Adding Impact to Images Using the Incredible Godox AD300Pro

Sarah Edmunds shows how to add impact to images with Godox lighting; in particular, the Godox AD300Pro. Using one light, two lights or four lights, she will present a crisp fashion look, a color-harmony image,  an image of saturated color & movement, and finally, a look that is all about mood and dimension.

Sarah Edmunds will be demonstrating how to add impact to images using Godox lighting, specifically the AD300 Pro. This powerful light has 300ws of power and a rechargeable lithium battery that can provide up to 320 full power flashes on a single charge. For a fashion-inspired portrait session, Sarah will be starting with one light, moving on to two lights, and ending with a four-light setup. She will be controlling the AD300Pro with her XPro trigger on camera, and with the same trigger, she can control up to four lights independently. Sarah's expertise in photography and lighting will be on full display as she showcases the versatility and power of the AD300Pro. 

Setup 1

For the first shot, Sarah Edmunds wanted a clean, crisp fashion look with a hard shadow against a plain white wall. She used a single AD300Pro with no modifier, simply the standard reflector that comes with the unit. The smaller the light source, the harder the shadow, and casting a hard shadow shape is exactly what she wanted. The farther away the light source, the smaller it gets in relation to the subject, and therefore the harder and crisper the shadow becomes. With a black and white theme, Sarah's focus was on creating pleasing shapes with the model's pose. The light on the model is bright and clean. This is a simple setup for a very popular fashion book. To add interest and impact, Sarah suggests adding an unusual accessory, such as a headpiece, which will cast even more interesting shadow shapes. For a bit of variation, fun, and color, you can literally color in the shadow cast using gels. In this instance, Sarah added a gel to the AD100Pro used as a secondary light source, and pointed at the wall where the shadow would fall. The color cast tends to be richer in the shadows, and this results in the bright color saturating the shadows and leaving the rest of the wall white

• Key light: AD300Pro  @ 1/4 power
• Gel shadow light: AD100Pro  @ 1/16 power

Setup 2

For set up two, Sarah Edmunds' focus was on color harmonies. She used a split complementary color scheme between the backdrop and outfit color. To allow the color scheme to take center stage, she decided to soften the light. She used a 120cm diffused umbrella placed camera left, feathered across the front of the model, and bouncing off a white V flat camera right. This created a sort of shaft of light that passed softly in front of the model and deepened the background as very little light was hitting it. An AD100Pro was placed in a gridded strip softbox behind the model, directly across from the key light, to provide some added rim light 

For the standing segment, Sarah Edmunds raised the softbox higher, added a grid, and pointed it downwards in front of the model. The sharper angle deepens the shadows cast and looks more sculptural on the model's face and body. Now, the key light is also hitting the background slightly, as well as the subject

• Key light: AD300Pro in 120cm umbrella @ 1/4 power
• Rim light: AD100Pro in 40x120cm strip soft box with grid @ 1/8 power

Photo by Sarah Edmunds "Adding impact with color harmonies" 

Setup 3

Setup three is all about saturated color, fun, and movement. Sarah Edmunds used the AD100Pro in a quick-release 65cm softbox. Its smaller size and focused shape give more contrast than the previous look, and she emphasized this by placing black V flats on either side of the model to prevent light from bouncing off the white walls. She placed an AD100Pro with a red gel and diffusion dome onto the red seamless backdrop. This provided a saturated red glow from behind the model, and the effect was fiery and glamorous 

• Key light: AD300Pro in 65cm softbox @ 1/4 power
• Second light: with red gel + diffusion dome @ 1/4 power

Photo by Sarah Edmunds "Adding impact with color & movement" 

Setup 4

Our final setup is all about mood, drama, and dimension. Sarah Edmunds carved out the subject shape using light. She used the super flexible 65 cm quick-release softbox again, but this time as a beauty dish, with a reflector internal attachment, no diffusion, and a grid to focus the light on the model with minimal light spill. An AD100Pro with a snoot attachment was lighting the backdrop behind the model. Two AD200s in gridded strip boxes either side of her provided a subtle rim light. The AD100Pro with the snoot lighting the background gave the impression of light bursting through the clouds behind. The perfectly symmetrical pose was enhanced by the symmetry of the lighting

In summary, Sarah Edmunds demonstrated various lighting setups using Godox lighting, specifically the AD300Pro, to add impact to images. She used different techniques such as hard shadows, color harmonies, and carving out the subject shape using light to create mood, drama, and dimension in her images. Her expertise and creativity in photography and lighting were on full display as she showcased the versatility and power of Godox lighting. 

• Key light: AD300Pro with 65cm softbox as beauty dish, with grid@1/4 power
• Backdrop light: AD100pro with snoot@1/4 power
• Rim light: AD100Pro in gridded stripbox @1/8 power

Photo by Sarah Edmunds "Adding impact with dimension"

About the Godox AD300Pro

The Godox AD300 Pro comes with a 2-year Godox Warranty to provide photographers with peace of mind.

The Godox AD300 Pro is the perfect portable and powerful flash for photographers on the go. This compact and high-performance flash is perfect for outdoor and on-location shooting. The AD300 Pro's powerful 300Ws flash output delivers precise and consistent lighting even in challenging lighting conditions. The rechargeable Lithium-ion battery can provide up to 320 full power flashes, making it the perfect companion for long shoots. With HSS and TTL capabilities, you can easily capture fast-moving subjects with ease and precision. The user-friendly interface and advanced features make the AD300 Pro the perfect tool for professional photographers looking to take their photography to the next level.

The Godox AD300 Pro is ideal for portraits, weddings, events, and commercial work. With its powerful flash output and advanced features, the AD300 Pro is perfect for photographers who demand the best in performance, reliability, and versatility.

Godox AD300Pro Tech Sheet

• Portable and powerful 300Ws flash output
• Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery with up to 320 full power flashes
• HSS and TTL capabilities
• User-friendly interface and advanced features
• Perfect for portraits, weddings, events, and commercial work
• Max Power: 300Ws
• Guide Number: 82ft/25m at ISO100
• Recycle Time: 0.01-1.5s
• Color Temperature: 5600K +/-200K
• Power Range: 9 f-stops (1/256 - 1/1)
• Flash Duration: 1/220s - 1/10,000s
• Modeling Lamp: 12W LED
• Battery: 2600mAh Lithium-ion
• Wireless Control: 2.4G
• Channels: 32
• Dimensions: 8.3 x 3.8 x 3.1in/210 x 96 x 78mm
• Weight: 2.8lbs/1.3kg
• Compatibility: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax cameras.