Handling Multiple Flashes with David Bergman

Today’s easy photography tutorial with photographer David Bergman is about how and why we would use two or more flashes inside one modifier.

Mr. Bergman shares: “Most photographers will tell you that to get serious with lighting you’ve got to get that speed light off of your camera, which allows you to use an infinite number of light modifiers. Sometimes you’ll find you want to put two or more flashes inside one modifier.”

“The first reason to use more than one flash is to increase the amount of light that’s hitting your subject. The main thing you need to know is that ever time you double the number of flashes, you get one extra stop of light. So, if for example one light gives you f/4, two lights will give you 5.6 and four lights will give you f/8.”

“Another reason to add a speed light to your setup is that you can shoot at lower power levels. So if you’re shooting one flash of full power – you can shoot two flashes at half power and get the same amount of light. This will give you a much faster recycle time and also give you more pops on one set of batteries.”

“Now that we know why we want to add more lights to our setup, how do we do it? There are a lot of different great products out there but I’m going to show you a few of my favorites. One of the more expensive options is the light with the foursquare. This mounting block is built like a tank and can take up to four flashes! I like their system because they also make soft boxes that fold up really small for travel.”

“A much cheaper option is the flashpoint triple shoe mount bracket. This thing will hold up three speed lights and it has a tilt holder built in so you can pivot your umbrella up or down without any extra hardware.”

“Lastly, if you want to use multiple speed lights on the cheap setup – get some good old fashioned gaffers tape and stick those suckers together. It’s not pretty but it’ll work in a pinch.”

For more information visit AdoramaTV YT page, and of course you can keep up with David on Instagram and Twitter @DavidBergman. LATEST UPDATE: David opened up new IGTV episodes where you can ask him questions live! find out more at http://www.AskDavidBergman.com

Check out our WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles that teach you hands-on how to make great photos!

Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV:

Floral Work by Nicole Garcia

About the shoot:

Our shoot was a creative collaboration, focused mainly on my floral work- I contacted a few of my favorite creators to gather together and create some great content to use for all of our socials, portfolio and showcase floral installations and personals that I can design for weddings and events.

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Florals : Nicole @moonwakemeadow | https://www.moonwakemeadow.com/ | IG @moonwakemeadow

MUA: Danielle @_beautdee

Hair Stylist: Iliana @ilianabelen_

Model: Gloria @glowwfloww

Model: Meli @meuwz_

Photography: Amanda @_mcamanda_

Photography: Mia @miarosekphotography

About the stage:

FD Studios in New York are proud to offer one of our latest locations/creative spaces – Astoria! Currently offering 10 distinct stages for your artistic needs. Astoria 2 studio is adorned with hardwood floors, vibrant colorful walls and big North facing window.

Malcolm Lee at FD Studios

About the shoot:

The shoot I did in “HILL 3” was for my digitals special, consisting of 1 Look for 1 Hr. It was a straightforward shoot with minimal styling, makeup, and lots of natural light.

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MODEL: EVIE | IG: https://www.instagram.com/ev_boo123/

PHOTOGRAPHER: MALCOLM LEE(FINESSENSHOTS) | IG: https://www.instagram.com/finessenshots/

MODEL 2: Lihem Russom | IG: https://www.instagram.com/lihemrussom/

YOUTUBE VIDEO:

The stage:

Stage Hill 3 is one of our largest and brightest stages. Advantageously positioned with the windows facing west and north, this stage gets plenty of sift indirect sunlight in the first half of the day and lots of direct sunbeams in the second half. As with any our other stages a standard package of three basic backdrops and three lights is available within the stage already. For more information visit stage Hill 3 on our website.

Christen Alexi Mcgruder by Gracie Hammond

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Model: Christen Alexi Mcgruder @c.hristen
Photographer: Gracie Hammond @graciehammondphotography

About the stage:

Chicago 7 is a beautiful corner brick photo studio with south-facing windows, wood floors and tons of natural light. It is located in East Garfield Park (nearest big intersection is Lake and Western) – 124 N Campbell Ave, Chicago, IL, 60612. All necessary equipment/amenites – 3x Flash Units (Strobes), Wireless Triggers, Fans, Sand Bags, Sound System (AUX), and Free Wifi are already included in the hourly rate. No Insurance / Permits is required to book.

B James At FD Metro 1 Studio

Photographer B James recently visited our studio for a Blackout Studio Photoshoot using the EOS R6 + Canon 50mm 1.8 RF.

