Remote Flash for Beginners – Rim Lighting

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This technique to make a silhouette pop is easy with PocketWizard and your speedlight.

 

The best time to take a shot like this is either at dawn or dusk, when the light is low but you can still see some environmental details.

These shots were taken at the beautiful Shelburne Farms in Vermont, just a few miles down the road from the PocketWizard headquarters. The moon was nearly full and rising just after sundown so there was still a bit of ambient light.

 

I placed my light about 6 feet in front of my subjects. In this example, I used a speedlight mounted on a PocketWizard FlexTT5 which was then mounted on a light stand. There is screw mount built right into the PocketWizard radio to make that easy. If you don’t have a light stand, you could put it on the ground or even have your subject hold it. A second FlexTT5 was mounted on my camera’s hot shoe. We set the camera settings to perfectly expose the dark scene without over-exposing the full moon. After some tests, I decided on the following settings:

• ISO: 500
• Aperture: F4
• Exposure Time: 1/200

 

My advice – take lots of shots, experiment, and have fun! My subjects were thrilled with the results!!

Welcome to the NEW PocketWizard Blog

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Did you know that PocketWizard has been making radio triggers for remote flash and remote photography for over 25 years? While PocketWizard is not new, this blog is. We’re making some changes around here with the singular purpose of getting closer to our customers and building a community of PocketWizard users. We want to share images and techniques that will spark your imagination.

Introducing our New Sales Manager
To help us build our PocketWizard community, we’d like to introduce a new member of our team – our new Sales Manager, Sarah Lavoie. Sarah brings a wealth of experience in sales and marketing and a passion for photography. We sat down with her for a chat about her new role at PocketWizard.

What brought you to PocketWizard?
I have been working as a sales and marketing professional in the medical imaging industry for years and pursuing my passion for photography on the weekends. When PocketWizard decided to expand their team, I jumped at the opportunity. I feel so lucky to have connected with this great team of people creating amazing products – right in my home town of Burlington, Vermont!

What are your first impressions?
The products are rock solid and have stood the test of time. PocketWizards have been around for years and the user base is incredibly loyal. PocketWizard radios that were purchased years ago, still connect and work with the newest cameras and the newest PocketWizard radios. Our PocketWizard radios are made in the USA and we have a local service team that supports our customers with questions and repairs. How great is that? This business model isn’t common today and our customers appreciate that.

Tell us a little about your photography
I would call myself an advanced amateur or hobbyist. I love photography and I love learning new techniques. I spend a lot of time looking at photos from other photographers and studying them to figure out how they captured that epic shot. Then I try to incorporate those techniques into my own work. These days, I’m working on my sport photography techniques as I watch my kids participate in their sporting events.

What is your experience using PocketWizard radios?
I remember seeing the most beautiful wedding photo with rim lighting taken with a remote flash many years ago. The photographer had written a blog about the photo and indicated that she had used a PocketWizard to create it. My first reaction was “what is a PocketWizard?” But that was as close as I got to using one. I wasn’t sure how I could use them in my amateur photography. When I took the job at PocketWizard, I borrowed a set. It has opened my imagination to a whole world of possibilities. For all those shots I hold in my imagination, PocketWizards make it possible – I can’t wait to share my results!

Contribute to our Blog
Got a story to share on our blog? We’d love to hear it! Send it to Sarah at marketing@pocketwizard.com