Introduction to off-camera flash (strobist)
Learn how to use your portable flash off-camera to enhance lighting and get studio-like results anywhere.
Michael Schoenholtz, instructor
Workshop: October 16, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Wrap-up: October 17, 7–9 p.m.
Workshop information
Participants will explore the benefits of shooting with off-camera speedlight flash units, with numerous hands-on exercises in a variety of lighting scenarios. They will come away with experience in how to achieve studio-like results with minimal gear.
The workshop will provide exposure to the basics of lighting techniques:
- Key and fill lights
- Lighting ratios
- Lighting modifiers (e.g., umbrellas, soft boxes and reflectors)
- Styles of lighting (e.g., high key, low key)
Hands-on topics will include: working with people and faces, directing and diffusing light, balancing your flash with ambient light, working with your flash and camera to give you predictable results and establishing a repeatable workflow.
In this preliminary workshop, we will be working with single flash setups. Subsequent workshops will build on the basics, for working with multiple lights, gels, slow exposures and event photography.
Workshop venue
Northwest Center for Photography (NCP), 1028 SE Water Avenue, Suite 50, Portland, Oregon 97214
Workshop format
The first part of the workshop has been designed in a demonstration and discussion format using a projected presentation.
In the second part, students will split into small teams and shoot in a variety of scenarios (people and food), using shared lighting equipment.
A two-hour follow-up the following week is a group review of the workshop results. Students are asked to bring material for note taking.
About the workshop leader
Michael Schoenholtz is a commercial photographer, avid traveler and teacher specializing in on-location portraiture and strobist technique. His clients include publicly traded companies, not-for-profits, local businesses, publications and individuals, and his work has been used in articles published by the New Yorker Magazine, Sundance Channel, WNBC NY, Transport Topics, Portland Afoot and Brown Publishing.
About the workshop
In this workshop participants will learn how to manage their camera, a single portable flash and various kinds of light modifiers to take their photography to the next level.
Enrollment. Participation is limited to 10 students.
Prerequisites. This class is targeted to intermediate-level dSLR photographers who, when they use a flash, mount a portable flash unit onto their camera’s hot shoe adapter, or are simply using their camera’s built-in flash.
Participants need to understand the basics of good exposure, ISO settings, metering, etc. and be comfortable using their camera’s aperture and shutter priority functions. Of course, competency using the manual mode is also acceptable.
Equipment. A digital SLR (dSLR) camera. Students who have already set up their own portable flash to fire wirelessly (many Nikon and Canon systems provide for this) or via PC sync cable, please contact us in advance to discuss.
A portable flash unit and other lighting equipment will be provided and shared in class.
Please note: Because participants will be coming with a variety of cameras, we do not spend significant time on manufacturer-specific methods of synchronization or TTL (through-the-lens) flash metering. Everything taught, however, should be applicable to your camera and your flash.
Workshop tuition. The workshop tuition and materials fee is $135 per person and includes a $15 non-refundable registration fee. Once your registration has been completed, we'll send out additional information relevant to the workshop.
Withdrawal, Cancellation and Refund Policy. We rely on your attendance to make important arrangements so if, for any reason, you need to withdraw please notify us in writing 14 days or more before the first day of the workshop. At that time, we will refund your deposit, minus the non-refundable registration fee. Registrations cancelled after that will be eligible for a refund (less the non-refundable registration fee and a $25 cancellation fee) only if a replacement can be found. If notification or cancellation is made seven days or less, prior to the first day of the workshop, you will not be eligible for a refund.
NCP is not responsible for a participant's cancellation due to a medical emergency, death in the family or acts of war.
In the event NCP cancels a workshop due to inadequate enrollment, all fees and deposits will be refunded in full, or if you prefer they may be transferred to another workshop within 12 months. However, NCP is not responsible for reimbursement of non-refundable airline tickets in the event of workshop cancellation. We strongly recommend you purchase travel insurance.
There are no exceptions to this Withdrawal, Cancellation and Refund Policy.
Waiting lists. When a workshop fills, we start a waiting list. There is no charge to be on the waiting list. If space becomes available, we contact the first person on the list. That person then has 24 hours to register before we move to the next person. If a space becomes available within 14 days of the start of a workshop, the registrar may call all persons on the waiting list and the space will be given to whoever completes their registration first.