The first step in diving into the intimidating world of Off Camera Flash is knowing what to buy. After learning about OCF from photographers all over the world, I’ve concluded that OCF is like everything else in photography. It’s subjective. The gear you use depends on the type of photographer you are. Your personality, your style and your budget will determine that overtime.

For us, we prefer a simple one light set up. Its convenient. It’s less intrusive. And it creates pretty dimensional light. We can light up any venue with our one light set-up!

lets learn, woo!

first, the flash

I use a Neewer® Li-ion Battery Flash for a few reasons.

1. It is cheaper than the Canon or Nikon brands. Plus, it works for both camera types meaning Rachel and I can share flashes between us.
2. It uses Li-ion batteries which means insanely fast recycle time! If you’ve shot on a flash with double As, you’ll know why this is important.
3. You can still use ETTL or ITTL with this flash. Aka Auto
4. Its very powerful, and has everything I need for my on camera or off camera set up.

I currently have two of these flashes in my bag in case I need one on camera as well or need a back up when this one stops working at a wedding.

Here are some samples of this flash in action at a VERY dark lit venue!

second, the light stand

There are two parts to an Off Camera Light stand. Of course, the light stand itself. The more expensive the light stand, the less likely it will fall over on a guest. Weight is important. If you go cheap, make sure you have it in a secure spot. You also need to buy the hot shoe holder to hold the flash on the light stand!

third, the diffuser

You can use a softbox, umbrella or another type of diffuser to diffuse your off camera flash! It’s all personal preference, style and budget. We prefer a GIANT 55 inch umbrella for our wedding receptions.

1. Easy to transport…especially since I already have 7 out of state weddings next year.
2. It creates SOFT, beautiful light. The bigger umbrella, the softer the light
3. It’s extremely cheap! It acts like a very large softbox at a very low cost.

and finally, the receivers and transmitters

This is how your camera can tell your flash when to fire! There are cheaper versions of receivers and transmitters, but I LOVE my Neewer R&T set! They show my settings from the back of the transmitter instead of having to walk all the way to my flash every time I need to change something! They support  E-TTL autoflash, manual flash, high-speed sync, flash exposure compensation, flash exposure lock, manual focus,modeling flash etc.

One Light OCF Set Up | Part 1: What to Buy

We’re so excited about our new one light Off Camera Flash set up. Stay tuned for more posts on how to use all your new gear!

Kylee Maughan

Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.

kyleeannphotography.com/kylee