On to Light Shaping is a new video series in which get to see 18 renowned portrait and wedding photographer create magic with Profoto Off-Camera Flash. In this video we join husband & wife team Charles and Jennifer Maring for a shoot in the spectacular Meatpacking District. When you are done watching, click here to see the rest of the series.
Husband and wife team Charles & Jennifer Maring are portrait & wedding photographers based in the NY/Connecticut metropolitan area. Though comfortable shooting in the studio they much prefer shooting on location, and the quirkier the locale the better.
For this group of informal portraits the duo headed out to New York City’s spectacular Meatpacking District, a place they love for its colorful backgrounds, not to mention free ‘props’ wherever you turn your eye.
To light their subjects, the Marings brought their brand new Profoto Off-Camera Flash system. “The system is incredibly lightweight and small which is a major benefit for us,” says Charles. “We tend to not take heavier equipment out on location. Lighter-weight equipment is more likely to go along with us, which in turn enables us to further explore our creative options”.
During the course of the shoot the Marings were able to set up, shoot, and move on quickly whenever they found a suitable location, and they credit the size, weight, and ease of use of their new lighting solution for making it so effortless.
The OCF Light Shaping Tools that are included in the system also earn kudos from the Marings. “They’re great creative tools, especially the 2’ Octa,” says Charles. “It travels well, sets up quickly, and outputs a really nice body of light. It’s simple and fast, and that’s important on location or at a wedding.”
The still images they captured on this particular day were lit using a single B2 Off-Camera Flash equipped with a OCF Softbox 2′ Octa. The light was metered to compliment the ambient light with a soft, natural-looking fill. The camera was a Panasonic GH4 with a Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 Lumix G Vario Zoom lens. A Profoto Air Remote was mounted to the camera’s hot shoe for wireless sync and control between camera and lights. The final exposure, which was set manually, was f/8.0 at 1/200th-second, ISO 400. As for the results, Charles summed them up in a single word – ‘flawless’.
LOCATION: The Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan
WEBSITE: www.maringvisuals.com
GEAR:
1 x Profoto B2 Off-Camera Flash
1 x Profoto OCF Softbox 2′ Octa
1 x Profoto OCF Speedring
1 x Air Remote
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 Lumix G Vario Zoom
