How to Create a Wow Engagement Pictures with 1 Simple Flash

Having wow engagement pictures is one thing that you must be concern during your photo session so if yo’ve got only 1 flash in your camera bag for photo shoot, just don’t be scare cause with creativity than you still able to create beautiful pictures for your couple. Hi everyone my name is Bima and welcome to my photography blog. Today I wanna share to you about how to shoot for engagement pictures or we used to called it as a pre wedding with 1 flash and wireless trigger and receiver.

I know that some of you love to use available light and so am I but there is something that we couldn’t avoid during the photo session like weather, storm, or any ridiculous situation where available light is no more applicable. Basically we use artificial light to figure out this problem and the main reason is to fill our objects or models with some lights but there is another good news if you want to use this light on your photo session because you gonna bring your works into more dramatic and yes it gonna be awesome if you can afford it as well.

In a simple words there are two ways to use a flash on scene, there are on-camera flash mean you put your flash on the head shoe and off-camera flash mean someone hold the flash and you will fire it up with a trigger and receiver. Here I want to explain to you for what I’m doing in my pass engagement photo shoot, it will be very simple to do and you’ll be like it.

What is Off Camera Flash?

I could said that off camera flash is an photo shoot technique that using an external flash that hold by somebody or using a tripod. Here you may use 1, 2, or more flash for your photo shoot no matter it gonna be for outdoor or indoor scene but today let me explain the simple off-camera flash technique that using 1 external flash for your photo shoot. Since your flash in hold by somebody you will definitely need another tools like wireless trigger plus receiver and light stand and here you can use any wireless trigger like Godox Xpro-C TTL which belong to one of the best seller trigger and receiver on Amazon.

Engagement Pictures Inspiration #1

Down here I’m gonna show you my behind the scene of Joanna and Angga’s engagement session in Jakarta Indonesia. All you see below is our last destination which is belong to the beach that come with nice wooden bridge, sunset ambiance, and surely the weather, in fact we are so blessed today!

So what I’m going to do here is asking my couple to stand on the rock and hold their hand together which is seems to be classic wedding pose that you can do at any session that you had. At the same time I will stand opposite of them on an upper level and shoot this gorgeous couple by using off-camera flash technique just like what I said before. Let me give you with some concept drawing so I hope you can figure how this scene gonna be looks like.

Works on Scene

1. I posed my couple on the coral stone just next to the beach and I walking up into higher level to get a better angle
2. I hold my Nikon D810 with 14-24 mm f2.8 Nano lens on my right hand (I put my trigger here) and hold the flash on the left side (I put the receiver here)
3. Push the shutter and make sure the flash in on

Works on Studio

If you take a photo shoot on a public area like beach, park, or market than you can avoid to meet people especially if you come earlier or block the road which is impossible so I know that here I got some challenge like some trash and people passing by so I need more improvement after this scene done on my studio. So once I’m done with this scene so I will continue my works on studio with 3 simple steps:

1. Do colour adjustment for the couple and sky
2. Erasing people who standing by right behind my couple, and
3. I will give a bit of digital imaging magic by turning on the street lamp that set on the scene.

So, the final result will be…

To shoot like this you can use any cameras and lens that you have right now but there is some gears that you definitely need to do off-camera flash technique such as:

Engagement Pictures Inspiration #2

My next engagement pictures inspiration is taken from Billy and Dickie Ma’s pre wedding in Lux* South Ari Atoll Maldives, it was so hot during that day so after getting crazy and burn our skin at outdoor space than we choose to stay relax for little bit and thinking about another idea that we can do in indoor area. On this scene I’m doing a bride’s portrait photo shoot inside the bath room of Lux* Maldives 5 star luxury resort.

Even not using flash unit like inspiration #1 but what I’m doing here is fill in my model by using LED dimmable continuous light that goes with the same technique like the previous one.

Works on Scene

1. I let my bride sit on the bathtub and I get my body lower just in the same level with her
2. I hold my Canon 5D Mark IV with 16-35 mm f2.8 L series lens on the right hand and the LED light on the left

Works on Studio

1. Basic colour adjustment on level, saturation, highlight and shadow
2. Put some photo filter on window frame and give a little bit ambiance colour to make it stand out, in fact you can learn more about my post production works on Adobe Photoshop action class

So the result will be…

As I said before that here I’m not using flash unit but using LED dimmable continuous light that might be easier to you to see the modelling light. Few weeks ago I just wrote about 10 dimmable continuous light recommendation that you can buy in super reliable price and surely I use it for over than 5 years during the all session that I had.

Engagement Pictures Inspiration #3

On scene number 3, I went to Maldives for the second time for Denise and Joel’s pre wedding photo shoot and taking a photo shoot during sunset time, it’s a bit foggy out there but still outstanding. Again on this scene I’m gonna use my LED light to fulfil my couple’s face that gonna pose right in front of the beautiful sunset time.

Works on Scene

1. I posing my groom to sit on the sofa hand grip and let the bride to standing in front of him
2. I still use an LED light but here I let my bride hold it for me and face the light into their body, just look at the light between my couple
3. Here I use Canon 5D Mark IV again with 16-35mm f2.8 lens

Work on Studio

1. Do basic colour adjustment and retouching for the sky
2. Put a little bit colour ambiance and filter to give more dramatic effect on my final result, you can learn more about post production action on my Photoshop action class

And the final result gonna be like this,

Engagement Pictures Inspiration #4

Scene number 4 is still in Denise and Joel’s pre wedding photo shoot where I shoot for surprise engagement scene located just next to their water villa room. Here I posing my couple next to the stairs with a beautiful ocean view for the background and I’m still using my Canon 5D Mark IV with 16-35 mm f2.8 L series lens.

Works on Scene

1. I posed my couple to look at each other and let my wife hold the orange gown and my Canon Speedlight 600EX together, yes I got my flash receiver on it too
2. I go to higher place which is in the bridge to get a lower angle on other side so I can get their side faces

Works on Studio

1. Colour adjustment for the gown, hair, and view surrounding
2. Put a bit colour filter, sharpness, and a bit of magic to give more impression on the final images

And the final image goes to…

Engagement Pictures Inspiration #5

My last engagement pictures inspiration is coming from Intan and Alfa pre wedding that located in Yogyakarta Indonesia. In this last scene I did an engagement for Intan and Alva in D’Omah resort in Bantul Yogyakarta. If someday you were there and there is a small spot just next to the pool with antique hanging lamp.

Works on Scene

1. I posed my couple to stay close and look at each other, they just 1 meter from the wall
2. I shoot this scene from about 5 meter far where I able to get the antique hanging lamp with my Canon Speedlight 600EX
3. I let my bride to hold my speedlight and fire it up face to the wall and NOT to the couple, the idea on this scene is having a wall flash reflection to lights will spread to whole area

Works on Studio

1. Put a basic colour adjustment and photo filter
2. You may learn about Photoshop on my Photoshop tutorials

And here is the final result…

Conclusion

I will say thank you in advance that you guys still on my page and see what I’m doing to create wow engagement pictures on my works. Working so hard and learn something cool in photography will be great and if you have some question about this topic I will feels so happy to answering it so please you may free to write any comment or suggestion for me.

Just to give you some lists of gears that I personally recommend you to buy for using this off-camera flash technique, so I will put the links below:

• Godox Xpro-C TTL – BEST seller trigger
• Light stand – Reliable gear if you shoot alone
• Dimmable 176 LED Panel Light
• Canon Speedlight 600EX

Thank you for read this article and I’ll be in touch with you with new article every week, talk soon my friends!