Intro
My name is David Hou (davidhou.com) and I am an advertising photographer from Toronto, Canada. My assignments range from designer look-books shot in studio to national theatre campaigns and fashion editorials shot on location. Owning a compact portable lighting system is an essential component of my photographic arsenal. Recently, the fashion editor of Fashion China Magazine contacted me regarding an on-location editorial. This editorial consisted of 8-12 pages, featuring the works of a fashion designer based in London, England.
As with any fashion editorials, the primary steps of the project involved story boarding, location scouting, and model casting. I chose a young team that consisted of a wardrobe stylist, a make-up artist, and a hair stylist, all of whom excel at innovative and creative thinking. The location we decided on was Sandbanks Provincial Park, a remote beach with endless stretches of wind-swept sand dunes to offset the bright colours of the outfits. The story would evolve around the theme of a post-apocalyptic world. The model would feature the clothing symbolizing rebirth and rediscovery. The casting took place in my studio over two days. Once all the primary preparations were completed, we were off to the location shoot the following day.
The Lesson Plan
Under controlled conditions, I always decide on a lighting scheme prior to the shoot day. However, with outdoor location shoots, there are dynamic weather elements one needs to consider when pre-designing the lighting scheme(s). With the location being over two hours drive away from my studio and a limited editorial budget, we had no optional rain dates. I could not rely on having the sun and I needed light modifiers that would work in high winds. The situation called for a compact portable lighting system with a short flash duration to capture action in rain or shine. The shoot also required a lighting system that could provide consistently beautiful light with or without light modifiers.
The Shoot
When we arrived at the location early morning, we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day, albeit a bit windy and chilly. The hike from the parking lot to the sand dunes took approximately 15 minutes, but those 15 minutes didn’t pass leisurely. Carrying the wardrobe, styling kit, make-up kit, hair styling kit, photographic and lighting equipment up sandy hills made for quite the cardiovascular workout! Fortunately, I was able to fit the entire Photoflex TritonFlash system into one carrying case, since it is so light and compact. Once everything was loaded on set, we spent the next hour clearing twigs from the set and setting up a prep area for the stylists. It was important to ensure everything was secure in the strong wind.
Setting Up The XS OctoDome
The TritonFlash kit comes with an Extra Small OctoDome, although the name is a bit of a misnomer as its diameter is 18”, which I find to be perfect for beauty shots. As its name suggests, the OctoDome has 8 rods, each attached to a corner of the provided speed-ring by a simple slide-in action. The resulting shape of the OctoDome is nearly circular, providing very pleasing catch-lights in the eyes. The quality of the light is further softened by an interior baffle and a front diffusion face. What is most impressive is the efficiency of the OctoDome itself; its silver interior provides punch, but the diffusion layers keep the quality of light soft.
The Lighting Combination
For this editorial, I decided to use the TritonFlash in three different ways, depending on the condition of available sunlight and the strength of the wind. With early morning sun, I used the strobe unit fitted with the OctoDome (Medium for full figure shots and Extra Small for close up shots) as a secondary light, balancing the daylight from the opposite direction. Around midday, when the sun was up high and casting dark shadows under the eyes, I used the TritonFlash as my key light. At 300Ws and diffused with the OctoDome, the strobe was powerful enough to rid the model of unwanted shadows, while still providing an excellent rendition of skin tones. Later in the day, when the wind really picked up, I got a bit adventurous. I decided to try the TritonFlash with only the standard 7” hard reflector, which, in my opinion, is above “standard”. Instead of the typical polished aluminum inner surface that often accompany cheaply constructed units, the TritonFlash reflector hood is dimpled and provide a much more pleasing light distribution. This was especially apparent in close-up shots. The compact size of the unit and reflector made it easy to hold the unit, even in strong wind.
In each of the following three setups, only a single strobe was used. Partially, this was a personal stylistic preference. But I also had a limited editorial budget, which prevented me from hiring an entire team of assistants to hold multiple lights in position. Like many fashion photographers, I prefer to have my lights hand-held by assistants. This allows the lights to be truly mobile and specific to each of the model’s poses and movements. On this shoot, my assistant held the light by the handle attached to the strobe unit. In situations where I needed the light to come from higher angles, the unit was attached to a LiteStand that was then handheld over the model.
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