The beautiful location for the workshop.

Mark starts by demonstrating how to control the ambient light and flash separately.

An example of Mark underexposing the background before setting the flash on our model, Jayd.

A portrait setup with a speedlight in a softbox, with a reflector.

Mark compares photos where the background exposure changes, but Jayd stays relatively the same.

Heading out into the bright sunlight, Mark demonstrates using shade for better portraits.

A comparison before and after the shade was added over Jayd.

A demonstration about how a long lens can get better full-body portraits, even in a small space.

Mark’s next setup will use shade with a studio strobe for balanced outdoor portraits.

The left photo is just the ambient light. The photo on the right is with a strobe added.

Mark adds a softbox on the strobe to soften the light.

Adding a reflector made a huge difference in the left side of the photo. Notice how Jayd’s hair and shoulder now have separation from the background.

Mark’s final setup is a bikini shoot by the pool using a ringflash.

First Mark shoots with no flash to demonstrate how changing your angle can make a much better photo.

A comparison of the photos taken straight on versus the one taken on a step ladder.

Mark’s assistant gives him shade behind-the-scenes.

Here Mark has attached the ringflash to his camera and added the white umbrella for shade.

A comparison of the photos using the ringflash, but the left photo has no shade and the right one does.

A comparison of where Mark started (straight angle, harsh light) and the final image that he got (no harsh shadows, better angle).

To wrap things up, Mark shoots without any flash for shallow depth of field.