So, how do you get from the calm, cool, office professional of the above pic in the header, to the sweaty, post-workout persona below? Aside from different wardrobe, baby oil, a smoke machine and a whole bunch of sprayed on perspiration?
Light! Both of these, shot for the class I did couple weeks ago at Creative Live, showed off, I think, the excellent strengths of both small flash and big flash, and why you would use one over the other at any given time. It’s a question that often comes up at workshops. When do you tip from small flash to big? There’s not a hard and fast boundary, but perhaps these two pix give a feel for the deal.
This shot, above, was done with three flashes, but two of those are really acting as one. Two Profoto B-4 units are out on the street, high on c-stands, gelled warm so they appear to be the sun, low on the horizon, reaching its golden glow, late afternoon stage. No shapers, just full power light, popped in intensity by narrow beam reflectors. Needed these lights to bring the hammer down on the still plentiful daylight out there in the world beyond the window.
The “main light” (which is a far weaker source) is a Profoto B-1, above Brittany, camera left, running through a 1×3 strip softbox, fitted with a grid, or egg crate, as they are sometimes called. Done. Main light, backlight. Add sweat and grab a good expression.
Now, the above is, well, more on the intricate side. Flash power ain’t the issue here. Control is. I needed to drive a main light to her, and then just accent certain areas of the photo with little splashes and pools of warmish light. The dominant light in the room is the deep blue of the window, so I wanted to go warm on my lights, to a degree, to get some cool/warm visual vibrato going.
This “office shot” or “corporate style” photo involves seven SB-5000 units, all radio controlled. I am directing their behavior via the WRR-10 transceiver plugged into the ten pin on my D5. The lens is a 105mm f1.4. The main light, emanating from the direction of the big computer comes from a new light shaper from Lastolite, the Speed Lite 2 box. It is almost out and the prototypes I’ve been working with have been giving off a wonderful control and quality of light, especially considering it is a quintessentially small light shaper.
Three warm gelled Speedlights are against the far wall, on the floor, creating a little glow off the brick. Two others are pretty much bounced off the surface of her desk, near the two computers, to give them a touch of detail. Another gelled light lightly caroms off her dark hair. A bunch of small lights, each doing just a little, adding up to the wholesale shift of the look of the room.
No flash? No WB control? No gelling on the flashes? It looks like this.
Shaping light is kind of like a puzzle. There are small pieces and big pieces.
More tk….
Thanks for the perspective. As one who goes back and forth between small & big, and sometimes mixes them, one other variable is portability versus time. Small strobes are more portable, but for me, take more time to set up and work with. Mono/pack lights take more hauling, but deploy quicker (especially when you need power) and avoid lots of battery changing/charging issues (if you have AC).
What an amazing BTS-piece, Joe. I love the ones like this where you really get into the guts of it and cover all the nuances that make the final images what they are — the SBs for the backs of the computers and brick wall are the sorts of things that make my gears turn.
Great piece, but I won’t lie – I am bummed you’ve added strobes ( Profoto units) to your arsenal – you are (and will always be) the king of creativity with speedlights 🙂
Excellent work Joe – showing us the “before” is extremely interesting. Those are a very nice complementary image pair. I’d love to see you’re process for setting up the office shot, namely, how much you piece together in the moment and how much you plan – your lighting is so much about the subtleties – it’s the best element of your work – that I can only imagine that you experiment a lot, fine-tuning as you go. Truly inspirational!
I watched the computer portion of the class. I was amazed at how quickly it all came together. Voice activated light stands help a lot, but even with 1-2 people, it would go together pretty fast. My question is was this TTL, and/or how did you know which power setting to have each flash at?
One of the best classes I’ve ever seen. So much to learn (not technically, but listening to Joe) and watching how Joe develops his images is really priceless. And Joe is a real entertainer who makes watching it even fun. Thanks Joe for letting us see so deep into your art!
Thank you Rudi! Very kind of you to send a note.
Hi Gabe…you don’t really. When switching the SB units from TTL to manual, you have to kind of guess at the power level. That’s a nice thing about the B-1 units. You can work TTL, and when you like it, just flip the switch to manual and the unit locks in at the TTL power level you were using. Really cool feature. All the best, Joe
Watched it LIVE over all 3 days; TRIED to get into the class in-person….a real privilege watching Joe work/problem solve, taking us INTO his thought process. Invaluable.
Love reading your blog and watching your seminars (and attending them), Joe! So cool to watch you in high gear!
Was camera WB set to tungsten Joe?
In my humble opinion, the finest CL presentation I’ve ever watched. Truly educational, Three days packed with wisdom, that comes from experience. Well done, Mr. McNally and CL!
I am glad my schedule let me watch the whole CreativeLive class. The thing that resonated with me the most was how much attention you spent to lighting “everything else.” That was amazing! And what a difference a subtle pop of well directed, beautifully gelled light makes. This changes everything.
Thats an awesome shot! Nice perspective and lighting. You are the man!
This is really another great concept you have helped with. the picture showed good lighting option and perfect flash caption. Very good one though. Good post
So the windows are blue because??? Did you gel them on the outside? I read this a few times and may be missing something…. as usual…… TBow
Who’s looking at the light? Wow. Where do you get these models?
Good reminder that it worthwhile to spend some time for a good light setup. This technical aspect of photography isn’t my favourite, but it does pay off! Thanks
Many thanks Tom!
Scott….it was indeed set to Tungsten WB….
Hey TBow…yep, it’s a tungsten balance….turns the outdoor daylight a very cool blue.
Very insightful, thanks!
Thanks for such an amazing post Joe !! Looking forward to learn more from your classes..
Thank you.
amazing how the light catch her eyes!
Hi Joe – I believe at one point during a CreativeLive shot you were able to use the Profoto Air Remote to wirelessly fire Profoto lights and the camera wirelessly fired speed lights. And I think you said this is only possible with the SB-5000 speedlight and either a D5 or D500 (and I assume the D850 when released). Plus, you were able to adjust the Profoto power levels with the Air Remote and the SB-5000 power levels with the camera’s Commander Mode. Is all of this correct? If so, its definitely nice to be able to EASILY and EFFICIENTLY mix Profotos and SB-5000s in one shot!
Yep, we have found the two radio systems work together well. Both can be TTL or manual, and both respond to commands from the wireless commanders plugged into the camera. It’s a fun way to work.