Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Issue 112783
Issue 112783
for Portrait
Photographers
Lighting Ingredients / David Bicho
Challenge: Profoto D1 vs. Speedlights
Getting the Shot / Dixie Dixon
Composite Like A Superhero / Andrew McGibbon
Anatomy of a Portrait / Tony Corbell
02 Lighting Ingredients
68 Anatomy of a Portrait
with DavidBicho
with TonyCorbell
14 Challenge:
30 Profoto D1
46 BatPac
48 Getting the Shot
with DixieDixon
Softlight Reflectors74
PROFOTO UMBRELLA XL80
Profoto Giants84
Profoto Umbrellas88
56 AcuteB2 AirS
Reflectors100
66 Air Remote
Contents
Lighting
Ingredients
with David Bicho
Swedish photographer and lighting guru
David Bicho is a man of many ideas. One
of his recent ideas was to shoot a model
covered in food ingredients oil, salt, flour,
cocoa and licorice, to name just a few. It wasnt about the food, says David. The
Why, you might ask? real reason was that I wanted to shoot one
face but with different textures. Ive always
been fascinated with how different a face
can look depending on how you light it, and I
wanted to explore this phenomenon further by
experimenting with different facialtextures.
As with most experiments, David did not know
exactly what to expect. For instance, he soon
learned that oil and salt do not mix very well.
Instead, what was supposed to become a
beautiful, crystal texture ended up looking like
a skin disease. Ingredients such as flour, cocoa
and licorice, on the other hand, turned out even
better than he had hoped for.
Obviously applying flour, cocoa or licorice
creates very different textures. Still, if we
look at the portraits David shot, he evidently
managed to maintain a consistent look and feel
throughout the entire series.
Licorice Shot
The foam core board was used to lighten up THE ACCIDENTAL LICORICE SHOT
the shadows around the models chin, forehead
andnose.
As mentioned above, some things went as planned
and some did not. Besides that, there were a
couple of occasions when things happened almost
by accident.
c
The second licorice shot wasnt planned, says
David, It just happened. The make-up artist
had just started to apply the licorice, when I
b
realized how cool it looked and that I had to shoot
it. So I just tweaked the setup and pushed the
releasebutton.
COCOA SHOT
When David and his crew had finished the licorice
shot, it was time for the cocoa shoot. Well, before
that they actually had to spend quite some time
getting the licorice out of the models hair, but that
is of less importance to this article.
The first cocoa shot we did was the one where the
model is looking straight into the camera, says
David. The main light is a D1 monolight, equipped
with a Softbox 3x4 RFi. Whats interesting here is
the position of the softbox. Its positioned right in
front of the models forehead, almost horizontally
but slightly tilted towards the camera. In other
words, she is sticking the front of her face into
the light. Thats why its so dark around her
face and under her eyebrows and under her lip.
Having the softbox so close and at this angle to
the model means that you get a light that you
might not associate with a softbox. Its a common
misconception that softboxes can only do soft and
flat light. But as you see, having the softbox turned
away makes it a vertically narrow light source.
COCOA SHOT DAVID BICHO
a. Zoom Reflector
b. Softgrid for 1x4' Softbox
c. White foam core board with black gaffer tape
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FLOUR SHOT
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Challenge: Profoto
by Ma
14
D1 vs. Speedlights
att Hill
| LIGHT SHAPING |
There are times when a speedlight will do the job.
However, their light spread is boxy and rectangular,
and they are mainly designed to throw direct light
forward, or perhaps bounce it. There are some
third-party accessories to modify the flash, but
these do not have a parabolic shape that maximizes
the output. Also, they are not available in such
large varieties as Profotos Light Shaping Tools.
