Mola user: Polina Osherov

Polina Osherov is a commercial fashion & portrait photographer working out of Indianapolis, IN. She loves being a visual storyteller, creating tales of romance and heartbreak with her team using strong directional lighting that lends a cinematic quality to her work. In this shoot titled ‘Indiscretion’, Polina uses a white 22″ Mola Demi. We love the old film noir look she re-created to tell this story.

polinaosherov.viewbook.com
blog.polinaosherov.com

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Profoto Continuous Light Brings light shaping to video

What is Profoto Continuous Lights?It is a new range of continuous light sources, designed specifically to work with Profoto’s wide assortment of Light Shaping Tools. The core of the range comprises ProDaylight (HMI) and ProTungsten. These units are powerful enough to be used for both video and still photography.

Why light shaping for video?
Modern DSLR cameras can be used to shoot high-resolution videos as well as still photographs. Since more and more photographers are required to do both, it is a natural step for us to introduce our concept of light shaping into the world of video.

If you are already familiar with Profoto, you will feel right at home. If you are new to Profoto, you will love the creative possibilities that our Light Shaping Tools offer. Experience the gentle push of the Softlight Reflector, explore the soft shadows and the distinct highlights of the Profoto Giants, or play with the smooth yet powerful light of the Magnum Reflector. You are only limited by your imagination.

Are all Profoto Light Shaping Tools compatible with Profoto Continuous lights?
Yes, most of them are. This means that you can now use your favourite tools in a brand new way. However, some of them are not compatible due to heat restraints. For guidance, download the Light Shaping Tools for Continuous Light chart here.

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VIDEOS

Gordon Andersson’s dancer in the dark

OCTOBER 04, 2012  FREDRIK FRANZÉN   NO COMMENTS

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Earlier this year, Stockholm-based photographer Gordon Andersson created a series of moving (literally moving) portraits with the help of our continuous light source ProDaylight 400 Air. In case you missed them, the videos are still available here.

Now, Gordon is back with another video and a new series of portraits, shot with three ProTungsten units, an HR Lantern and two HR Softbox 3×4′ RF.

Gordon describes how he lit his dancer:

“The main light is a Profoto HR Lantern, a really interesting light modifier which spreads the light in a way so the top of her was lit throughout her movement but the light didn’t spill to the background. She began slightly behind it for maximal light in her face for the portrait part of the image. I also had a softbox to the left and maybe one from the right (I tried it but don’t know if was used in the final image) to light her up a little more when she danced to the sides. Those lights were pointed in a way so they wouldn’t hit the background and the right one even had had a grid for the same reason.”

You can read the rest of Gordon’s story here.

If you want to see the entire series of portraits, just click the “read more” button.

Extreme Sport Photography with Matt Thomas

Tags: Action, Flash Duration, Sports
Posted under Action Photography, Professional Photography Lighting by Matt Thomas on April 30th, 2012

When I Google “Qflash” I am not surprised to see pages of product photos, followed by gorgeous wedding images and stunning location portraits. It was the fantastic shots of skateboarders flying through urban landscapes that I always wondered about. Today Matt Thomas of Matt-Thomas-Photography.co.uk in Gloucester, Gloucestershire joins us to explain the Qflash / extreme action sport photography connection.

I was introduced to the Quantum line of flashes about 3 years ago by a friend who was using the Quantum QFlash model T2. He kept going on about the quality of light, and how good the spread of light was compared to every other flash he owned. I did a bit of research into the Qflash system, to see how it would benefit me, and I liked what I saw. It was time to try and get one, but I didn’t need any of the fancy features the newer QFlashes offered. So the hunt for an older model began. Luckily, I was able to pick up a second hand QFlash T2 from another skateboard photographer.

The main thing extreme action sport photographers look for in lighting is the flashes ability to freeze action, therefore the shorter the flash duration the better. Often I am trying to overpower the ambient light enough to get a crisp shot of the movement taking place. To do this you need to a very quick burst of light, enough to stop that motion in place for a split second. The QFlash at around 1/4 power is just the right duration to kick out a fast, powerful burst and freeze the action.

