Portrait session: Shooting studio portraits on film

By Matt Smith

This will be the format for the night

• Quick overview of using off camera flash for portraits
• Show how to position and meter a simple two light set up
• Test the setup and settings with a tethered digital camera so participants can see what the lighting will look like
• Test everyone’s camera will fire the trigger (Best ask participants not to load film until they’ve tested their camera with the sync cable and flash trigger)
• Buddy up in pairs and depending on how many participants we have, allocate a time for each pair to shoot each other. I’ll be on hand to provide posing advice
• Bit of a debrief about how participants found the experience

Instructions for participants before attending:

• Can use any 35mm or medium format film camera with manual settings (but no point and shoots) providing it has an X sync
• Preferably shoot iso 200 film just for consistency of settings across the group
• Don’t load film until we’ve tested their camera will fire the lights!!

Matt will bring the lights, trigger, sync cable and an adapter that should enable the trigger to attach to any cold or hot shoe. If their camera doesn’t have a shoe (like my Rolleiflex) will just have to hold the trigger!  Will use the club’s stands and soft boxes.

If we have lots of problems with peoples cameras not firing the flash, we can have a plan B set up just using the modelling lights as a ‘constant’ light.

Depending on time the normal show and tell will be after the portrait session.