How to use artificial lighting on location

If you’ve ever tried to use your on camera flash unit outdoors on a bright sunny day you’ll know it can be a challenging task. Even with the flash on full power and pointing directly at the subject, chances are it will only have a range of two or three metres, and if you try to soften the light through a diffuser the range can quickly diminish to less than a metre! Curiously enough, in low-lighting that same flash unit with the same amount of power can light a subject 30 metres away or fill an average-sized room with a soft light.

Anthony McKee explains how to use artificial lighting on location and looks at the range of products you can try.