Still-life photographer Martin Botvidsson knows what differentiates good and great product photos – capturing that exact point in time where everything comes together perfectly. Here, he takes us on his moment-by-moment journey using the Profoto Pro-D3, discovering the relentless speed, consistent power and limitless opportunities that come with it.
When it comes to lighting, food and product photographer Martin Botvidsson has a major priority: Speed. And lots of it. Be it capturing a splash of water or a puff of smoke, short recycling time and consistent power are necessary. “You have less than a second to take each photo when it comes to action,” he says, which is why he was thrilled to test Profoto Pro-D3 – the studio workhorse with up to 1250 Ws. He put the super-fast monolight to work, using it to create four dynamic photos that showcase the Pro-D3’s superpowers.
Capturing the mood
“For me,” Botvidsson says, “still-life photography is a combination of beautiful lighting techniques and action. It’s about creative flexibility, reliability and consistency.” For this shoot he used multiple Pro-D3s in different setups to create specific moods, be it soft and calm or bold and daring.
Just a moment
When it comes to color, Botvidsson loves a monochromatic look with soft, diffused light – as evidenced in his image of sand floating around a beige sneaker. “This style is very me,” he muses. Using two Pro-D3s, he shot through a large roll of diffusion paper, while his assistant held a Pro-D3 above with an OCF Softbox 2x3' Rectangular. The extremely fast recycling time allowed Botvidsson to capture the sand in the air before it fell to the ground. “I could just burst away,” he says of using the Pro-D3. “I was able to get many more shots than I would using another monolight.”
Stopping time
“The Pro-D3 has the ability to freeze action at 1/75,000 of a second,” notes Botvidsson. Which is why he was able to capture the perfect shot of water splashing around three cylinder containers. “We diffused the light upwards, making the products the center of the picture,” he says of his strategy, for which he used two Pro-D3s with two RFi Softbox 1x6' Strip. “We hit the water from below the cylinders, creating the splash, which only lasts a split second. With the fast recycling time we were able to get many images to choose from.” The result? A multitude of bold, clear, razor-shop images in which the intricate water droplets and sharp ripples are frozen in time.
Down to the details
Botvidsson turned to three Pro-D3s for another monochromatic shoot, this one of sunglasses. “I wanted to highlight all the small details of this product,” he explains, utilizing the powerful daylight balance LED modeling light to highlight all the important features before triggering the lights. This enabled him to create soft highlights from above, illuminate and define the contours, while adding depth to the background to perfectly balance the shot.
Drama king
Taking a different approach to the sunglasses shot, Botvidsson wanted to infuse drama through the product’s transparency, but without harsh lighting. Using two Pro-D3s and a diffusion filter, he created a soft setting while still capturing the split second a water balloon burst around the sunglasses. “I used splash photography in most of these shots,” he says. “It's hard to capture the perfect moment when it comes to action. But with the Pro-D3, it's very easy thanks to the fast recycling time and color consistency between flashes. You just burst away and then you just pick your favorite!”, making each image capture a walk in the park.
Botvidsson sees the Pro-D3 as game changing thanks to its speed, power and consistency. With high demands on the gear Botvidsson uses, the Pro-D3’s relentless speed ensured that he’d seized the perfect shot every time and empowered him to immortalize details with the speed of lighting.