We are honoured to welcome Flash Masters 2024 Photographer of the Year - the extraordinary Nelson Santos. Nelson is creative, technical, and utterly unique. His images are full of colour, energy, and a level of thoughtfulness that sets them apart from almost everything else in the community. Also, he has a genuinely magnificent moustache, which takes six minutes and 32 seconds to prepare. We respect the commitment.

Nelson is a Sony shooter who takes four cameras to every wedding, including one dedicated remote camera and one he describes as just making him look like a photographer. He walks us through a stunning collection of images with behind-the-scenes footage, breaking down his gel and composite setups, his approach to colour harmony, and the famous dog portrait that won Gold and is worth every second of its story.

This stream is a masterclass in creative thinking, technical control, and the joy of making one brilliant photograph at a time. 🎉

The top 5 things you will learn by watching this stream:

1. How Nelson uses colour harmony to choose his gels. Nelson explains his approach to colour decisions choosing between harmony and accuracy and why the teal and orange combination in his Gold Award-winning dog portrait was chosen to work with the groom's suit and shoes as much as the scene itself.
2. How to shoot and composite multiple flash subjects in one frame. Nelson walks through his technique of lighting the bride, groom, and even the dog in separate frames and compositing them seamlessly and why this gives him total control over every element of the image.
3. Why softbox size matters more than most photographers realise. Nelson shares a beautifully clear explanation of why choosing the right size modifier for the right situation is one of the most underrated technical skills in flash photography and why knowing the difference transforms your results.
4. How the Sony a9 III's global shutter changes everything for flash photography. Nelson explains how shooting at incredibly high shutter speeds with a 100-watt flash allows him to overpower full sun outdoors a revelation for anyone still carrying heavy strobes to outdoor weddings.
5. How to approach each photograph as a complete idea rather than part of a sequence. Nelson's one-photo-at-a-time philosophy is one of the most compelling creative frameworks in this stream. Nail one great image, move to the next, and never let the pursuit of a narrative stop you creating something extraordinary in the moment.

To find out more about Nelson's work, check out his website here