Putting it in Practice

Putting it in practice

My basic setup consisted of six to nine Canon 550EX flashes. Four to six of these units comprised the main light, one or two were used to illuminate the background, and one was used as back or “hair” light. Lighting stands can be very cumbersome and you want to reduce the amount of hardware near the bird if at all possible. I built a single frame to hold all the lights in their positions. In this way the frame was a self-contained lighting unit, very handy for photography in the field. This frame was essentially a sled that could be moved around to wherever it is needed. It was comprised of bolted angle iron which could be easily disassembled and reassembled in the field. And since it is self-contained, all the flashes can be pre-aligned, then the entire unit can be slid into place. Whether I use a 400mm lens at twenty feet distant or a 16 mm lens much closer, I always shot from a tripod through the “ring” of the main lights.

Figure - "Lab" setup of flash rig 

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Figure – Flash rig in the field, Madera Cyn, AZ

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