I’ve always loved the look of natural light, so I was never a huge fan of flash photography. That is, until I discovered just how creative artificial lighting can be. And thus, my love affair with my speedlight began…

NIKON D7000 | 50MM 1.4 LENS | F/2.8 | 1/125 | ISO 100

After learning that I could underexpose the ambient light in a scene, I found that I could use my speedlight to control light in a creative way. The above image was floating around in my head for a little while, but I wasn’t sure how to create the soft spotlight effect with just my speedlight alone. I knew I needed some way of cutting the light down, creating more of a spotlight effect.

In steps the Rogue Grid from Expo Imaging. And just like that, my problem was solved. With the Rogue Grid, I was able to reduce the size of the light to a 16° spotlight pattern that would allow me to light the rose in the foreground and that rose alone.

The Rogue Grid attaches to your speedlight, using the included adjustable tension strap, and is extremely lightweight and convenient. It’s typically used for hair lights in portraiture, and for background and accent lighting, but can also be used any time you want to create dramatic lighting effects.

The 16° spotlight effect is created when the two honeycomb pieces are stacked together. Used alone, you can create a 25° spotlight, or an even larger 45° spotlight (as shown below).

Click here to learn more about the Rogue Grid.