#wheelswednesday is on hiatus as I take a break from cars to focus on studio photography. Weather permitting, Cliff Lawson and I are hoping to re-launch our video series “Cliff & Joe Got to Cars & Coffee” with the May Espresso & Exhaust event at the Vehicle Vault in Parker, Colorado. Look for a #wheelswednesday about it with a link to the video soon thereafter.
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.”—Benjamin Franklin
There is something satisfying about working with finely crafted tools. It’s a feeling I fondly remember harking back to my film photography days when capturing images with my first Hasselblad 500CM camera. It’s also one that I had again while shooting with the Swiss-made Broncolor Move 1200 L Outdoor Kit 2.
Broncolor’s lighting system made creating the image you see here easier and fun to shoot and it’s in this spirit of play where creativity lives, inspiring a photographer to try new ways to use these kinds of tools to make more and better photographs. Although it’s not cheap ($6,807.46,) Broncolor’s Move kit is that kind of lighting system. The kit includes a 1200 Ws Move 1200 L Battery-Powered Pack, two MobiLED Flash Heads, a Continuous Light Adapter, weatherproof Case and a rolling backpack. Light modifiers include a 24×24-inch softbox and 33.5-inch (metric, I guess) umbrella.
The Move 1200 L power pack is compatible with Broncolor HS via firmware version 48.07 or later. Broncolor HS, when combined with an optional ($137.95) RFS2.2 transmitter, enables the Move 1200 L to sync at shutter speeds up to 1/8,000s on Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Sony camera systems.
How I Made This Portrait: This sexy, low key headshot of aspiring model Laura May Bachmayer was made using a Broncolor MobiLED head and 24×24-inch softbox attached and placed at camera right. A second MobiLED head was placed directly behind and pointed at her back to separate her from the Matte Black Savage Infinity vinyl background. Exposure with Canon EOS 5D Mark I and EF 85mm f/1.8 lens was 1/125 sec at f/11 and ISO 200.
If you’re interested in learning how I shoot portraits and how I use cameras, lenses and lighting in my in-home studio and on location, please pick up a copy of Studio Lighting Anywhere which is available new from Amazon.com with for $24.46 and used starting around thirteen bucks, as I write this. The Kindle version is $19.99 for those preferring a digital format.