All posts tagged: profoto

Pentax 645Z in Action – Karate Masters Portrait Project

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A quick update on how I shoot the Karate Masters Portrait Project. Back in March 2012 we used the following gear: Pentax 645D with 105mm or 150mm lens Tripod Profoto 7a generator with a ProHead Generic silver beauty dish PocketWizard Plus II radio transmitters Light stand 3.6′ x 6.6′ Lastolite Black Velvet backdrop And the new 2014 setup. Pentax 645Z with 90mm macro lens Profoto 7a generator with Prohead Profoto Softlight Reflector White PocketWizard Plus II radio transmitters 6.6′ x 6.6′ Lastolite Black Velvet backdrop Why the changes? 645D to 645Z – More megapixels and greater dynamic range. (However 566 not 712 images on a 64GB card, and my computer runs like molasses.) Tripod to No Tripod – Faster, more flexible. Ambient light is low so it has little effect on image quality. Action stopped by flash not shutter. Generic silver beauty dish to Profoto Spoftlight Reflector in white – Larger light source, white interior means better control of specular highlights, image quality. Light stand to voice activated light stand (James) – Faster, more flexible. Medium to Large …

Back from Cambodia

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Back from two weeks shooting in Siem Reap, Cambodia. A great experience, met a lot of interesting people, and really enjoyed my time there. Came back with four 64GB cards filled with images so I have a lot to sort out over the next few weeks. I decided to take the new Profoto B1 strobe and a beauty dish on the road with me. This would allow me to combine location shooting with powerful studio light. It’s something I’d been experimenting with on the latest karate master portraits, and is an exciting new challenge.

Narihiro Shinjo with the Profoto B1 on location

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After taking the studio images against the black background for the Karate Masters Portrait Project, I asked Shinjo sensei if we could walk down to the beach and get a few location portraits. I unplugged, then packed up the Profoto 7a generator and pro head I’d used in the dojo, and grabbed the new Profoto B1 battery powered head and the beauty dish. Set ambient exposure for the desired background then light up the subject with the flash. On location lighting with a bit of punch 🙂

Profoto B1 Review

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What is it? The Profoto B1 500 AirTTL, a powerful flash you can take on location. It’s like a cordless version of the Profoto D1 monolight.  Power comes from a lithium battery pack. 500Ws makes it approximately 10 times more powerful than a speedlight. Clever electronics allow you to control the output accurately over 9 stops (full to 1/256). The lithium battery gives enough power for 220 full power shots. It’s also capable of operating in TTL mode with certain cameras. Flash duration is also rapid. A Profoto radio trigger is integrated into the head. Accepts Profoto’s light shaping modifiers. Why did you buy one?  Power and a fast recycle time so that on location I can balance ambient light with flash to create both the shot I want, and also capture the moment after. The high capacity of the lithium battery means I’m not going to run out of juice during a standard shoot. As with all Profoto equipment the head is designed around a cylinder approximately 10cm in diameter. This means all my heads from …

Pentax K3 Studio Test Shoot – Tomoko

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The lovely Tomoko was my third model for my test shoot with the new Pentax K3. I wanted to create a more classical portrait, that would show the balance between light and dark, but still retain detail in the shadows. Model – Tomoko MUA – Summer Johnson Pentax K3 Pentax smc DA* 55mm 1:1.4 SDM Lighting – Charcoal background. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. Medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards

Profoto Pro-7 Ringflash

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One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, One Ring to light them all, and in the studio blind them. A week ago I bought an old Profoto Pro-7 Ringflash on Ebay. Steven over in Denmark mailed it off to me and it arrived this morning. First thing was to check that it actually worked by shooting the dog. Ringflashes create a unique style of light that is popular for some types of fashion photography. If you look at Bear’s eyes you can see the distinctive ringflash catchlights. It can also be used as a fill light to make sure there are no deep shadows.  

In the Studio – Talisa

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Model – Talisa Galarza Makeup and Hair – Mallika Sharma of Glam Girl Sharma Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. A medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.