Generally speaking the rule of thumb is to use the equipment you have to take the best shot possible, but in some cases the better shot requires some additional equipment. I decided to use my new 600EX-RT’s to take some product photographs of a pair of sneakers I won.
I had originally photographed my Air Jordan Aqua VIII in 2011 here, and in a few months again here. I did both these shoots without an external speedlite. Clearly the addition of the new lights has a significant impact on the pictures.
After I purchased the 580 EX II, I photographed some more sneakers in 2013 here. This time I was able to use a radio to trigger one speedlite and obtain some cool shots.
Today’s shoot was a bit different. With 3 speedlites (Two 600EXRTs and one 580EX II) I was able to light the shoes from 3 different sources (Technically it was 2 sources since I used the 580 as a trigger). This allowed me to produce the 2nd image in which I had one light as a rim light (behind the sneaker) and one light as a main (filling the front of the shoe). Similarly, in the first image below, I used one light to brighten the shoe and the second light to light the retro card.
To be honest, I could have recreated the 5th shot with one speedlite (and a radio), but the remaining 4 would be hard to do. The trick to this shoot was to use a mirror. Other than the 2nd image, no other image has symmetry over any axis. In my opinion this makes each image unique and more interesting. Of course the new speedlites have more practical uses, but this is a good example of how they can increase creativity.