In bare bulb the Qflash puts out a wide spread of light. This allows me to bring the flash in quite close, drop the power down, and get that short flash duration I need. Some of my fisheye shots were done with the Qflash only a couple of feet away from the subject, giving me enough power to use apertures of f/8 or f/11, up to two stops more than the natural available light.

All of the Quantum Qflashes are powered by a separate Turbo Battery. Having Quantum Turbo packs in my bag always comes in handy, especially when shooting sequences in poorly lit environments. When I partner a Turbo pack with my Nikon SB-800 I get quick enough recycle time to keep up with the 8fps of my Nikon D700. When firing an action sequence using a Quantum Turbo and High Voltage cable the skater is always lit up and the flash never misses a beat, extremely useful when a lot of the sequence shots seem to happen during dusk or inside skate parks.



Overall I’ve been super happy with using a Quantum QFlash in all of my action photography, not only for its great way the flash can stop action but also for the light spread that fills a location with high quality light. None of which I could get with other flashes I’ve shot with.

Matt Thomas
www.matt-thomas-photography.co.uk
www.mattthomasphotography.wordpress.com

NIEUW: Profoto RFi softboxen:

NIEUW: Profoto RFi softboxen:

Profoto, presenteert een nieuwe lijn softboxen: de RFi-serie.

De softbox is nog steeds de meest populaire lichtvormer. Door de overbekende vorm lijken de meesten softboxen sterk op elkaar. Maar de meeste fotografen weten dat het verschil tussen de softboxen onderling groot is. Met de introductie van de nieuwe RFi lijn maakt Profoto het onderlinge verschil nog groter.

De RFi Softboxen zijn beschikbaar in 12 maten en vier modellen: rechthoekig, vierkant, de octa en de strip. Speedring adapters zijn leverbaar voor 26 verschillende merken. Bij de RFi serie is alle ervaring van de vorige generaties gebruikt, RFi Softboxen zijn dieper uitgevoerd waardoor het licht meer voorwaarts gericht is met minder strooilicht naar de randen. De “RF” in RFi betekent “recessed front” :verdiept voorvlak. De randen van het recessed front zorgen ervoor dat het strooilicht strak onder controle blijft. Ook is de opstaande rand te gebruiken om de softgrids te monteren.De Softgrid is een nuttige accessoire dat ervoor zorgt dat de lichtcontrole zeer nauwkeurig te beheersen is. Andere optionele accessoires zijn de Flat Front Diffuser en het StripMasker.

Bij het RFi ontwerp staat gebruiksvriendelijkheid centraal. De kleurgecodeerde speedringen en de klittenband aansluitingen maken de softboxen op een eenvoudige manier zowel in- als uit-elkaar te halen. Elke RFi softbox bestaat uit een minimale hoeveelheid onderdelen en is zonder gereedschap te monteren.

En dan de lichtkwaliteit. Dat is uiteindelijk de reden dat Profoto al tientallen jaren de keuze is van veel professionals wereldwijd en de RFi Softboxen continueren deze traditie. Alle RFi Softboxen hebben een zilverkleurig interieur waardoor ze een hogere lichtopbrengst geven en een pittig contrast. Het licht gaat dan door twee difussiedoeken om het een egaal karakter mee te geven.

Tot slot, de RFi Softboxes zijn zeer duurzaam uitgevoerd. Elke softbox is met hittebestendige doek van de beste kwaliteit uitgevoerd. Alle naden, hoeken zijn versterkt om een lange probleemloze levensduur te garanderen.


En de “i” in RFi komt van “improved”.

Profoto B4 Peter de Boer

Met Peter de Boer van Mamiya Studiopartners, importeur van Profoto in Nederland, bekijken we op de Photokina de nieuwe Profoto Pro-B4.

Free Lighting Tips and Tricks

Learn how to light from portrait masters.

"…my goal is to do something a little bit different to kind of shake people up." - Bambi Cantrell "Some potential clients really question why they need a professional photographer, and understanding and using professional light is one of the things that separates us." - Marcus Bell "When I'm doing portraits I always start with an idea. You have the idea and then you're using your lighting to be able to complete that idea." - Bobbi Lane