my post, these are the things that I personally recommend. Are mounting brackets a necessity? No. However, as you will see in future posts, they are extremely convenient and helpful and become necessary when adding modifiers etc. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Thank you Tim for your clear basic article.In any sphere,it is the learners who need most help.Often,unfortunately,when our knowledge advances we may tend “to scorn the base degrees by which we did ascend”.Assisting a learner achieves a lot more than helping an expert.Didn’t we all need help in learning to walk or talk?
Baby steps… love it! The best way to create any solid foundation. Thank you.
Thank you so much for starting at the beginning and making it easy to understand words with pics my way to learn haha…. can’t wait to read more
Look forward to these. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!!
Tim, thanks. I think this blog will help me a lot. But I still want to attend a seminar, when one comes near me.
Thanks so much for starting this! I have wanted to learn OCF but wasn’t sure where to start.
I will be following closely. Last year I dedicated to understanding natural light (and I hope to always be learning more in this area), but I want to spend the next year challenging myself in OCF and I don’t know anything yet!!!
Sign me up to follow along!