Every new day is a new challenge for a photographer. Will it be a portrait, sports, fashion or something else completely? And no matter what that day brings, it must always end in the same way – with a great shot. Follow acclaimed fashion and portrait photographer Andreas Lundberg over one week as he tried out the new Profoto D2 – the world’s fastest monolight – and see how he overcomes his challenges. This Wednesday, fast fashion was on the agenda at an on-location shoot where he didn’t want to run out of time.
For a photographer speed is not one thing – it is many. Flash duration, freeze mode, and high-speed sync are all important aspects of speed, but not the only ones. With patented TTL technology, the Profoto D2 Monolight helps you speed up your workflow. Just point and shoot and the D2 will automatically adjust its output for perfect exposure. Manual mode is available at the click of a button and switching between both modes with settings intact just makes everything move faster.
When you shoot on-location, you do not want to be dependent on ambient light. The sun can play tricks on you, casting shades or reflections where you do not want them, and sometimes it can even hide behind a cloud or a building. You need to have a reliable and fast flash in order to control the light.
The shoot
Set in the Old Town of Stockholm, an amazing photo location known for its narrow cobblestone lanes and historical landmarks, Andreas spent his Wednesday shooting editorial fashion for a magazine. The client wanted action packed images.
Andreas had two models running over the smooth, slippery stones in the alleys in order to recreate the concept of a runway runaway. The dresses of the female models moved like a veil in a breeze. Andreas wanted to capture the movements in perfect, crisp sharpness and needed a flash that was up to speed. The mission was to capture their hair and clothes frozen just in the right moment.
The historical background made for beautiful surroundings, but was also full of tourists and passers-by.
The challenge
Andreas and his team were at a location with many tourists so in order to get the shot, they needed to set up quickly and get the different shots without delay. The hard direct sun was bouncing off the buildings which caused changeable and irregular lighting conditions.
“The most challenging thing was the sun playing tricks on us, painting the walls and statues in different tones from one shot to another, so I needed something that put me in control of the ambient light.”
Furthermore, the shooting took the whole day meaning that the sun changed position during the course of the day. Just before wrap-up, the light was very different from when they started but Andreas still needed to keep the same constant look and feel for all of the images.
The solution
You can accomplish a great deal with a one-flash-setup. The Profoto D2 comes with two different power outputs: 500 watt or 1000 watt. Andreas wanted to overpower the ambient light and still keep the speed needed to capture the models’ movements super sharp. Being a fan of umbrellas, Andreas fitted his single D2 1000 AirTTL with an Umbrella Deep Silver XL, to make the light pop even more.
“I brought the new Profoto D2 Monolight since it’s superfast to set up. We asked to borrow power from an old antique dealer on the corner of the street and just plugged in. All ready for action in a couple of minutes.”
With his camera equipped with the Air Remote TTL-C he could change flash settings from a distance. Measuring the light with the TTL to get correct exposure, then just tweaking the settings, Andreas could get the right feeling without tampering with a lightmeter.
“I’m very happy with the shoot. The models were great to work with and were such a good match together. They looked really stunning in the light. And their styling, the clothes and accessories fitted in so well against the old town atmosphere.”
