Picture Perfect Flash: Using Portable Strobes and Hot Shoe Flash to Master Lighting and Create Extraordinary Portraits

Book Synopsis: Conquer portable strobes and hot shoe flash to create extraordinary portraits!Roberto Valenzuela is a photographer, author, and educator who has an unmatched talent for helping people conquer photography’s most challenging topics in their pursuit of becoming better photographers. Over the past decade, he has written numerous bestselling books that have helped readers around the world break through barriers and improve their craft.In Picture Perfect Flash, for the first time Roberto dedicates an entire book to the subject of using small, portable strobes and hot shoe flashes to create powerful, creative, and extraordinary portraits.Flash photography has always been daunting for most photographers. Without a system and workflow for thinking about and working with flash, you can easily end up feeling stuck, or you end up flailing—randomly changing settings, positions, and modifiers—and hoping for the best. It’s not surprising that this leads to failure and frustration.In this book, Roberto teaches you The Picture Perfect Flash system he created, which will empower you to finally conquer your flash and create photographs that fulfill your intention and vision. There are two key components to this system, which Roberto calls FACES and NAME. The FACES system provides a framework for thinking about how you want or need to use flash in a particular scene:

• Fix the Light: Do you need to fix a low light problem, an unwanted color cast, or a situation with poor quality of light?
• Add Light: Do you need to add more light to boost or enhance the available light or create separation?
• Create a Mood: Are you using light to create a desired mood for a location or subject?
• Effects with Flash: Are you using flash for creative visual effect?
• Sculpt the Light: Do you need to sculpt the light to add drama, shape, and contouring?

Once you’ve found your purpose for the light, the NAME system provides an essential workflow for carrying out your flash photography in a methodical way so that you get consistent and predictable results:

• Number of Flashes: How many flashes do you need?
• Angle of Flashes: Where do the flashes need to be positioned?
• Modifiers for Flashes: How do you need to modify your flashes?
• Energy of Flashes: What power do the flashes need to be?

These two systems are covered in Part I: The Flash Advantage, which is the core framework of the book. In Part II: Flash Basics Explained, Roberto covers the flash features you need to know: TTL, Manual, 1st and 2nd Curtain Sync, High Speed Sync, and Channels and Groups. Finally, in Part III: Dynamic Flash Exercises, Roberto gives you a dozen lighting exercises that will substantially hone and advance your skills. With The Picture Perfect Flash system, you’ll finally be able to conquer your flash...and make the kind of portraits you’ve always wanted to create. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword by R’Bonney Nola, 2023 Miss Universe Introduction PART I: THE FLASH ADVANTAGE Chapter 1: The Picture Perfect Flash System Chapter 2: Fix the Light Chapter 3: Add Light Chapter 4: Create a Mood Chapter 5: Effects with Flash Chapter 6: Sculpt the Light Chapter 7: NAME: Your Game Plan PART II: FLASH BASICS EXPLAINED Chapter 8: TTL: Let the Flash Decide Chapter 9: Manual Mode Chapter 10: 1st Curtain Sync, 2nd Curtain Sync, and High Speed Sync Chapter 11: Channels and Groups PART III: DYNAMIC FLASH EXERCISES Chapter 12: Lighting Exercises Read more