Wedding season is upon us, bringing clear skies and warm weather—the perfect backdrop for capturing stunning couple portraits and candid moments at ceremonies and receptions. For photographers tasked with capturing a once-in-a-lifetime event, high-quality lighting gear is a must. Learn more about versatile light and modifier options to elevate your couple’s special day.
Capture with an On-Camera Flash
A compact and often powerful tool, on-camera flashes offer wedding photographers versatility while documenting weddings spanning across multiple locations and venues. With little setup required, a hot shoe-compatible on-camera flash is a “no assembly required” option for instantaneous and high-volume shooting.
Profoto A10
Profoto’s continued quality of light, gear durability, and vast power options offer dependable on-camera flash options. Complete with a circular flash to compliment portraiture and groups, the Profoto A10 produces natural-looking catchlights and seamless falloff that adds an extra boost of illumination to outdoor images.
For uninterrupted lighting consistency that combats the effects of cloudy skies or a setting sun, the A10 offers full-frame coverage and a flash duration up to 1/20,000 of a second for fast-paced events. Best for shooting in rapidly changing lighting environments, the flash’s TTL and exposure compensation capabilities give photographers a lighting buffer that minimizes the risk of missing the right moment.
Godox V100
When the gear receipt starts to resemble an engagement ring price tag, Godox offers photographers budget-friendly options with comparable capabilities to higher end flashes. The Godox V100 is a significantly more affordable “dupe” for the Profoto A10 that supports high-speed sync up to 1/8000 of a second. The V100’s high-speed sync option, 1.7 second recycling time, and advanced cooling system provide consistent lighting for special behind-the-scenes moments and cool moves on the dance floor.
On the Subject, off the Camera
New on-camera flashes can trigger bright light while off the camera’s hot shoe, offering monolight-quality output without the excess luggage. Wirelessly triggering your flash off camera creates greater lighting depth with its additional refinement options. Moving your light off-axis from your lens will prevent direct flash and unflattering red-eye effects.
Flashes that connect to a compatible wireless trigger introduce new placement and technique options. Now, handhold or place the flash on a light stand to create more dynamic lighting setups that not only flatter the couple but produce eye-catching visuals.
Send My Love with a Strobe
While on-camera flashes successfully illuminate unplanned moments and large crowds, battery-powered strobes are extremely useful for photographing posed couple portraits and family photos. Wireless strobes and their accessories can easily overpower the sun, capture fast action, and accommodate unique lighting modifiers to create complex lighting techniques. While traveling with monolights aren’t always ideal, newer fixtures and their accessories are becoming more compact and lightweight to offer studio-grade light on-location.
Multi-light kits, such as the Godox AD300pro 2-Light Kit, can be excellent all-in-one option for outdoor shooting. For more control, choose a monolight with wireless capabilities to easily adjust your settings. A compatible trigger can also connect multiple strobes to place main, fill, and hair lights. The Elinchrom ONE Off Camera Flash Dual Kit includes two flash heads, diffusion domes, and a backpack for simple transportation. Weighing only 3.3 pounds, this compact kit runs on a long-lasting rechargeable battery and is compatible with a separately available Skyport transmitter to refine your outputs up to 656’ away.
L is for LEDs
If you plan to record video, battery-powered LEDs provide consistent lighting. Monolight-style LEDs, such as the Aputure LS-300x Bi-Color LED, have a similar build and footprint as strobes, making it possible to swap modifiers or share mounts on location. Panel LEDs, including this Litepanels Astra 6X Bi-Color LED is another option for quickly achieving a uniform source outdoors. This panel offers significant brightness through its tightly binned LEDs and Total Internal Reflection optics. Together, these features create a broader range of light to properly illuminate large groups. For a more nuanced look at these two types of continuous lights, check out our article on point-source and light panel LEDs.
Add a pop of light to your footage with on-camera LEDs. With many bright and compact options, these LEDs can provide an extra boost without additional gear. While daylight-balanced LEDs are alluring to outdoor shooters, RGB LEDs can match ambient light or add creative color effects. Immerse yourself into the dance floor action with the Luxli Viola² 5" On-Camera RGB LED Light Panel. Designed specifically for live events and video recording, this light panel connects directly to your camera’s hot shoe for flicker-free dimming and uses Bluetooth connectivity.
Love and Light Stands
Position your lights precisely and securely outdoors with light stands ensures lighting consistency and gear security. Sturdy, durable light stands are typically the safest option for preventing accidents outdoors. C-stands are rugged and work well in almost any environment but are heavy for lugging around long distances. A dedicated case will make transportation much easier and keep your gear organized. Compact light stands are easy to travel with but are generally less stable. Either way, use sandbags to secure your stand.
The Secret Accessories for Success
Lighting modifiers can direct and amplify the effects of your flash or strobe. The Profoto Clic Softbox Octa illuminates groups to evenly dispense the flash’s output. Uniquely shaped modifiers, like an octobox, expand and spread the flash’s output without adding additional light.
Above all, batteries are the most crucial component of outdoor shooting. Lacking access to power outlets and the strain that temperate environments put on batteries requires multiple spare batteries.
Another important accessory for any location work is reliable and weatherproof bags and cases fore your gear. When working outdoors, your gear is only as good as its protection when a rain cloud arrives to disrupt the wedding—unlike the good luck that a rainy wedding day brings to a couple, it’s not the same for your gear.
