Pixiq

When considering the role of editorial or commercial photography as a profession the expense of equipment used to be the biggest barrier. With easily configurable small strobes this is no longer the case. It isn’t necessarily that these small strobes have vastly increased their power or light output. Rather, it’s been a change in the way that art directors and other clients are using photographs.

Grolsch, vakmanschap is meesterschap

These art directors seem to be drawn more to photographs and ad spreads that have small isolated areas of sharp focus. This really helps them create ad campaigns that help to draw the viewer’s eyes right where they want them, at their product. You can see this trend in just about any magazine you may have laying around. Go ahead and check out the photography on the advertising pages. So when photographers are asked to use such a shallow depth of field in their work, they no longer require copious amounts of light.

Many product, editorial, and commercial photographers are using F/1.2 or F/1.4 lenses wide open to create beautifully dramatic photography in ad campaigns. With lenses like that you don’t need much light at all. Most often you’ll just need a touch of fill light for the shadows and a catch light in the eyes. You can, of course, use more lights to separate the subject from the background or do whatever creative things come to mind. With the camera wide open like that you’ll likely turn your strobes down as low as 1/16 their power! All of this is insanely simple with today’s small strobes.

This type of lighting requires an emphasis on finesse rather than power. Consider the existing light around you and use gels to get a balanced lighting temperature. Of course all of this takes practice and patience(not on your clients time) but with these types of assignments you’ll certainly find yourself with less backache using small strobes instead of clunky heavy expensive pro lighting gear.

Photograph Grolsch, vakmanschap is meesterschap by nihiels who has a couple websites that showcase his photography. Great photoblogger by the way.