James Flachsbart -- On Location, Off Camera Lighting
Friday, February 24th, 2022 3:00pm - 6:00pm
This program will cover a dynamic range of subjects including equipment, lighting patterns, basic understanding of off camera lighting, knowing how the camera and flash work together, natural lighting balance, overpowering the sun, indoor reception/church lighting, lighting at sunset, and lighting after dark. The goal is to help educate on the basics, as well as share the secrets to lighting in any scenario. My work is done in fast paced environments, with little time for large setups or timely test shots. The key is knowing how to use my equipment well, AND FAST! The work I provide to my clients and enter in print competitions is often set up and completed in a short matter of a minute or two, if that. I want you to walk away from this class with not only new ideas to try, but have a confident understanding of HOW it works and WHY, so you aren’t just shooting in the dark. Along with covering many technical aspects behind lighting and how I do it, I also want to share why I use it to stand out among the competition. I plan to dive a little into business as well, sharing what I do as a wedding photographer, and help you connect with your clients more.
Here’s some of what I plan to cover.
-Where and how to use light (even natural light)
-Equipment and modifiers
-Simplifying the technical stuff (stops, inverse square law, sync speeds, TTL, HSS, ISO/shutter/aperture
-Setup and execution
-Overcoming difficult situations
-Examples and how I captured them
James Flachsbart
James Flachsbart began his career as a wedding photographer in 2012 after founding Flax Studios on the coast of Maine. As an avid traveler and connoisseur of other cultures, this also grew his love for landscape and travel photography. James brings his easy going and upbeat attitude into his work. Many of his clients note the mixture of his landscape work incorporated into their wedding day images, though he is best known for the off camera lighting techniques and incorporation of astrophotography in his client portraits. His business grew into a full time successful business quickly and to date has captured over 180 weddings. James earned his Master Of Photography Degree in 2020, became a Certified Professional Photographer in 2021, and will be eligible for his Master of Wedding Photography Degree at Imaging USA 2022.
James’ list of accomplishments include having 2 of the top 10 wedding images in the 2020 International Photographic Competition and winning the 2nd Place Grand Imaging Award in Nashville at Imaging USA. He has also been awarded 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 3 Bronzes since his first case in 2016 entering in both weddings and illustrative(landscapes) at IPC. In December 2020, “Ghosts Of The Past” was featured on the cover of Professional Photographer Magazine, and “Sunset Pirouette” was featured on the June 2022 issue. As a member of the MainePPA, he has been awarded the coveted Win Tracy Maine Photographer Of The Year Trophy, Maine Wedding Photographer Of The Year Award(2x), Maine Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Maine Reportage Photographer Of Thee Year, Maine Landscape Photographer Of The Year, Best In Show Award, Client Image Award, ASP State Elite Award, Best B+W Award(2x), Judges Choice Award (4X), and all of this since earning the First Time Entrant Award back in 2016. More recently, he also was a Grand Imaging Award Finalist in the 2021 Northeast District with 2 of the top 10 images in the wedding category. Beyond this, he was awarded Honorable Mention in the B+W category in the Maine Photography Show, and has been featured in multiple publications in print and online.