TheDigitalPicture. Canon Digital Photo Professional. Digital SLR Camera. Saving a still image from a single movie frame does not result in the same image quality as a normal still image. Studio style flash lighting with Speedlites. Some EOS digital cameras are fitted with PC sockets and can be connected to studio flash equipment. Camera-JPEG-vs-Adobe-RAW.jpg' alt='File Picture Style Canon' title='File Picture Style Canon' />However, studio style photographs can be taken with all EOS cameras using Canon Speedlites. The current Speedlites, the EX series, are powerful for their size. The top of the range model, the 5. EX II, is powerful enough to use with larger light modifiers, such as umbrellas or bigger softboxes, to create truly professional results. The off camera Speedlites can be triggered using the Speedlite Transmitter ST E2. This wireless system is not only convenient, but also very portable. You can set up a studio in any small space. The garage studio. When shooting headshots for a portfolio, the setting and background is not usually important. These photographs were taken in an empty garage. Speedlites alone will not give the soft lighting required, so a Speedlite 5. EX was fired through a white umbrella to soften the shadows and spread the light more evenly. A large piece of polystyrene board held by an assistant and acted as a reflector to fill in the shadows, while a second Speedlite positioned on the floor behind the subject provided some backlighting to the hair. A Speedlite Transmitter ST E2 was used to control both Speedlites wirelessly while still providing full E TTL exposure metering. This allowed the photographer to concentrate on composing and taking the image rather than worrying about the lighting and exposure. It also kept the limited space free of cables allowing complete freedom of movement to shoot from a variety of different viewpoints. The great advantage of Speedlites as a studio light source is their small, portable size and the fact that they use batteries rather than relying on an external power source. This opens up a whole new range of locations that would normally be unavailable. File Picture Style Canon' title='File Picture Style Canon' />These shots of a model were taken in just such a place a small enclosed garden outhouse. A Speedlite 5. 50. EX and Lastolite Ezybox were used for the main light, with a second 5. EX placed on the floor behind the model to light the background. Using a stand to hold up the softbox and another to hold a reflector, this looks every bit like an ordinary studio set up, but it is on location The small size of the equipment and its portability means it is easy to move around and look for different shooting angles. Party pictures. With portable equipment and no cables to trip over, it is quite simple to set up a small studio in the corner of a room at a party or wedding reception. Here, friends at a high school reunion are being photographed. A 5. 50. EX Speedlite fitted to a Lastolite Ezybox provides simple studio quality soft lighting. The friends hold the softbox and reflector in position, keeping them occupied and leaving the photographer to concentrate on taking the pictures. Snoots and grids. A Speedlite flashgun has a whole range of settings and functions to make it the most versatile portable flashgun around. But sometimes you may want to modify the light output to create a more interesting effect. If you have used a photographic studio, you will know that not all the lights use large reflectors or diffusers. Quite often there are some strangely named accessories that are used to modify the light for specific situations. Grids and snoots are two of the most common devices. With a little imagination, you can make similar accessories for your Speedlite. The snoot effect. A snoot acts like a funnel for the light. Instead of the light spreading over a wide area, it is narrowed down to a beam of light a bit like a spotlight. It is used to highlight areas within the scene or to add a hairlight to the back of a head when shooting portraits. A snoot is usually circular and produces a very hard edged light, where the difference between lit areas and shadow is very apparent. Lighting with a grid. Grids are a lot like snoots, but the light they produce has a softer edge. In the studio they come in a range of strengths to produce different size spots, but for most Speedlite applications youll only need one. They are used like snoots, but the softer edges avoid heavy shadows and allow you to feather the light across the subject to provide a smooth transition from lit to unlit areas. Using snoots and grids. Although you could use a home made grid or snoot on your flash mounted to the camera, you really need to be able to position and direct the flashgun quite accurately. If it is on the camera, the range of movement is not enough to create the lighting effects you can produce with the flash off camera. Drake Take Care Zip Hulk. To take the flash off camera, you can use either an Off camera Shoe Cord that provides around 6. Speedlite Transmitter ST E2. The ST E2 is best as it gives complete freedom in placing the Speedlite for the best effect.