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I have recently added a second speedlight to my out-of-the-studio kit with the plan of being able to travel a bit lighter and more efficient. In the past I would bring along a monoilght for off-camera lighting at events, but now the second speedlight negates that need.

Today’s portrait of Pastor Steve at last weekend’s wedding shoot was captured with this two-speedlight setup. I had a Canon 580EXII on my camera with a 430EX on a lightstand with an umbrella to the right. The two strobes communicated with each other via IR. I set the on-camera strobe at -2/3 f/stop to serve as a fill light and set the off-camera strobe at +1/3 f/stop to be my main light. I then put my camera on manual with an exposure of 1/60 second at f/5.6. The TTL (through-the-lens) function of the speedlights managed their power output.

As you can see from the image, this setup worked well. The biggest advantage over using a monolight was that I didn’t have to re-meter anytime I moved the off-camera light. The TTL adjusted the power output to my exposure. I could move the off-camera light back for larger groups and in for individuals without worrying about exposure changes. And, unlike my monolights, I was able to operate cord-free since the lights are battery powered.

Even though this setup works well, I think that in the future I will add one more Speedlight to add even more versatility.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/60 second, f/5.6, ISO 100

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