Photographer Stan Evans is guest blogging for the Adorama ARCblog. The post, published earlier this week, takes us behind the scenes of a recent shoot Stan did with the two models, the Phase One 645DF+, the IQ 160 back and the Profoto Pro-B4.
“The test would be a rooftop in Harlem – narrow stairs to the entry, no power nearby, and a variety of sets,” writes Stan. “Could I create a quality image using all new gear with minimal hiccups?”
Dubai-based photographer Leo Edwards likes his AcuteB2 kit, no question about that. He starts off one of his blog posts writing that ”Those of you that know me are fully aware (I do tend to go on about it a bit) that my favorite piece of lighting equipment in the world is Profoto’s Acute B2,” and from there on it’s pretty much a love letter.
So, you can’t blame us for reposting, can you?
Click here to read the entire post (including solid tips on how to travel with the AcuteB2 and an award-winning image Leo shot with his favorite bit of kit).
©Madeline Druce
Even though every Profoto product was designed with a purpose, we encourage and support creatives who find new ways of using them. Ian Ruhter, who uses powerful Profoto strobes to rejuvenate the old wet plates technique, is one of those photographers. Ian is currently traveling around the continent, photographing the places and the people who live there in this never-before-seen fashion. We will follow him on this journey in a series of articles, written by Ian himself. This is the ninth part.
It never ceases to amaze me that what started off as a mere thought, has taken me on a journey that will hopefully lead me around the world. I guess you could say it’s only the beginning, but this was our first international trip with the Silver & Light Experience. We spent the month of April in Vancouver, Canada and I can honestly say this was the best trip so far. The success of this trip is largely in part due to the team behind the Silver & Light Project. I would like to thank Lane Power, Will Eichelberger and Madeline Druce for their combined efforts in helping to make this possible.
While planning for this trip, we thought the hardest part would be the logistics of crossing the boarder into Canada. Little did I know this would be the easiest part. When your camera is a large van, there are so many things that can go wrong. We ended up breaking down on our journey North, and there was a moment where I thought we weren’t going to make it. Somehow, we patched up the truck and continued on our voyage, but we had to drive for 400 miles on the freeway at 35mph. I almost had a nervous breakdown! We crossed the boarder at 4am, and I knew at this point everything was going to be ok.
Lighting a car is not easy. Cars are big, they are reflective and they have almost no flat surfaces. Luckily for us, Tim Wallace, who some call the world’s greatest car photographer, is happy to share some invaluable tips and tricks with us.
“When lighting a car it is always best to start very simple, don’t over-engineer it, and build your light up gradually,” explains Tim, who used four Pro-B3 battery generators, two Zoom Reflectors, two Softbox 1×6′ RF and an Air Remote to create the image below.
Take five minutes off and learn from one of the best in the industry how to do it yourself. You will not regret it.
You should also check out our designated Tim Wallace page at the Profoto website. Here you will find another two videos with striking images and insightful tips and tricks. (more…)
The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) is an international, non-profit association supporting the interests of the photography and imaging magazine publishing industry. The association represents 29 independent photographic magazines. Each year the editors of the member magazines vote for the best products introduced to the market during the previous 12 months, taking into account innovation, cutting-edge technology, design, ease-of-use and the price to performance ratio of the products.
On May 6, 2013, TIPA named the Profoto Pro-B4 battery generator the Best Professional Lighting System. The motivation is as follows:
“The Profoto Pro-B4 1000 Air is designed to handle the toughest shoots and deliver groundbreaking features that expand the photographer’s creative freedom. These features include extremely short flash durations down to 1/25,000 second, fast full power recycling time of 1 second, and delivery of up to 30 flashes per second at lower power settings. Made for both studio and on-location work, the Pro-B4 is constructed in solid-cast aluminum with a rubber frame, and all connections are covered with protective lids. With an 11-stop power range, a fast radio sync system, and recharge (even while in use) in less than 45 minutes, the Pro-B4 truly defines what a pro unit should deliver.”
Needless to say, the guys at the office are bursting with pride.