De-Mystify then Master Small Strobes with Brent Winebrenner

At the end of the day you’ll have the knowledge you need to take the guess-work out of using your flash off-camera so that you can begin to work creatively, with confidence in the studio or on location. We are going to de-mystify flash photography and learn to how to fearlessly create predictable exposure results.  We are going dive deep and learn the fundamentals of flash photography from the ground up. We’re going to do this with small pocket strobes in manual mode, learning the fundamentals the “old school way” using Guide Numbers. 

It requires work to climb the learning curve but it is a proven approach that leads to real craftsmanship and mastery. We’ll begin at the beginning with a quick primer on the exposure variables – ISO, shutter speed, aperture and illumination. Then we are going to learn how “flash light” fits into the exposure system. We’ll show you how to measure the illuminating power of your own flash. Then you’ll learn how to use that information to choreograph the changes in the variables that affect flash exposure to produce predictable results – every time. With the fundamental principles established, we’re going get beyond blind faith in ttl and explore shooting in mixed lighting environments. We’re going to learn how to blend ambient and strobe light to get predictable exposure and aesthetic results. We’ll wrap things up by introducing a second pocket strobe and learn how to quickly and efficiently establish portrait lighting ratios with having to rely on a light meter or a wireless TTL setup.

Comprehensive notes and handouts will be provided to all course participants. Please bring a notebook and pen as well as your camera & flash if you have one. 

Brent Winebrenner is an editorial and corporate location photographer and videographer. In addition to numerous Lonely Planet publications, his work has appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Santa Barbara Magazine, Modern Bride, Wine Spectator, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Brent served as a Semester at Sea photographer and taught location lighting in the Visual Journalism Department at the Brooks Institute of Photography. He has produced a variety of corporate branding videos for Kendall Jackson and Foley Family Wines. He is also the principle photographer on three coffee table books for Rizzoli Publications, including the recently released title "The Splendor of Cuba.