There are literally a million-and-one ways to light a wedding reception, ranging from the cheap and easy, like direct on-camera flash, to the complicated and expensive, like off-camera strobes with radio frequency triggers.

I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve, but tend to rely on the same one or two time and again. Let's begin with the cheap and easy and work our way up from there.

• Direct Flash

  Where you point the flash at the subject and fire away. While it may be the cheapest and easiest way to light a wedding, it consistently produces the ugliest results with drop shadows and high contrast; don't do it unless you are in a pinch.

• Bounce Flash

  Where you tilt the flash head to bounce light off of the floor, wall, ceiling and anything else inside the venue; bounce flash requires a fair amount of alertness to be constantly repositioning the flash head for optimal results, but the lighting is quite nice, with no drop shadows and manageable contrast.

• Diffused Flash

  Devices like the Sto-fen Omnibounce and Gary Fong Lightsphere work to throw light off in all directions, creating a mix of softened direct flash and bounce flash; this is a set it and forget it type of flash photography that works in most cases, producing safe and consistent light, however, be aware that these types of devices tend to increase flash output, slowing down recycle times and increasing battery usage.

• Off-Camera Flash with Cable

  Using off-camera flash cables, you hand hold the camera in your right hand and the flash in your left hand, producing directional effects that are hard to achieve with regular on-camera or bounce flash. Adding filters, diffusers and grids, as well as changing the angle of the flash head relative to the subject yields a shaped light that often mimics studio quality. When using off camera flash with a cable, you are going to need to get your focal length and exposure set in advance, since you won't be able to work the camera with both hands.

• Off-Camera Flash with Radio Frequency Transmitters

  Setting up speedlights or strobes on stands with umbrellas or bouncing off the ceiling has become a popular way to light receptions, and sometimes even ceremonies; what you do is set the lights at the corner of the dance floor, if they are speedlights, and in the corner of the room, if they are strobes, and then take several meter readings throughout the room, noting that "It is f8 here, f5.6 there and f2 way over there," then you shoot at the appropriate apertures for the corresponding location. I am not a big fan of this technique, since our clients have spent a fortune making the wedding venue look great, and 12' black stands sitting near the dance floor are eyesores. Also, using stands with lights atop introduces a tremendous liability into the equation, with the potential for guests tripping and falling on the stands or knocking over the kit sending hot glass everywhere!

My Method - Bounce Flash Diffused Flash Hybrid

Nine times out of ten, I can light a wedding with a bounce flash diffused flash hybrid approach where I use a combination of the onboard bounce card and tilt/rotation of the flash head.

• Turn the ISO up as high as realistically possible; on the D700, I can comfortable work somewhere between ISO 2,000 and ISO 4,000 during the reception.

• Open the lens up as much as realistically possible; with an 85mm f1.4, I can comfortably work somewhere between f2 and f4 during the reception.

• Turn the shutter speed down as far as realistically possible; depending on the amount of ambient light in the venue, I can comfortably work somewhere between 1/15th and 1/30th.

  NOTE: The goal of these first three settings is for the ambient exposure to be around two-thirds of a stop below ambient light levels; what this means is that, for instance, if proper exposure, as determined by a handheld incident meter or the in-camera reflective meter, is 1/15th f2.8 ISO 2,000, I want my camera set at around 1/30th f2.8 ISO 2,500. The reason for the intentional underexposure based on the ambient light levels is for the flash to make up the difference, freezing motion and creating a nice and clean crispness. If the underexposure amount is much greater than two-thirds of a stop, you will start to create a "Deer in the headlights look," and if it is much less than two-thirds of a stop, you risk overexposure, or so little flash hitting the subject that motion is not frozen.

• Point the flash head straight up and turn it around backwards so that while the head pointing toward the ceiling, the bounce card closest to the lens.

• Pull out the bounce card all the way so that when the flash fires, the majority of the light will be going behind you.

My Method - Bounce Flash Diffused Flash Hybrid

What happens is that the light from the flash is primarily being thrown upwards, backwards and sideways, bouncing off of every surface in all directions, and the light that is hitting the subject is coming from a very broad source, so is very even. The result is that your subject is literally wrapped in soft light, and because your exposure is close, but under ambient light levels, you end up with a properly balanced image and frozen action.

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About Wedding Photographer - Brady Dillsworth, NY

Brady is the primary photographer for Brady Dillsworth Photography and works with a second photographer and a lighting director for every wedding which allows the story of the wedding to be told more fully through multiple coverage angles and a movie-quality lighting style. You may directly access Brady's online Wedding Photo Portfolio, Photographer Bio, and the New York Wedding Photographers Index.

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