S04 E14 - Flash Fundamentals Every Wedding Photographer Should Know (with Laura Shepherd)

Laura Shepherd is a wedding photographer, flash enthusiast and educator based in Portland, Oregon known for her bold, editorial style and refreshingly simple approach to off camera flash. In this episode, we go deep into flash photography and break down why so many photographers overcomplicate it. Laura shares how she learned flash early in her career, why she believes light is creative rather than technical and intimidating and how simplifying education has become part of her mission.

We also dive into her journey from working in marketing at Nike, to becoming a corporate flight attendant, to discovering photography during 2020 and completely changing her life. She talks openly about imposter syndrome, burnout, social media, and what it means to be an introvert building community online. If flash has ever confused you, intimidated you, or felt overly technical, this conversation will help you rethink it completely.

Laura's Off Camera Flash Guide:
https://www.laurashepherdimages.com/product-page/master-guide-to-off-camera-flash

Say Hi to Laura on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurashepherdimages/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laura_shepherd_images

Sign up for updates from Laura about new courses & guides:
https://mailchi.mp/09a9bef98304/laura-shepherd-images-email-list

In this episode we talk about:
- Why flash doesn’t have to look flashy
- How to actually understand aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and flash working together
- The biggest mistakes photographers make when learning flash
- Why copying someone else’s settings will never work
- TTL vs manual on real wedding days
- How to recognise flash in other people’s work
- Using higher apertures like f/8, f/11 or even f/14 for that editorial look
- When one flash is enough and when two lights make sense
- How to get comfortable moving your flash off camera

Thanks for tuning in and if you did enjoy todays episode, make sure to leave a Rating or Review on your platform of choice.

Check out the Video Podcast on YouTube

Mike's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikejeffreyphoto/
Mike's TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mikejeffreyphoto/

Editing and Post Production by Mossy Heart Media
https://www.mossyheartmedia.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/mossyheartmedia/

Music Created by JWPATON
https://www.instagram.com/jwptn/