Here are some of our most essential:
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D1 Spillkill Reflector
10 07 94
Magnum Reflector
10 06 24
TeleZoom Reflector
10 07 12
Zoom Reflector
10 07 85
7 Grids
5 10 06 35
10 10 06 34
10 Grid
10 06 18
Pro Tube
10 06 70
Barn Doors
10 07 15
10 WideZoom Grid
10 06 36
Disc Reflector
10 06 54
Grid Reflector
10 07 05
Barn Doors
10 06 71
PROFOTO BATPAC
BatPac 230V / 120V
901124
Snoot
10 06 51
5, 10, 20 Grids
10 06 46, 10 06 05, 10 06 06
Softbox Rectangular
Softbox RFi 1x1.3' (30x40 cm) 25 47 01
Softbox RFi 1.3x2' (40x60cm) 25 47 02
Softbox RFi 2x3' (60x90 cm) 25 47 03
Softbox RFi 3x4' (90x120 cm) 25 47 04
Softbox RFi 4x6' (120x180 cm) 25 47 05
Softbox Square
Softbox RFi 2x2' (60x60 cm) 25 47 06
Softbox RFi 3x3' (90x90 cm) 25 47 07
16
Softbox StripLights
Softbox RFi 1x3' (30x90 cm) 25 47 08
Softbox RFi 1x4' (30x120 cm) 25 47 09
Softbox RFi 1x6' (30x180 cm) 25 47 10
Softbox Octa
Softbox RFi 3' Octa (90 cm) 25 47 11
Softbox RFi 5' Octa (150 cm) 25 47 12
ProGlobe
10 06 73
ProFresnel Spot
10 07 06
5 10 07 95
10 10 07 96
20 10 07 97
Translucent Umbrella
S 10 06 13
M 10 06 14
Glass Disc
10 07 04
Fresnel Small
10 07 89
White Umbrella
S 10 06 11
M 10 06 12
L 10 07 19
Silver Umbrella
S 10 06 15
M 10 06 16
L 10 07 20
Spot Small
10 07 90
Air USB
90 10 34
Air Remote
90 10 31
Air Sync
90 10 32
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Umbrella XL
Umbrella XL White 10 03 26
Umbrella XL Silver 10 03 27
Umbrella XL Translucent 10 03 28
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18
Softbox
When you want to flatter your subject or cover a larger area,
the softbox is your tool of choice. The softbox creates a soft yet
distinctive light that bounces off available surfaces and fills in the
details nicely. It can be used for main light or fill light. All Profoto
softboxes are built to last, using high-grade fabrics, industrial
stitching and age-resistant diffusion materials. They are also easy
to use, mount and dismount.
Optional, additional diffuser, soft grids and masks let you customize
the look at any time.
20
Profoto Giants
The Giant is our foldable studio light. Instead of having a very soft,
diffused light such as a softbox (which scatters the light), the Giant
turns a small light source into a very large, directional light. The
results are flattering shadows and glimmering, spectacular highlights
in your subjects eyes all in a portable package. The Giants are
available in 4 sizes with either silver or white interior surfaces.
22
Spot Small
This is one of Profotos more specialized Light Shaping Tools. The
Spot Small is a compact, portable spotlight for punching in a direct
light with crisp, clean shadows. The results are bold, dramatic
portraits sometimes with a silver screen feel.
24
| POWER |
When you want to balance or overpower direct sunlight, you need
power. Lots of it.
We took two speedlights and directed them into an umbrella, set
them to full, manual power, and were thereby able to get a setting
of f/6.3 at ISO 100 and 1/15 sec.
26
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| SPEED |
You can spend lots of time researching how to optimize your
recycle time with speedlights at high-power settings. But no
matter which external battery pack you choose, you will still have
limitations. For example, some of them can overcharge your flash
and shorten its life span. Also, the hotter the flash gets, the
slower the recycling time. In fact, many speedlights overheat and
shut down for at least five minutes when used at full power for
extended periods of time. Speedlights are simply not designed for
high-power, high-speed shooting.
28
Profoto D1 500: max 60 frames in one minute (at equivalent light output).
If you want to produce high-quality images at this rate, you will need
a powerful and reliable monolight. The Profoto D1 500 recycles at
full power in 0.95 seconds. That is nearly three times faster than a
speedlight with an external battery pack.
Do not take our word for it. Above left you can see 20 frames from
a speedlight with a battery pack shooting at one frame every three
seconds. Above right is a D1 shooting at the same power output as
the speedlight at just under one frame per second. Imagine how
much better your rapport with the subject will be if your flash was
always ready?
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Profoto D1
30
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Profoto D1
Super performance in a
small package
Youre in control with the D1 Air. Convenience and digital precision
in a handy format.
Compact and lightweight.
Built-in reflector gives you full control, minimizes stray light and
maximizes the light output. It is designed for use with softboxes,
umbrellas and for use with or without additional reflectors.
Optional grids and clear glass plates give you further control.
The frosted glass plate and built-in reflector protects the flash
tube and modelling lamp which makes the D1 easy to transport.
Choose from the vast variety of Light Shaping Tools available.
Uncomplicated handling of all accessories. For example, softboxes
can be rotated 360 degree in both directions.
The 7 f-stop power range gives all the power the demanding
photographer needs for creative freedom, including the ability to
shoot with high speed and wide open lenses. Power is controlled
in 1/10 f-stop precise and repeatable increments.
The unique Zoom function allows you to freely move the Light
Shaping Tools back and forth on the D1. This increases the
versatility of each tool even further.
Built-in microprocessors ensure the output consistency 0.05
f-stop and 30 K flash to flash.
32
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11
12
1
3
4
10
2
14
6
8
13
20
15
19
17
18
16
34
2. Setting knob.
9. Test button.
20. Built-in radio for remote control
or triggering.
