The Shoot
In the summer of 2013, photographer Karolina Henke was on the small island of Fårö in the Baltic Sea to shoot some fashion. There was a detailed plan for where and what to shoot. But being a creative soul, Karolina enjoys following her impulses. “I prepare my shoots meticulously, but I consider it a failure if I stick to those plans,” she says. “In the end, it’s the image’s emotional impact that counts, and that’s something you can’t plan ahead. That has to be caught in the moment. In other words, use the plan as a springboard, be receptive and react when the moment occurs.”
The Challenge
Karolina and her team traveled to a remote beach at Fårö where there were few signs of civilization. In other words, there were no main outlets. In addition, the fact that Karolina so highly values what is created in the spur of the moment meant that she needed equipment that was fast and easy to set up, and a lighting solution that allowed her to shape light on the fly. The solution was to bring a cordless, battery-powered B1 Off-Camera Flash and an Umbrella Deep White XL.
The Solution
Karolina’s assistant mounted the B1 on a stand, unfolded the umbrella and slid it into the B1’s integrated umbrella mount. After tweaking the position and angle of their light source, the team was good to go. By now it was sunset, so Karolina decided to crank up the B1’s power setting and use the umbrella as her main light with a slightly underexposed background. “The light bouncing from the umbrella hit both model and the nearby rocks, which created this dramatic, surreal feel that I just love,” says Karolina. “It’s an amazing thing being able to light up the scenery like this. It’s obviously something I couldn’t have done if I’d brought a speedlight. You need a lot more power than that.”