About the Stage:

FD Metro 1 Studio is a 1400 sq.ft Blackout car photo & studios with RGB Tunnel, RGB Walls, and Sports Bike. This studio is located on the ground level with a large loading gate allowing cars and bikes to simply drive in. RGB Lights are fully controllable and can be synchronized with music. The motorcycle is included with each rental. 13-14ft high ceiling. For more information visit the studio’s website page and book it online.

Maternity-Birthday Shoot of Serena Catnott

About the model:

My name is Serena a nurse practitioner from the Bronx, NY who was doing a maternity shoot as my husband and I are expecting our first child. The photos also doubled as my 35th birthday pictures (my “maternity-birthday” as I like to call it).

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Photographer: Kofi Nyantakyi | IG: @distinguishkofi

Creative Designer: Jackelyn Rincon | IG: Mochamiss86

Model: Serena Pascal | IG: Reenzy_ree

At the location:

NY Studio 2 known as “Wood Platform” studio is one of the busiest stages we currently offer. Equipped with everything you need for a perfect intimate, romantic or empowering style of photoshoot, this stage always leaves our clients excited and hungry for more time. Featuring a dark wood floor platform across the stage and a sexy purple boutique chair creates welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. A wall section with the brick veneer adds a flavor to this urban loft style. Among these unique features, the stage comes with great equipment – three strobe lights, three backdrops of white, grey and black color, sound system, makeup station and changing station. Have a look at New York Studio 2 on our website information, prices and availability.

Manage Your Images with David Bergman

In today’s quick photography tip we are going to explore the best methods for the image database management, kindly provided by NY’s Photographer David Bergman and his show on AdoramaTV.

David explains: “Do you how I manage my images after a shoot so that I can find them in the future? There are different ways to do this and I’m not saying this is the only way, or even the best way but it’s worked for me for many years.”

“On any particular assignment I might shoot thousands of photos. Before I copy all of those images into my computer, I’m gonna create a single master folder and name it with an eight-digit number that represents the date of the shoot – a year, the month, and the day, and then something descriptive about the assignment.”

“I do it that way, so when I have a long list of folders on my hard drive, they’ll all sort automatically in inside that master folder. Then I create all the subfolders. I’m gonna need a “raw” folder and a “selects” folder. Inside “selects” I create two subfolders – “raw first edit” and “raw final”. I might have more folders in there depending on the assignment.”

“it will start with that for now I can copy all of my images into that raw folder and I use photo mechanic to go through them very quickly. I’m gonna do multiple passes here so I don’t spend a lot of time comparing one frame. I’m just looking for anything decent, and if I can get it down to two or three hundred images, I’ll copy those into the “raw first edit” folder I created earlier, and then repeat that process with those images.”

“And this is where I’m gonna make my critical final selections. Hopefully getting it down to thirty or forty frames – I copy those into my “raw finals” folder, and those are the only images I’m gonna bring into my RAW processing folder to work on for final publication. At the end of this process I have a single tidy folder with all of my images. If I need to find something in the future I can search for it by date or assignment, and then go into the “raw finals” folder to find my best images.”

“If I need to find something else, I can always go into that “raw first edit” folder and look for more images from the shoot.”

Check out our WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles that teach you hands-on how to make great photos!

Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV:

Rachel Carlat at FD Loft 1

About the shoot:

This shoot was for my jewelry business @raediate.la on Instagram.
The photographer was @niftyshots & makeup artist @beautybynic

About the studio:

Welcome to Paris, located conveniently within Downtown LA. This airy French Baroque-style apartment entices and demands that you play with every inch of space. The soft yet elegant color palette will hold the focus on your model while providing enough of a backdrop to keep viewers engaged. Abundant natural light bounces gently around the whole space, providing a bright and colorful atmosphere. A mix of the 17th century and the modern-day, several hand-selected pieces of ornate furniture are at your disposal. Complete the French style with the chaise longues, capture comfort with the plush, studded bed, or get a new angle with the plethora of mirrors. LA Loft 1 spoils photographers for choice, meaning that if you’ve been looking to rent a photo studio, you might just find everything you’ve been searching for in one local. Equipped with ready-to-use RGB LED panels, light stands, and free wifi, we are sure you’ll leave LA Loft 1 as inspired as you arrived.

Ravyn Davis at Astoria 1

Photographer Ravyn Davis recently visited our New York location – FD Astoria 1 studio and shot amazing series of portraits there.

Follow:

Ravyn Davis | IG: @rjsimogen @thereal_rjsimogen

At the location:

FD Studios in New York are proud to offer one of our latest locations/creative spaces – Astoria! Currently offering 10 distinct stages for your artistic needs.