10. On button.
11. Umbrella tube/mount.
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D1 Air
D1 Air 250
901022
D1 Air 1000
901025
D1 Air 500
901024
36
Bambi Cantrell:
Overpowering the Sun with Profoto D1
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D1
D1 250
901021
D1 500
901023
38
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDbRaBXsXco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUnVY4jUwS8
1-Light Portraiture:
Tony Corbell & Profoto D1
2-Light Portraiture:
Tony Corbell & Profoto D1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAtzrKOpHhc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjgrHoYyHr8
3-Light Portraiture:
Tony Corbell & ProfotoD1
4-Light Portraiture:
Tony Corbell & ProfotoD1
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D1 Studio Kits
Air Remote
Sync Cable
40
901051
901058
901059
901050
901053
901052
D1 Basic Kits
901055
901061
901075
901062
901056
901063
901076
901064
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The 3 head version of our D1 Studio Kits comes with two RFi
softboxes and a 10 grid so you can bring professional lighting
on location, anywhere you need to be. Choose from 250, 500 or
1000 watt-second kits with or without Air Remote technology
for remote radio sync and control. Kits include 3 D1 units, Air
Remote, one Softbox RFi 3x2', one Softbox RFi 2x3', two Speedring
Adapters, one D1 Grid 10, three Kit Stands, and three Power
Cables. All equipment comes in a high quality trolley bag.
D1 Studios Kit 3 Heads 250/500/500 Air
901086
42
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D1 Accessories
Out of the box, the Profoto D1 is ready to shoot, but by adding
accessories you can increase your versatility and broaden your
light shaping abilities for more creative lighting effects and more
efficientsetups.
SpillKill Reflector
Bag S
100787
100794
330211
Trolley Bag L
Bag M
330220
330212
44
D1 Honeycomb Grid 5
D1 Honeycomb Grid 10
D1 Honeycomb Grid 20
100795
100796
100797
glass domes
glass plates
Miscellaneous
Glass Dome D1
101561
331524
100799
D1 Stand
101562
331525
101085
101563
331526
flashtubes
331527
Flashtube D1 250
331522
Flashtube D1 500/1000
331523
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BatPac
BatPac
901124
46
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dixiedixon.com
facebook.com/dixiedixonphotography
@iamDIXIEDIXON
dixiedixon.tumblr.com
ixons father was a hobbyist photographer, and provided her first camera.
Her grandfather was a landscape
photographer.
GIRL PORTRAIT
50
c
a. Softbox RFi 1x3'
b. Umbrella
c. Softlight Reflector White
52
Guy Portrait
For this shot, I wanted to create a masculine
beauty image in black and white. With color
images, your eyes can be more distracted by the
clothes and everything else thats going on, but
with black and white, I feel that youre able to get
more to the soul of the image and make a deeper
connection. If color isnt adding to the shot, try
making it black and white.
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54
a. Umbrella
b. Softbox RFi 1x3'
c. Softbox 5' Octa
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The AcuteB flash pack brings together the The incorporated Profoto Air system allows for
famous quality and reliability of Profoto in a small remote triggering from up to 300 m (1000 ft) from
battery generator. Offering significantly improved the camera.
performance and higher flash capacity all in a
lightweight package, the AcuteB2 is just over 3.6kg
(8.9 lbs)!
The small size and light weight of the AcuteB2
offers up to 200 full power or thousands of lower
power flashes on a single charge, allowing you
to take your studio light on location for a full day
ofshooting!
56
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AcuteB2 AirS/R
58
AcuteB Head
900938
901105
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How to create a
superhero-esque
movie poster
in less than
twohours
With Andrew McGibbon
It goes without saying that blockbuster
movie posters are the result of countless
hours of postproduction and spending
ridiculous amounts of money. But if you are
willing to take it down a notch, you can do
your very own poster in just two hours!
60
62
Do The Styling
You can, of course, add as many details as
you like during postproduction, but my advice is
to get as much as possible right in camera, says
a. White Backdrop
b. Softlight Reflector White
c. Softbox RFi 5' Octa
andrew macgibBon
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Shoot!
There are basically three things you need to
get right in camera: the lighting, the styling and
the energy, says Andrew. Weve already talked
about the first two. Now, when I say energy, Im
talking about the eyes. The energy in the eyes
Insert Background
Whenever I do a job outside and theres a
nice enough sky, I shoot it, says Andrew. By
now I have a pretty good library of sky images,
which I find often comes in handy, such as in this
case.
So, I cut out the portrait with the help of the
Magic Wand tool and the Refine Edge tool, and
inserted the background image. I then used a
simple bi-color filter to make the image a bit more
yellow on the left hand side and a bit bluer on the
right hand side. I then burned out the image at the
64
Original shot
Final image
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Air Remote
Air Remote
901031
66
Air Sync
Air USB
901032
901034
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Anatomy
of a Portrait
with
TonyCorbell
Interview by Ron Egatz
Tony Corbell has long been a fan of Profoto
lighting gear. He did some of our earliest
instructional videos, demonstrating a
wide variety of lighting effects in portrait
photography, including the very popular
one-light, two-light, three-light, and
four-light shorts.
