Wow 2019 sure flew by, and I pressed the shutter button more than ever. So let me share a favourite picture or pictures as we finish 2019 and head in to 2020.

Day #5

LED constant light portraits

  • EOS R
  • EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
  • 1/200s, f/2, ISO 400

My first shoot with Emma was a bit different, I used a set of LED constant lights rather than flash. I’ve created a modification for my Lastolite Ezybox Pro soft boxes that lets me fit two 40w LED bulbs inside them. This is one of the first shoots I’ve done exclusively using this light setup. You don’t get as much power as a pair of Speedlites, and the brightness is fixed, but it works.

LED constant light portraits

  • EOS R
  • EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
  • 1/160s, f/2.2, ISO 400

One benefit is there’s not wait for the lights to recycle, so you can shoot pretty quick, ideal for those fleeting expressions. I was suitably impressed and Emma will be modelling for the first of my 2020 Speedlite workshops in Oxfordshire in January. If you want to join, hurry up there’s only a handful of places left on that one.

LED constant light portraits

  • EOS R
  • TS-E 90mm f/2.8
  • 1/160s, f/2.8, ISO 640

If you’re thinking that shot looks a little odd, like the lens is twisted, I haven’t dropped my camera, I used the tilt-shift lens. Focus peaking on the EOS R really helps to make sure that when you tilt the lens the eyes are sharply in focus.

 


Just quick note… I’m struggling to narrow down my selection of pictures to just a single one for each day 🙂 

About the author

Full-time photo tutor and photographer. I love to share my knowledge and skills to make photos, videos and teach others. I write books and articles for photo magazines and I always have at least one Speedlite flash in my camera bag