How to Shoot Awesome Portraits and Headshots with Just One Flash

You don’t need a ton of lighting gear to capture great portraits—a single strobe or speedlight will do. Don’t believe us? Check out this simple and informative tutorial by Joe Edelman.

Edleman has a great YouTube channel—he’s the one who showed you how to build an affordable set of 4 LED studio lights for just $250—and his latest project is a set of lighting tutorials. The information in this first video might be a bit too basic for advanced shooters, but the one-light setups he shows off here are extremely useful.

If you think you need a bunch of lights to capture a great portrait, Edleman shows you why you’re just plain wrong.

Would more lights help create more dynamic looks or create more separation of subject from background? Of course! But a single strobe or speedlight and a few reflectors will get you results that are more than acceptable without breaking anybody’s bank.

Check out the video at the top to see for yourself.