Tony recently completed a workshop in
Santa Fe, and chose to analyze two portraits
taken during that workshop. In his own
words, heres his breakdown of thought,
technique, and execution.
corbellproductions.com
@tonydude1
Aaron
70
Ol Donald
This is Donald Blake. Hes been an actor, a working
cowboy, and a stuntman whos been in 200 or
300 movies and likes to claim hes been shot and
killed in about 150. We shot this at the old saloon
on Eaves Ranch, which has been in countless
television shows and movies.
b
a. Window
b. Profoto D1 with Softbox RFi 4x6'
c. Black panel Gobo used to eliminate the influence of any
ambient light from right side of face
72
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The gentle slant of the Softlight Reflector makes it ideal for close-up,
beauty photography. From portrait to fashion photography, the
Softlight Reflector is an excellent light source whenever a soft, yet
directional light is preferred. Its is a distinctive alternative to an
ordinary softbox.
By using the optional glass deflector, front diffuser and grid
(separate or in combination), the characteristics and light spread
can be further adjusted to the photographer's needs and wishes.
When used with a honeycomb grid you get a soft, toned-down
edge-lighting effect, with 10 coverage with the silver, and 25 with
the white reflector for more directed light.
74
MASTER SERIES:
Matthew Jordan Smith's Favorite Light Shaping Tools
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76
Tom Munoz
Diffuser
for Softlight Reflector
100714
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78
MASTER SERIES:
Jeremy Cowart, Favorite Light Shapers
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PROFOTO UMBRELLA XL
80
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82
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Profoto Giants
84
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86
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Profoto Umbrellas
88
100611
100615
100613
100616
100616
100614
100719
100720
Disc Reflector
100654
Designed for use with an umbrella. It keeps light from spilling off
the edges of the umbrella. Very compact design for easy carrying.
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90
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1. Choose the tool you need. Create the light you want. RFi
softboxes come in twelve models and four shapes: rectangular,
square, octagonal and strip.
2. Use your old flash brand in a brand new way. The speedring
adaptors make the RFi softboxes compatible with well over 20
different flash brands.
3. Shape the light with precision. Optional accessories, such as
the Softgrid, the Flat Front Diffuser and the StripMask, allow for
even more precise light shaping.
4. Focus your energy where it is needed. Color-coded speedrings
and Velcro attachments result in hassle-free assembly and
disassembly. No tools or pre-assembly needed.
5. Experience the quality of light that Profoto is famous for. All
RFi softboxes have double-layered diffusers. This creates a softer,
more even light spread. The silver interior provides a higher output
and a crispier character.
6. Stop worrying about your equipment. Each unit is hand-sewn
with heat resistant, high-quality fabrics. Seam lines, edges and
corner pockets are reinforced.
7. Explore the Light Shaping Tool system. All RFi softboxes are
part of Profotos renowned Light Shaping Tool system with more
than 120 unique tools to choose from.
92
254701
254702
254703
254704
254705
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254707
254708
254709
94
SOFTGRIDS
RFi Softgrid 50
1x1,3'
RFi Softgrid 50
3x3'
254620
254626
RFi Softgrid 50
1,3x2'
RFi Softgrid 50
1x3'
254621
254627
RFi Softgrid 50
2x3'
RFi Softgrid 50
1x4'
254622
254628
RFi Softgrid 50
1x6'
254623
RFi Softgrid 50
4x6'
254624
RFi Softgrid 50
2x2'
254625
254629
RFi Softgrid 50
3Octa
254630
RFi Softgrid 50
5'Octa
254631
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STRIPMASKS
RFi Stripmask 7 cm 1x3'
254632
96
DIFFUSERS
RFi Flat Front Diffuser 1x1.3'
254635
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100501
100510
100502
100511
100503
100512
100505
100514
100506
100515
100507
100516
100508
100517
100509
100518
98
Using Softboxes to
Create a Perfectly Even,
WhiteBackground
pg. 116
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Reflectors
Zoom Reflector
100785
100
Snoot
900649
100651
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Reflectors
Magnum Reflector
100624
102
MASTER SERIES:
Kareem Black on his Favorite Light Shaping Tools
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Reflectors
WideZoom Reflector
100711
104
10 WideZoom Grid
for WideZoom Reflector
100636
TeleZoom Reflector
100712
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Reflectors
Disc Reflector
100654
100713
106
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Fresnel Small
100789
108
Spot Small
ProGlobe w/Ring
100790
100673
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RFi Softbox
Tips and Tricks
112
114
116
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118
STAY CONNECTED!
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120
1
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1
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