Event Photography is a major genre in the photo industry and getting your lighting right when shooting events is just about one of the fastest ways you can ensure you get more jobs coming in (of course, there’s image composition, delivery time frame amongst other things).
The major difference between event and portraiture is that there’s no stable light source. The lighting during events vary and most times are out of the hands of the photographer but that is no excuse and these days with the availability of battery-powered strobes, its quite easy to light up your scene and create stunning images but just in case, your budget isn’t strobe friendly or you have to travel light, here are the five best Speedlight options that would ensure quality delivery stays intact.
- Profoto A-Series
There are currently three speedlights in the Profoto A line-up and while the A10 is the latest, all three of them (A10, A1X, A1) are incredible speedlights with fast recycling time and over 400 flashes on a full charge, you’re guaranteed that one will take you through a normal event with dying on you. The A series flashes cost over $1000 each though but you’re ensured that Profoto Light goodness.
- Godox V1
As a proud owner of the Godox V1, I can testify to the awesomeness of this flash. Over 450 full powered flash (and double that number when you reduce the flash power), the V1 comes equipped with a 2,600mAh battery that has never died on me during a shoot (and I milk that flash for everything its got) Similar in design to the Profoto A-Series but for a fraction of the price, when you go V1, you’ll never go back. The V1 costs $259.
- Canon EL-1
This currently is Canon’s flagship speedlight and with this, Canon finally got on to the trend of using their own rechargeable batteries but trusting Canon, the company took it a step further by using the LP-E6 batteries, so not only are the batteries compatible with the speedlight, but with most Canon cameras too. The EL-1 is currently available on pre-order with shipping set to start next month. The flash unit cost $1,099.
- Godox V860 II
I’ve had the opportunity to shoot with the V860ii a couple of times and I can say that this flash delivers. With a custom 2,000mAh battery, a promise of over 350 full-powered flashes, and its HSS capability of up to 1/8000 of a secoond, the V860ii delivers much more value than what it’s valued at. Costing just $179, the V860ii is plenty of value for money and with the accessory kit, you can amp up the utility value to suit whatever event you’re shooting.
- Yongnuo YN560 IV
Yongnuo is a household name when it comes to third party accessories for cameras and their flashes live up to the hype. The YN560 IV delivers powerful bursts of light with great recycling time of under 3 seconds (that’s good because it doesn’t have a custom battery and uses normal AAA batteries). The YN560 IV is inexpensive, coming at just $85, and supports TTL function depending on the mount option you purchase. It also has a generic variant should you not be one to fuss over stuff like TTL and HSS.
