Rosa who I have photographed before as model, also lives out her love for cats as a catsitter. (Check out her Instagram page). She brought her cat, Happy, in to the studio for a few portraits ... but Happy had definite opinions about that! My career as a photographer of cats seems to be off to a somewhat shaky start! He was just being a typical cat - adorable, but with a mind of his own.
In setting up the lights, one of my main considerations, just like it would be when shooting on location, is to make sure I have a background that Read more inside...
Very often when I use off-camera lighting on location, I'm not among for dramatic lighting, but rather using the off-camera lighting to enhance the existing light. I want to get a cleaner, slightly more punchy look - but one where the use of flash might not be that immediately obvious. To this end, I love using light-weight portable off-camera lighting. Something compact that is easy to carry, and easy for my assistant to hold up. When working in Manhattan, the use of a light-stand might get you in trouble in Read more inside...
With a headshot / business portrait photo session in Manhattan with Yana, we spent most of the time outside, using the New York cityscape as an out of focus background. But then we also had access the library / lounge area of the apartment complex Yana lives in.
The outdoor session was mostly the ambient light outside, with some fill-flash from an off-camera flash. The B10 was more than powerful enough to work with the existing light like that.
Profoto B10X flash (B&H / Amazon)
Profoto OCF Beauty Dish Read more inside...
I had an interesting headshot photo session in the studio this afternoon. The brief from the company was oddly specific about which #Profoto light modifiers need to be used, and the power settings and angles and position, etc.
As it would happen, when they contacted me and sent over the brief, I was all, "Sure, I have all of that." Because, you know, I do.
I'm always keen on reverse engineering photos anyway, to figure out the lighting -- but in this case they made it easy with the diagrams and notations.
The company is Read more inside...
The Profoto A10 flash (Amazon / B&H)is an update on the already impressive Profoto A1 flash - it is powerful, and it recycles fast - just 1 second from a full power burst. The controls on the A1, and now the A10 are easy to use. The same for the menu system - everything is obvious. With this video review of the Profoto A10 flash, we are going to look at some of that features -- but also the way that you can now control the Profoto A10 via an app on your phone, using the bluetooth connection.
Another improvement that the A10 has over Read more inside...
When I first started moving beyond just using a speedlight, towards off-camera flash and studio level lighting gear, I had a few detours via other brands like Quantum flashes and Lumadyne, but decided at some point to buy into the renowned Profoto brand. My first serious flash unit was the Profoto AcuteB 600R which I eventually upgraded to the Profoto B1 when that was released. From there on I stayed with Profoto via the Profoto B10 and Profoto A1 flash.
If I had to make the decision all over again, having the money to spend again, I Read more inside...
Dramatic portrait & headshot lighting in the studio
Working with the Profoto Spot Small (affiliate), I wanted to create portraits for my portfolio that showed a more dramatic light for portraits. I think these could even be used as secondary headshots in a portfolio. For this photo session, I had actor / model Andy Peeke (Instagram) in the studio. He has the cheekbones for this!
For other results from the Profoto Spot Small light modifier, also check out this article: Dramatic studio lighting with the Profoto Spot Small
In adapting the lighting setup Read more inside...
Profoto has a very strong reputation in the industry for making gear that are reliable, easy to use, powerful, and, well ... looks really good. When Profoto entered the market a few years ago with the portable Profoto B1 flash (affiliate), and then the Profoto B2 flash (affiliate), it was inevitable then that at some point they would make a grand entrance with a speedlight style flash. With this review of the Profoto A1 flash (affiliate), I wanted to show more how I would use it, than just cover the specs of the flash.
I met up Read more inside...
This is both exciting and humbling. Profoto USA has included me in their list of 'Legends Of Light', alongside some of the biggest names in the photography world ... some of whom I can even count as friends and peers. Now the challenge is to live up to this!
Here are the articles on the Tangents blog where I show how I use Profoto flashes on location and in the studio. Read more inside...
I had another opportunity to do promotional photos for Home Free, the A Capella group. Some of the previous photo shoot was described in this article - On-location lighting problem solving. This time we met at another location - a farm which also doubled up as a reception venue. This offered us some outdoor areas, as well as a more barn-like area.
From the art director and manager's description of what they wanted, as well as photos of the location, I knew that if I flat-lit this with large light sources, it would lose some of the Read more inside...
