Lighting Without Light Stands – Mounting Speedlights on Location

As a photographer out on location, bringing lightstands isn’t an always an option. Space, power, and other factors can lead to those bulky stands from leaving the studio. Thankfully, there’s other ways to bring lighting to your shoot while out in the world. In this video from photographers Daniel Norton and Seth Miranda, they created beautiful, studio quality portraits with model Natalie Scarlett using battery operated speedlights and grip gear from Tether Tools.     Daniel and Seth took to the stairwell/chimney of Daniel’s studio, in a precarious place where lightstands simply wouldn’t work as the area couldn’t be blocked with stands. In the below video, you’ll see the two mount a keylight with softbox to a pipe using the Tether Tools Rock Solid Master Articulating Arm and Rock Solid Master Clamp. Then, a second speedlight with gel behind the model to help add dimension to the image using the smaller RapidMount EasyGrip Kit.

Necessary Hardware:

The softbox speedlight is secured to a Rock Solid Master Articulating Arm using a RapidMount Cold Shoe Elbow, and the arm is mounted to a hanging pipe above using the Rock Solid Master Clamp. The gelled speedlight that is providing depth behind the model is secured to the railing with a Rock Solid EasyGrip Clamp and RapidMount Cold Shoe, also sold as the RapidMount EasyGrip Kit.