You don’t need a bunch of expensive studio lighting to take great portraits and headshots. In this video, photographer and educator Joe Edelman shows the different ways you can take great photos using just a single flash.


Joe goes through a few simple setups to show how you can get the most out of a your flash. It really comes down to how you position and aim your light along with where you position your subject, whether you’re bouncing the flash off the ceiling or using other diffusers. Even if you’re shooting against a black backdrop, you an still achieve pretty decent lighting separation between your subject and the backdrop with a couple simple reflectors.

Getting a professional quality photo does require more than just the flash that might be built into your camera, but you don’t need to spend a ton of money. Joe is using a strobe that costs around $99 to shoot his portraits, along with a few other tools like softbox or shoot-through umbrella—which you can pick up for around twenty bucks. Check out Joe’s video for the full breakdown.


One Light Portrait Lighting for AWESOME Portraits & Headshots | Joe Edelman