During the 2017 Kyoto Workshop it was great that I could introduce new pieces of equipment and techniques to others in the group.  One of these was the Profoto B2 Off Camera Flash System.

This strobe allows me to add light to my images to make the subject pop a little more and add catchlights to the eyes. I also use it to fill in shadows. In the featured image taken at Fushimi Inari Shrine I used the Profoto B2 with no modifier, while the image taken at the Philosopher’s walk below (right) was with a shoot-through umbrella.

The system works really well. Dividing the head and the battery pack makes life for the assistant easier as holding a B1 light on the end of a pole can be top heavy. The option to use the pack with two lights is useful, and also gives you redundancy if a flash bulb stops working.  I used the Profoto Air Remote triggers with my Pentax cameras, as there is still no Pentax TTL/HSS trigger (unlike Canon, Nikon and Sony).

On this trip I decided to take a “shoot-through” umbrella deep translucent S,  rather than my OCF beauty dish as it can be opened and closed so quickly, and although a little bulky it fits  alongside a Lastolite Extending Handle on the side of the Lowepro Whistler backpack. When not in use, the Profoto B2 battery pack fit in the base of the bag while the flash head was carried in the top pocket.