Using Off-Camera Flash

The term ‘off-camera flash’ can strike fear in the hearts of beginner photographers, however taking the flash off the camera’s hotshoe doesn’t need to involve a complicated setup or a lot of equipment. 

An easy way to take flash off camera is to simply hold it with your left hand. The Profoto A1X is great for this as they come with the Profoto Connect, allowing you to easily use off-camera flash. 

By holding the flash above the camera, you can create a style of lighting called ‘butterfly lighting’, popular in editorial and fashion photography. Up and off to the side, you’ll get loop and rembrandt style lighting. Moving the flash off camera opens up more creative options and can help you avoid that full frontal, paparazzi look, which often isn’t very flattering for the subject.

On-camera flash produces shadows directly behind the subject

Off-camera flash can be as simple as holding the flash out to the side with one hand. Notice the direction of the shadow on the background and how it effects the shadows on the subject’s face