Off-Camera Flash Photography Tips – Where to Mount the Flash

This article is a continuation of the previously discussed how to trigger your flash article. Once you have your flash and are able to trigger it remotely, now you have to figure out where to put the darn thing! This is a great question and you have many different options here. The method you choose will depend on the type of photography you’re wanting to pursue…oh, and how fat your wallet is.

Hand Held
This is, without a doubt, the cheapest option. You’ve already got a hand, so why not put it to use? The idea is to hold your camera in one hand and your flash in the other. While this gets the job done, it can sometimes be a more daunting task than one would think.

First off, you’ve got both of your hands full. So, if you need to make an adjustment on either the camera or the flash, you’ll have to shuffle your equipment around. And when you’re holding several hundred dollars worth of equipment in your hands, the last thing you want to do is carelessly shuffle things around.

However, sometimes hand holding the flash is the only way to work. There will be some situations where you won’t be able to take a lot of gear.

Bracket
With this option, you’ll get results that are very similar to hand held flash. This is basically a bracket that attaches your flash to your camera. This frees up one of your hands and is a popular selection with wedding photographers and event photographers as it allows them the ability to move around freely without having to worry about positioning the flash.

Light Stand
A traditional light stand is how most professional photographers might mount their flashes off-camera. While this is the priciest and possibly the least convenient option as it pertains to the amount of gear you’re carrying, a light stand does give you the stability and flexibility that you may not have otherwise.

Using a light stand affords you the ability to easily vary the height and position of the light, as well as providing stable support to your flash. Additionally, you can add on an umbrella adapter, which enables you to fire your flash through an umbrella to spread your light source further.

The Bogen-Manfrotto Nano Stand 001B is an excellent option for a lightweight portable light stand. It collapses to under 20 inches and extends to over 7 feet!

It’s a given that you will sometimes be stuck in situations where the above options are either unavailable or unsuitable; that’s where you’ll need to get creative. The following items will enable you to mount your flash to an object or surface that would be impossible otherwise.[ad name=”468×60″]

Bungee Cords
Bungee cords (or any kind of cord/rope) are a cheap and easy way to mount your flash to nearly anything the cord itself can be wrapped around. Ball-bungees are especially effective as they’re shorter and just the right size to fasten your flash to a pole, tree, ladder, etc.

Clamp
Not quite as cheap as bungee cords, these are specially made clamps called Super Clamps with fittings especially for lighting gear. This enables you to clamp your light to surfaces and objects that a bungee cord can’t fit around.

A more versatile (and thus, slightly more expensive) version of the super clamp is the Justin Clamp, which has a ball-head attachment on a different clamping mechanism.

Environment
As I said earlier, it’s time to get creative. How would the light look if you placed your flash on that windowsill, or on that high tree limb, or what if you had light coming up from the ground? Check out your surroundings and look at what options you have. You may find that the best lighting accessory you have is your brain.

Related Posts

• Introduction to Off-Camera Lighting with Small Flashes
• Off-Camera Flash Photography Tips – Choosing a Flash
• Off-Camera Flash Photography Tips – How to Trigger Your Flash

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