Street Shooting Flash with an Off-shoe Cord

Today’s Post by Mildred Alpern

Out in the street with the Olympus FL 600R flash attached to the Canon Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2 that was mounted on the Olympus E-M5 hot shoe made for exciting shooting. Both hands worked the system, one on the flash and the other on the camera. I had no desire to emulate Bruce Gilden with his in-your-face flash photography. Strangers were generally happy to pose with a courteous request. And for those who had passed by, an image of their hurrying backs posed no invasion of privacy.

Setting up the flash in the camera involved selecting the mode, in this case TTL-A measuring exposure through the lens while shooting in Manual. In the camera, I set the flash to Fill-in so that it would fire on all occasions. Then I tried different strategies: angling the flash; holding it at different distances from my subjects; holding it at different distances from the camera; adjusting the flash power in the camera; and trying different manual settings. There is no limit to learning new ways to master this mirrorless camera and the flash accessories, and therein lies the fun.

Both images were shot with the Olympus E-M5, FL 600R flash, and Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 ASPH lens in Manual mode with an exposure of 1/30 sec at F/4.5, ISO 100.

Mildred’s book Haiku and Images is available on Amazon and is filled wit h beautifully reproduced color photographs along with original haiku underneath, embellishing the image and deepening its meaning. Pick up a copy to give as gift for yourself or a friend.