My previous post brought up a few details that I thought would make a good follow up piece.
These relate to a few techniques and items of gear that I used on the Butter Factory shoot.
Much of what I know has been gleaned from the works and advice of other photographers.
In the interests of paying things forward, I'd like to share a few lessons and techniques that my experience has taught me.
More after the jump
First up is the Tronix Explorer XT
Not to knock (un)available light photographers, but there is nothing that separates poor photography from art more than meticulously planned lighting - which invariably means studio lighting and the tons of modifiers available to make magic with light.
This is all very well in a studio setup, but what happens when you want to use that lighting in locations where power outlets are lacking?
Invariably, you could invest in top of the range lighting systems which come with their own battery packs. (Think $$$, and lots of it)
Or, you could opt for something a little less pricey, which is what I did.
At a little more than $800, The Explorer XT is by no means an item you could buy on a whim.
The clincher for me was that it would allow location work that I otherwise would only be able to do if I sold my current lighting setup (Interfit) and invested in something far more costly.
Two things to remember with a sine wave inverter:
1) They need to remain on charge when not in use, or they could lose power permanently.
(I actually sent a mail to Tronix asking about this, and apparently they'll work just fine if allowed to charge for an uninterrupted 24 hours once per week.)
2) They do not fare well supplying continuous power.
What this means for me is that the strobe lights will work fine, but having the modelling lights turned on would not be a good idea.
This unit fared brilliantly during the shoot, and is likely to continue giving me joy down the track.
Secondly, we have the combination of Studio strobes and hot shoe flashes.
As far as lighting goes, I have 3 studio strobes and 2 Canon 580EXII flashes at my disposal, each with their own unique pros and cons.
The studio strobes are more powerful and are capable of creating a quality of light that I cannot achieve with the speedlites.
The speedlites however are very portable and versatile enough for quite a number of projects.
Ordinarily a shoot will require one or the other.
On the odd occasion a need will arise for both types to be used.
Sometimes I also have need for 4 lights or more, and in this case I have to use both types.
With the Butter Factory shoot I needed the 1m x 1m softbox to create the soft light on my subjects - cue the 600Ws Interfit Stellar strobe.
The speedlite was necessary for a few reasons:
1) I didn't want another strobe running off the Sine wave inverter (It could easily handle it, but I wanted to play it safe)
2) The speedlite was small enough to fit behind the couch without trouble and provide illumination for the shelves on the wall.
3) I have a little more options wrt gels on the speedlites - even if, in this case, I settled on something as basic as a CTO gel to warm the wall.
The trick with all of this is finding a way to trigger everything easily.
The strobe uses an Elinchrom Skyport, whilst the speedlite was triggered with a Pocketwizard Mini.
Fortunately, the Pocketwizard transmitter has a hotshoe above it, which allowed me to slot the Skyport transmitter on without trouble - and Robert's your mother's brother.
I must mention that ordinarily I could get away with a Pocketwizard only; the speedlite's flash will trigger the studio strobe, provided the strobe can "see" the flash.
Again here I chose to play it safe, and opted to use both the transmitters as the speedlite was firing away from the strobe.
The last thing I want to do in front of a client is fiddle with gear that isn't performing as it should.
Lastly, I want to share a lesson that the experience taught me.
In hindsight, this should not have occurred, but sometimes in the face of something new you end up being so overwhelmed by the experience that your normal routine is disturbed.
In this case I left one little element out of my preparation for the shoot that had me kicking myself repeatedly in post-production - I neglected to do a thorough clothing inspection before we started shooting.
Admittedly, the darkness of the location contributed, as I would have picked up on this if we were shooting outdoors.
Take a look at Steve's hat.
This little item is such an integral part of his character, and as such is evident in every shot - necessitating a touch up in every shot.
For a photographer - time is money, and unnecessary time spent editing can be a very costly mistake - especially if it could have been avoided with 2 minutes of primping before the time.
So to wrap up I'd like to share the post-game summary from the shoot - the little lessons I ALWAYS write down the minute I get home.
1) Low ambient light creates problems that you have to overcome.
-Find a way to illuminate your subject so that the camera can focus without difficulty. (Torch, modelling light etc...)
-Your environment/backdrop may have to be lit with flash.
-If you have to light the background with flash, be creative enough that your lighting does not ruin the ambiance.
2) Examine your subjects clothing before and during the shoot.
- Fluff, lint and other elements can cause nightmares in post.
- Changing poses can lead to make-up smudges on clothes, be prepared.
3) Don't skimp on your location preparation.
- Knowing the lighting conditions and options for setups will save a lot of headaches and spare you the ignominy of looking like an amateur in front of your client.
4)Be confident and methodical.
- This comes with experience.
- You will get the most from your clients if they truly believe that you know what you are doing and are focused on getting things perfect.
Happy snapping fellow photographers.
No comments:
Post a Comment