You raise an interesting point. Information can be considered to be almost worthless now that it is available for free or nearly free online. Knowledge, internalised information has potential and knowledge times experience is more powerful still because this leads to wisdom.

For instance you can find out almost all the information there is to know about the human body, ailments and diseases on the internet but does it make you a doctor or a surgeon? Of course not, diagnosis and treatment is best dealt with by trained professionals. The knowledge of how to use a camera doesn’t make someone a pro either. Successfully running a full time business based on taking pictures that people buy makes you a professional photographer. An ability to use a camera and know how TTL works is only the start.

What separates the pros from the amateurs is the ability to create a product, put it to market, convert leads into sales and return a profit. Then the process needs to be repeated as many times as is required to earn a living. A wedding photographer shooting 35 weddings a year is being a photographer less than one day in ten.

I benefited from the top pros who shared their knowledge and wisdom with me (for a price) this enabled me to leave my BBC career and turn pro. And now it’s my turn to share my knowledge and experience with the next generation of talented professional photographers.

The survival of the fittest is part of our modern market place and those photographers who have a unique product that customers want to buy will be well on their way to success. I help pros to evolve and I help those wanting to turn pro to do so. I can’t make someone creative or give them the ability to charm their clients. The creativity and personality has to come from within. Our industry is personality led because for the most part a client chooses a photographer, the person. If their work is exceptional then the photographers personality is perhaps less important part in the process of getting bookings.

• The majority of the information needed to be a successful professional wedding photographer is available for under £20 in my wedding photography book.

• In my DVDs I show how to shoot, the settings and techniques etc.

• On my workshops I teach the process of ’seeing’ a picture. This experience is the most valuable practical training I give and is priced accordingly.

• At our one day special business building event Gregory, my business consultant and I will be sharing the secrets of building and running a successful photography business. There are over 100 photographers who have booked already and they will have a big advantage over their competitors as a result.

• Finally our ten month Evolve programme is the complete training package for photographers destined for success.

The fact that you read my blog, understand the techniques that I am sharing, and see the value in them, means that hopefully you will return again as I post more and more information. It’s time for me to give something back and if as a result of reading my blog you get more from your photography I am delighted irrespective of how much you earn doing so.

Kind regards,

Damien.

Great post which gives us a good look into how the pros do on location lighting. I’m a bit of a strobist, a bit of a techie/technogeek I guess and love reading about the gear used to achieve a specific result. I recently bought ‘The Hot Shoe Diaries’ written by Joe McNally and although I’m a Canon man and Joe uses Nikon, he does really do a great job of explaining the technicalities of the job on location, just like you do in this post.

I think I might buy your portrait lighting DVD next, right after I’ve watched your ‘Big Day’ DVD a few times.

Thanks for the post and for sharing your expertise with the rest of us.

Regards
Heinz

I’ve watched the Radio Popper option for a while now and I was expecting the UK version last July but it has yet to materialise. It may be that they are having issues too. The Canon 580 has an unprecedented level of RF (radio frequency) noise that tends to squelch the trigger signals to some extent.

I understand the worst case scenario is 10 metres of accurate TTL with the units directly connected to the 580 flash unit. 10m is enough for any of the photography that I do. I will have a TTL cord to hand in case I should ever need the full 100m range.

It is worth mentioning that the 430EX2 doesn’t suffer from the RF noise problems of the 580 series flash units. I’ve just bought a 430 flash unit and I’ll be using it for back / kick lighting that is usually further away from the camera and I’ll be able to place it around corners rather than stick with line of sight.

I also have a pair of the Pocket Wizard Plus 2 units that can be triggered using the same transmitter.

The usable radio frequency for this kit is set by the home office and I’m sure that Radio Poppers are up against the same issues otherwise we would have seen them over here ages ago as their system is at least a year ahead of the Pocket Wizards.

The PW’s use the Canon TTL language and don’t require an ST-E2 to piggy back. That saves an instant £150 and the inconvenience of a big lump on the camera.

The real deal breaker for the PW system is the flash sync re timing facility to give an extra stop of flash power balance. All will be revealed. I’ll be running PW training days in the autumn once I’ve really pushed the system to the limit.

I hope this helps, Damien.

Regarding the new Pocket Wizard TTL units, there seems to be some concern over the maximum range of these units when using the 580EX/2.

Have you considered the new Radio Poppers ? They are due out in the UK in July.

Phil

Thank you for your extended comments and wise words. The new Pocket Wizard TTL units allow a closed loop calibration to shorten the camera sync speed when using Speedlights. This will give at least one more stop of ambient control in most cases.

I’ll be trialling my demo set ASAP and will report back with my findings.

Damien.

You are right about line of sight, especially when working outdoors. The difference is that in confined spaces infrared trigger signals can bounce off walls and other objects in the room. That is why Hifi and TV remote controls can often work when pointing away from the units. When outside the infrared light emmiter on the ST-E2 must be in line of sight of the receiver on the flash gun.

Up until now all radio transmitters on European frequencies have been limited to non TTL control. We are expecting our first deliveries of the new Pocket Wizard TTL units imminently and are taking pre orders online at Lovegrove Consulting now.

Damien.

A brilliant essay on lighting – thanks again. In my own experience your insights are spot on with regard to keeping one’s work above the reach of your keen amateur weekend shooter. Although many amateurs are able to produce professional looking results, pros can still have an edge in natural light with regard to preparation i.e. Clothing, hair, makeup, shot design and telling a story combining wide establishing shots and tight details.

I agree that Speedlights provide excellent value and punch when used correctly. Running out of exposure control in bright outdoor conditions is the biggest challenge. I’d like to know your thoughts on high speed sync. I have used this in the past to shoot low f values. I understand that the xsync shutter speed is the fastest setting where the curtain exposes the full sensor area in one instant. Higher shutter speeds are effectively achieved by the curtain forming a slit that sweeps across the sensor area, and the short burst duration of a flash is not fully recorded. Am I right in saying that high speed sync is achieved by a longer burn duration of the TTL flash so that the full sweep across the sensor plane is recorded? I used high speed sync recently for some swimming action shots using both ambient and Speedlight sources. Despite a 1/400th shutter speed, close examination of flash highlights recorded in splashing water revealed a slight blur, suggesting the suspected longer flash burst. A two head big flash setup would certainly have been welcome on the job, as I would have relied less on ambient and I would have got the freeze frame pin sharp.

Kind Regards

Josh

Once more, many thanks,

John