We are joined by the wonderful Sondra LaRay — one of our most dearly loved OG Flash Masters members, 16-time award winner, and one of the boldest and most creative users of off-camera flash in the community. The DMs were flying before this stream even started, which tells you everything you need to know about how much Sondra is loved here.

Based in Northern Michigan, Sondra is known for her dramatic, high-impact lighting style: wide angle lenses, bold compositions, gels, rain, smoke, reflections, and composite setups that leave couples completely speechless when they see the results.

In this stream she walks through a stunning collection of images with behind-the-scenes footage, sharing exactly how she creates each shot including: a breathtaking rainy night portrait with a blue-gelled backlight; a chandelier composite from opposite ends of a hotel; her brilliant technique for lighting arches and pillars that adds theatre to any venue.

Sondra is also a passionate and generous educator who runs her own photography education community Shooting Your Shot Facebook group and it shows. This stream is full of gold. 🎉

Thank you so much to Sondra for sharing so much invaluable advice and tips and tricks with us - we are very grateful.

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

1. How to shoot dramatic composite portraits across a venue. Sondra walks through her technique for lighting and compositing bride and groom separately - including how she communicates with her assistant by phone from opposite ends of a hotel and how she blends them seamlessly in post.
2. How to use a backlight and gel to shoot stunning portraits in the rain. Sondra shares her full rain shot setup including how she protected her flash from the weather, used a clear umbrella, placed a blue gel bare flash behind the couple, and used her phone as a mirror for a reflection shot.
3. How to light pillars and arches for dramatic venue photography. Sondra shares her go-to technique for lighting architectural features including exactly how far from the wall to place a bare flash pointing straight up to evenly illuminate an arch or pillar.
4. Why wide angle lenses and bold compositions set Sondra's work apart. Sondra uses a 14-35mm lens for the majority of her wedding portraits — and explains how shooting wide, getting close, and cropping in camera gives her the dramatic, cinematic look she is known for.
5. How to use ambient exposure as your starting point for every flash shot. Sondra walks through her camera settings process — always starting with the ambient layer to capture elements like chandeliers and venue lighting beautifully, before introducing flash to bring the couple in.

To find out more about Sondra and her team, please visit sondralaraysphotography.com