Using Yongnuo Flashguns with the Godox AD200

This article may be of interest to photographers who use Yongnuo flashguns – especially for real estate work – and who may be thinking of buying the Godox AD200.  

I recently acquired a Godox AD200 flashgun, an excellent piece of kit with plenty of firepower. I have been using Yongnuo flashes for several years for my real estate work and I have found them robust and reliable. And cheap. I have had to replace a few of them due to my carelessness in letting them crash to the ground but there was no great cost in getting them replaced. They are manual only but for my  photography that was not an issue as ETTL would never be required.

I found however that in large rooms I was having to use two Yongnuos at the one time to get a proper exposure without having to increase the ISO beyond my default setting of 400 (on a full frame Canon). I saw that the AD200 was a firm favourite among American RE photographers and so I opted to get one.

But I still wanted to use my Yongnuos to complement the Godox and preferably retain the remote control function of the YN560-TX trigger. For instance, when photographing a room with other rooms or hallways off it I like to place flashes to light those spaces at the same time as I’m exposing for the main room. Yes, it’s an option to use a single flash to light them all by making multiple exposures and then combining them in post-processing. However, whenever possible, I prefer to do a single exposure – it saves time in post.

This photo is a case in point. I used the Godox to light the foreground and two Yongnuos, one in each bedroom.

I have full remote control using the configuration of triggers shown in this photo:

The set-up consists of a Godox X1T trigger for the AD200 mounted on the camera hotshoe. I chose this trigger rather than the more recent Xpro because it has a hotshoe – the Xpro does not.

Mounted on the X1T hotshoe is the Yongnuo YN560-TX trigger for controlling the output of the individual Yongnuo flashes. If the output of any of the flashes needs adjusting I can do so from the camera and I don’t have to go to and fro doing it manually. This to me is a huge advantage.

To trigger the shutter (and flashes) remotely I use a Youngnuo RF603C trigger.

The set-up looks cumbersome but it it actually isn’t. It doesn’t weigh much and I have had no problems using the camera in portrait mode with it attached. Not very practical perhaps for handheld use but for tripod mounted cameras it presents no problems.

It means that I retain full remote control of the Yongnuos while using the Godox. The best of both worlds! I’m sure that in time, as my Yongnuos die off, or meet a sudden end due to careless positioning, I will go full Godox. For now however I’m very happy with this solution.

How To Make A Watermark In Photoshop

Here’s a quick and easy way to make a watermark in Photoshop:

1.  Open a new document (File/New):

2. Write what you want to appear on your photos:

(The © symbol is obtained by pressing Alt and 0169 on the numeric keypad)

3. Convert that into a brush using Edit/Define Brush Preset:

4. Click on the Brush Tool, arrow down to the last of the brush options and the watermark brush will be there:

All you need is a single click of the brush on the photo and the watermark will be there. The advantages of using a brush to insert a watermark is that you can vary the size, the colour, the location and the opacity to suit an individual photo.

Here is an example of it in use:

1. An unwatermarked photo:

2. By sizing the brush using the square brackets on your keypad (left to decrease, right to increase) you can, if you wish, plaster your watermark across the centre of the photo.

I think that looks horrible!

3. Or you may opt for a more discreet one:

I’m not a fan of watermarks and I rarely use them when posting  photos to Flickr, Facebook, etc.

I can understand the need to watermark your online images if you are a wedding photographer or if you monetise your work in some other way. I’m not and I don’t.

But what about people stealing my unprotected images?

Frankly, I’m not that bothered if they do – provided that they do not use them for commercial purposes.

If people want to use an image of mine to illustrate a blogpost or whatever then they are welcome.

It would be nice to be asked beforehand and nicer again to get a credit on whichever site the photo ends up in. I’ve had several such requests and apart from one instance where I did not wish to be associated with the site in question I’ve always given permission.

This is the internet and if you choose to post photos then the chances are that some of them will be used without your knowledge.

A discreet watermark can easily be removed. A large one – as in 2 above – is more difficult to erase but it destroys whatever impact the image may have.

If you are so paranoid about image protection that you are going to do that to your photos then I would seriously question why you bother posting them in the first place.