Creative Lighting Method - Nikon CLS

Photo by JSFauxtaugraphy

The Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) is a wireless lighting program that enables digital photographers to control multiple speedlights effortlessly from their position. The primary requirement for this type of wireless triggering system is line-of-sight. This means that the speedlight units must be able to visually detect each other.

More specifically, the infrared receiver on the remote or slave speedlight needs to receive the signal from the master or commander speedlight mounted on your Nikon DSLR. The purpose of using a wireless system to trigger remote speedlights is to allow the photographer to quickly utilize multiple speedlights in various configurations, including but not limited to the following:

On-camera speedlight as the master and key light, with one remote speedlight serving as a kicker light.
On-camera speedlight as the master and fill light, with one remote speedlight as the key light and another remote serving as the hair light.
On-camera speedlight as the master (no light emitted), with one remote speedlight as the key light and another remote serving as the fill light or kicker light.
On-camera speedlight as the master (no light emitted), with one remote speedlight as the key light and three additional remote speedlights as highlight lights to illuminate different areas of the scene.
Built-in flash as the master (no light emitted), with one remote speedlight as the key light, another remote as the fill light, and five different remote speedlights as background lights.

As you can see, the combinations are endless!

To use the CLS (Creative Lighting System), all you need is a CLS-capable speedlight to act as the master and another CLS-capable speedlight as the remote. The Nikon SB900 and SB700 speedlights are CLS-capable and feature convenient switches for quick CLS setup.

The Nikon SB800 is also CLS-capable, although it requires navigating through a complex menu system for CLS settings. The Nikon SB600 is partially CLS-capable, serving as the remote for at least 70% of its functionality, but not as a master. If you have only one CLS-capable speedlight, you can also utilize the built-in flash on your Nikon DSLR (specific models only) as a master or commander, as Nikon refers to it.

With multiple speedlights at your disposal, creating captivating lighting setups for portrait photography The value of photographic prints - Stephan R. Lewis is a professional photographer. He accepted to share his knowledge with us, with this exclusive article. The value of photographic prints I have been in the photo industry trenches for a long time and have watched many things come and go in popularity. When I say 'trenches' I mean not the glamour… becomes easy. Having explained the versatility of the Nikon Creative Lighting System, I would like to emphasize that my workshops are not limited to Nikon users.

Any brand of DSLR is welcome, and I also utilize third-party wireless trigger systems in my lighting tutorials to ensure that participants can enjoy the lessons regardless of the equipment they are currently using. Third-party wireless systems also benefit from using radio frequency (RF) transmission instead of infrared signals, eliminating the line-of-sight requirement.

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