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Course

Strobe Workshop: Lighting with Speed Lights

ART-40511

Strobe Workshop: Lighting with Speed Lights
4 Weeks | In-Class

Prerequisite: Photo 1: Aperture, Shutter Speed & ISO (ART - 40705) or equivalent experience.

Are you ready to bring your photography to a new level of lighting sophistication? In Strobe Workshop: Lighting with Speed Lights, you’ll explore how to transform an ordinary shot into a dynamic image by controlling and shaping light. Through guided demonstrations, practical exercises, and expert feedback, you’ll gain the confidence to use speed lights effectively—both on and off your camera.

Course Details

Learn how to light your photographs without the use of heavy or expensive gear. This intensive workshop teaches the art of strobe lighting using off-camera flashes and other equipment such as flash triggers, gels, grids, softboxes and more. 

This course is designed to give you the skills you need to navigate a variety of photographic situations, ensuring that your subjects are beautifully lit and compellingly captured. From understanding proper flash techniques to experimenting with modifiers and balancing ambient light, you’ll learn how to tailor lighting to match your creative vision. By the end of the course, you’ll know how to set up dynamic lighting scenarios, troubleshoot common issues, and produce professional-level results consistently. Step into this workshop prepared to illuminate your world through the strategic use of speed lights.

What You'll Learn

  • Understand how speed lights function and operate in various shooting conditions
  • Learn to properly balance ambient light with flash output
  • Explore modifiers and tools that shape and soften your light sources
  • Gain confidence working with off-camera flash setups
  • Develop techniques for consistent exposure and color control
  • Improve overall lighting quality for portraits, still lifes, and on-location shoots
  • Troubleshoot common flash issues and lighting challenges
  • Apply refined lighting strategies to produce professional-quality images

Course Information

2.00 units
TBD
Notes: Quarters Offered: Spring | In-Class
Equipment/Software: (Instructor will explain the required equipment in the first class meeting). Camera (lens, batteries) with manual controls for ISO, shutter speed, aperture. 1 off camera flash with manual power controls (e.g. Canon ex530, Nikon SB800, Vivitar 285hv, Godox AD200, Profoto B10). 1 umbrella (convertible preferred) or softbox. 1 light stand and cold shoe umbrella bracket. 1 flash trigger (e.g. Radio Popper, PocketWizard, PC Cable, proprietary control for Godox/Profoto systems, etc.).
Flexible Enrollment: This course is an elective for the Photography: Images and Techniques Professional Certificate but is open to all students, even if you are not enrolled in the Certificate Program. 

Course sessions

Please contact the Arts, Humanities, Languages & Digital Arts department at 858-534-5760 or ahl@ucsd.edu for information about this course and upcoming sections.