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 with TTL – and see how he overcomes his challenges.
In the Friday grand finale, Andreas fits in a full pack shot and travels to Häringe Castle where he captures splashes of water enveloping a pair of exclusive shoes in a scene reminiscent of The Great Gatsby.
Speed is versatility and if you have speed on your side, you can tackle most problems at hand. Being a photographer means being a problem solver, a doer and a visionary. Every day you push the envelope, yet every day you have to come up with the next brightest idea. Always being up to speed is the biggest challenge you will face.
On the last day before a well-deserved weekend, Andreas set out to do a location shoot for an international shoe brand. This time he did a two-in-one job. The perks of having a versatile tool at your disposal are that you yourself become more flexible and can take on more challenges. The brand that Andreas was shooting for needed campaign images for the coming season. He was commissioned do both the pack shots and take the hero image.
The shoot
The pack shoot took place in Andreas’s studio. It was a pretty straight forward studio setup. Andreas used a light table, which is convenient for product photography since it gives your object a nice reflection. He angled two of his D2 Monolight, each equipped with an RFi Softbox 1×4’, at about 45 degrees toward the subject. Finally from above, he lit the shoes with a D2 and a Softlight Reflector White – also known as the Beauty Dish. That gave a soft but crisp light on the shoes and made them really pop.
“The D2s are not only great for action, they are also ideal for pack shots. They have great color stability that makes them very reliable,” Andreas explains. “You might think shooting simple objects like shoes is easy. But shooting pack shots is an intense job that requires a lot of precision.”
Andreas had chosen to do an on-location shoot for the hero image. He and his team went to Häringe Castle in southern Stockholm – a dreamy place with a fantastic history.
“The shoes express a lot of attitude and I wanted a location that could match that attitude,” says Andreas.
The feeling he was going for was one of grandeur and a Gatsbyesque sensation of glamour. He asked his model to sit by the side of a pool and splash her feet in the water. When she kicked the water, he wanted to catch the drops splashing and enveloping her pair of exclusive shoes in absolute sharpness.
The challenge
Andreas used a 1000 watt D2 Monolight with a Deep Umbrella Silver XL for this setup. He angled the light from the right so that it hit the back of the model. Even when he was planning the shoot, he knew that the biggest challenge was going to be overpowering the strong sun and still have enough speed to freeze the water splashes in pin sharp detail. Thankfully the Profoto D2 is High-Speed Sync compatible.
With the Air Remote TTL-C attached to his Canon 1DX he could set his camera in HSS mode with just the click of a button. This enabled him to get the flash to expose at higher shutter speeds and made it possible to freeze the motion of the water around the model’s shoes.
The result
The main job for the campaign was to set a hero shot that Andreas’s client was going to use on large billboards. The details he captured in his image were to really shine through from far away.
“I believe we got a sophisticated yet edgy pose, with the shoes elegantly displayed but with a twist – the water,” Andreas says after the shoot. “We got it exactly as I saw the image in my head and it won’t need much post production.”
At the same time as Andreas managed to freeze the splashing water, the skin tone of the model is really soft.
“There were many different elements to this campaign. It was a prestigious job. It’s always a thrill to see your work turn out exactly as you want it.”
The gear
Pack shots
3 x D2 Monolight
1 x Softlight Reflector White
2 x Softbox RFi 1×4’
1 x Air Remote TTL-C
On-location shoot
1 x D2 Monolight
1 x Umbrella Deep Silver XL
1 x Air Remote TTL-C
Thank you
We would like to thank the great team that has produced this video series. On the behalf of Profoto, Project Manager Anna Riberth and Product Manager Johan Wiberg send our special thanks to:
Photographer Andreas Lundberg for your fantastic contribution and for just being you.
Photographer assistant Joakim Reimer for your hard work and positive spirit.
Producer Anna-Sofia Mörck for coordinating this fantastic team.
Director Mauri Chifflét for the beautiful film imagery and for turning our common creative ambition into reality.
The big team at Lillasyster video agency for all your awesome work.
Behind-the-scenes photographer Evan Pantiel for capturing the action on set so beautifully.
Michael Roscoe for bringing your valuable competence on set.
Rebecca Ahremark, Profoto Nordic and Sasha Hallin, Marketing Coordinator for your new found acting skills.
Gymnasts William Broman and Nicole Wanström, chef Oscar Ljungqvist, Daniel Blomqvist at KAO, Häringe Castle, models, stylists, hair & make-up artists and Penny the charming studio dog.
