©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.

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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…)

Even though every Profoto product was designed with a purpose, we encourage and support creatives who find new ways of using them. Ian Ruhter is one of those photographers. Ian uses powerful Profoto strobes to rejuvenate the old wet plates technique . He is currently traveling around his home country, 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 seventh part, in which Ian takes us behind the scenes of his immensely popular short film American Dream.

I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since the release of the Silver and Light film. After it’s release, I didn’t realize it, but my life’s path would forever be changed. The journey this project has taken me on has exceeded my wildest expectations. I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.

It took two years for me to build this device and make it work. I remember driving to Los Angeles and realizing this would be the starting point for our journey through America.

What I couldn’t predict, was the amount of people who would open up their hearts and help carry this project along on it’s amazing journey. The success of Silver and Light is because of people like you who have supported it.

It was really fun making this video. It reminded me of all the trials and tribulations we went through during the making of the American Dream film. Looking back on it now, it puts into perspective why we are doing this. This is far greater than just a photography project. Once we are removed from our socioeconomic status, race, religion and other labels that become attached to us, we find out we are all in search of the same thing. This project demonstrates the connection we share as we travel on this journey known as life.”

Written by Ian Ruhter

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Click on “(more…)”to see a selection of the images featured in the video. (more…)

©Michael Mueller

First of all, to avoid any confusion: the Michael Mueller who shot these images is not the same photographer who shoots sharks and invents waterproof Profoto heads. No, this is the Michael Mueller who shoots action sports and brings Profoto strobes with him to a snowy mountaintop.

“I like being outside,” says Michael. “I also like photographing people who are outside, and I find it rewarding to try to capture all the positive things I associate with this: the adrenaline, the forces of nature, the changing weather, the feelings you get when you’re riding your bike or skiing down a slope.”

It all started when Michael was in his early twenties and his snowboarding friends asked him to take some action shots of them. Michael soon realized that not only did he enjoy the assignment; he actually had a knack for taking photographs that inspires people to get out of their seductively comfortable sofas and head out into nature.

Needless to say, the encouraging, positive feel of Michael’s images has made him sought-after amongst brands that want their customers to feel just that – encouraged and inspired. The images in this article were shot during one such assignment, and the client in question was ski mountaineering brand Dynafit.

“The current trend in that particular market is quite realistic photographs, shot with available light only,” says Michael. “But Dynafit wanted something different. They wanted something that felt natural yet extraordinary. So, after discussing it with my agency Pascher & Heinz, I decided to bring strobes with me to the shoot.”

Said and done. Michael and his crew packed an Pro-B3 battery generator, spare batteries, a ProHead and a spare Pro-B Head too, just in case. Then they headed for the slope. (more…)

Remember Joao Carlos, whose beautiful image Free Fallin won our Light Shaping Tool of the Month contest back a while ago? Did you also know that Joao has his own blog where he shares useful tips and tricks on how to light?

One of Joao’s latest posts highlights on-location shoot with Portuguese Olympic medalist Francis Obikwelu and his good friend and tri-athalete Bruno Brito. Joao, who wanted to keep it simple and stay moving, decided to bring along his Profoto Pro-B3 1200 AirS battery generator.

“Working on location is always a challenge,” writes Joao. “There is not enough time. There is not enough space. There is not enough light.”

Read the rest of the story and learn how he solved it. (more…)