Syl Arena - Speedliter’s Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites

Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites

Second Edition

Syl Arena

Speedliters Handbook

Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites
Second Edition

Syl Arena

Peachpit Press
www.peachpit.com

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Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education.

Copyright 2016 by Syl Arena
All photography Syl Arena except where noted

Editors: Ted Waitt, Nancy Peterson, and Valerie Witte
Senior Production Editor: Lisa Brazieal
Copyeditor: Darren Meiss
Indexer: James Minkin
Cover Design: Mimi Heft
Interior Design: Syl Arena
Cover Image: Syl Arena
Back Cover Images: Syl Arena

Notice of Rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission reprints and excerpts, contact .

Notice of Liability

The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

Trademarks

All Canon products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Canon Inc.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN-13 978-0-134-00791-5
ISBN-10 0-134-00791-3

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Dedicated to my dad, John Arena.
Thanks for supporting my addiction to photography
for so many years during my youth.

Weve made five laps around the sun since I wrote the original Speedliters Handbook . In those five years, much has changed about the way I use Speedlites. Of course, Canons introduction of the 600EX-RT systemwith its built-in, two-way communicationwas reason enough to update the book. Yet, this new edition is so much more. Virtually every word, photo, and diagram in the first edition has been evaluated and either polished or cut.

The biggest change between the first and second editions is my shift away from automated camera and flash modes. Much of the first edition was based on using Aperture-priority (Av) on my camera and E-TTL on my Speedlite, which required acrobatic moves of exposure compensation and flash exposure compensation. By teaching hundreds of students face-to-face over these five years, Ive come to again believe that Manual mode, on both the camera and flash, is the best way to learn. I now share very clear guidelines on when to shoot in E-TTL and when to shoot in Manual mode.

Other additions/expansions in the second edition include:

Buttons-and-dials coverage of every current Canon Speedlite from the 600EX-RT down to the 90EX along with tips on using older Canon Speedlites and models from other manufacturers

A new chapter on maximizing the benefits of on-camera flash

Expanded portfolios of portraits made with a single Speedlite and multiple Speedlites

Complete updates to the chapters on light modifiers and gels

Greater emphasis on step-by-step workflows

Expanded discussions of how to use Canons camera-based LCD menu system for Speedlite control

And, of course, complete coverage of how to use the radio-enabled 600EX-RT system by itself and with earlier generations of Canon Speedlites.

Thanks are owed to so many. This book would not be going to press without the support of the following and so many others:

Amy and our three lads: Tom, Vin and Tony Thank you for serving as my models, assistants, and cheerleaders (even when you wanted to be somewhere else).

Rudy Winston My technical guru at Canon USA. Your detailed answers to my multi-year stream of questions make me look much smarter than I am.

Ted Waitt My long-suffering editor. Your admonition to tell the reader what you do, not everything you know still resonates every time I step up as a teacher.

Gabe Biderman and my extended family at B&H PhotoBy sharing the word about my events and online videos, you have brought Speedliting to literally hundreds of thousands of shooters around the globe.

Joe McNally You are still my sensei. I remain your humble and grateful student.

Bobbi Lane For sharing your joie de vie and letting me fib that you are my sister

Zack Arias For your evangelism that more-expensive gear does not necessarily make one a better photographer

Peter Read Miller For your friendship, calm inspiration, and encouragement

JP Caponigro For continuing to inspire the artist within

Frederick Van Johnson For making me laugh whenever we talk

M.D. Welch For introducing me to high-speed sync so many years ago

Maine Media Workshops, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Gulf Photo Plus, and Rocky Mountain School of Photography For providing the opportunities to teach in so many amazing places.