Terry Uy, one of the best (in my opinion) photographers in the Philippines, sometimes asks me to shoot back-up for him. Yes, the fact that I know him (and he hires me) makes me just a little bit biased, but hey, his wedding folio should back up my claim. Heck, if you don’t like that, you can check out his other work. This post isn’t about him though, it’s about off-camera flash, on-camera style.

Yeah, off-camera flash, on-camera style - getting a flash on another camera to trigger during your own shot. That’s what that little thumbnail off the left illustrates. You click on it to see what I’m talking about, or you can just read on for a larger image.

How did I manage to get a flash on somebody else’s camera to fire during my shot? No, you won’t find the answer in any Strobist discussion. The answer is pretty simple - perfect timing, perfect settings, and a little help from above.

I snapped off a shot at exactly the same time as somebody else who happened to be in a perfect position, at least from a lighting standpoint. Did you get that? It doesn’t matter - the point is this: I had perfect timing.

I also had a fairly dark church on my side - if it hadn’t been so dark, I wouldn’t have been forced to drop my shutter speed so much, and I might not have gotten the perfect timing I mentioned.

I also had a little help from above. No, I’m not talking about having a high vantage point - I’m talking about luck. Yes, I will admit it - I got lucky. I guess that means I got a bit more than a little help - I got a lot of help.

Damn… after all that talk, the simple fact is that I got lucky. Oh well - it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I shot the image you’re looking at now, and that you like it.

You do like it, don’t you?

• Luis • 19 January 2008 •