Nikon D4, 28-300mm @ 98mm, ISO 1,200, ƒ/8, 1/50

Gitzo GT-0531

On vacation with the family I ended up making some portraits on the beach. I had my Nikon SB-900 and Nikon SB-800 with me.

I wanted to use the beach as the background for the photos. No need for a white seamless when you got this kind of natural setting to use.

I took the flashes to help give that pop to the photos.  I wanted the subjects to be just a hair bit brighter than everything else to draw more attention to them.

I also used my Gitzo carbon fiber tripod to keep the camera rock steady so I could shoot these at dusk.  This way everyone’s eyes were open and not squinting on the beach.

To trigger the flashes I had the PocketWizard Mini TT1, FlexTT5 and AC3. Using the AC3 to control the output of the flashes, I set the SB-900 at 0 and the SB-800 at -1. This way the SB-900 is the main light and the SB-800 is the fill.

Since this is working using TTL you have to play with this. The scene really affects the look and how the TTL reacts in any given situation. 

We had lots of fun making different photos of everyone down on the beach.

Lighting diagram for the photos.

Now that the technical stuff is explained and out of the way, how do you get good expressions?

Have some fun and let them goof around. After having some fun you can squeeze a few pleasant moments off as well.