Flash Photography: Nikon Speedlites

Master the controls and creative options of your Nikon speedlight—one of the most liberating photography tools you can buy. Learn on-camera and off-camera flash techniques.

Introduction

• What you'll learn in this course
• Which speedlights are covered in this class

1. An Overview of Speedlights

• Why use a speedlight over a built-in flash?
• Comparing speedlights to strobes

2. Quick Start

• Connecting a speedlight to your camera
• Powering on your speedlight and choosing the right batteries
• Choosing the right camera mode for your speedlight
• How to quickly adjust speedlight settings on the back of the flash
• Understanding the ready light
• What are these other things in the box?

3. Taking Control of a Speedlight

• How to control your speedlight on your camera's LCD
• Choosing the right flash modes
• Adjusting the power of your flash
• What is sync speed and how do I adjust it?

4. Controlling and Shaping the Light

• Using flash modifiers on the camera
• Changing between sync modes: Auto FP Sync, front curtain, and rear curtain
• Creating soft light
• Creating hard light

5. The Camera as Commander

• When to shoot in Commander mode
• Accessing Commander mode
• Changing the mode, channel, group, and power settings

6. Using Off-Camera Flash

• Line-of-sight discussion
• Positioning the flash off camera
• Using an iTTL extension cord
• Strategies for TTL and manual for off-camera flash
• How to choose off-camera flash modifiers
• Off-camera flash demo, part 1
• Off-camera flash demo, part 2
• Manual mode demo

7. Shooting with Speedlights and Workflow Tips

• Slowing down
• Controlling power and extending battery life
• Using a transmitter or a speedlight as a commander
• Controlling ambient light
• Using speedlights with third-party radio triggers

Conclusion

• Goodbye