Sometimes, there are images you want to create but don’t know how to create them. Your imagination runs wild, while your technical ability tells you not to. Such an image was created at Briese Studios with the new Briese Neos, a product with no limits and a rich imagination.
We have all seen long exposure images of ballet dancers. The idea itself has been done many times. However, the way these images are executed always seems bad to me. It is not my style. I do not like having many people in an image, I am looking for an abstract shape that ballet dancers create, a shape that reminds me of my childhood when I was a regular ballet audience.
It all happened one rainy evening in Bavaria. I watched a 1970s video called Pass of Twowas produced in Canada. In addition to having great lighting, the video also has some very clever editing, making it feel like slow motion while also making it look surreal. The audience is clear about what they are seeing, but at the same time, they are not clear about what part of the movement they are witnessing. So this was done in the 70s with clever editing and clever manipulation. I thought to myself: Can I take this idea and do it all in camera? Can I shoot it all using traditional techniques?
Summary
While I tend to be pretty sure about how I light things in general, this was a situation where I was more uncertain than ever. I knew I needed extremely bright highlights all over the body with a very dramatic and rapid falloff. Furthermore, I knew I needed a wide spread of light so that the dancers could move freely, independent of the light. Additionally, I knew I had to create multiple exposures, all within one frame. Finally, I wanted maximum consistency and sharpness so that these exposures looked like part of the aforementioned film. This seemed like a daunting task. Why not just take a series of photos and stitch them together in Photoshop? Sure, you could. But where’s the fun and challenge in that? Although I’m a digital photographer, I like to categorize myself as a traditionalist. I like to take photos that I can tell could have been done on film.
Establish
The studio of choice for this was Briese Studio 2 in Hamburg. Having shot there earlier this year, I loved the space and the variety of light available. More on that later though.
I chose to shoot with a Phase One XF camera with an IQ350 back and a Schneider-Kreuznach 35mm lens. You might think this is the last thing you want to do to freeze motion; however, I beg to disagree. Connecting the camera to the new Capture One Studio makes backing up and managing files incredibly easy. Finally, the camera was mounted on a Gitzo Systematic tripod to ensure it didn’t move a millimeter during the precise shooting.
When it came to lighting, I probably had the best lighting in the world for it. A total of two Briese Neos generators powered four flash heads for this shoot. I used two Briese 115 H/S reflectors, along with two Briese Standard reflectors. Additionally, the flags and V-flats allowed me to control the spread of the light and get it exactly how I wanted it. Let me explain why I chose the lights I did.
Why is it set up like this?
The last time I shot with a Briese reflector, I noticed the incredible ability of the 115 to focus light into a Fresnel-like beam. Placing two lights next to the model allowed me to create a long beam that still covered a large enough area for the dancers to dance freely. Unfortunately, I ended up needing an extra light at the bottom, which was just a standard reflector. Here, all I needed was something to light the legs and floor, to make the floor a little brighter. The main light came from two Briese 115 reflectors.
Why Neos?
While Briese has adapters for Profoto, Broncolor, and Hensel, I chose to use their own Briese Neos flashguns instead of their competitors. While larger than the Pro-11 and Scoro Packs, the Neos can’t compare. First of all, the Briese Neos is more powerful, at 4,800W. You might wonder why anyone would need that much power, and you wouldn’t be wrong. You can shoot like this with high-speed flashes. I don’t. These images will be printed at large scale. For optimal quality, you need a large studio and a long distance. The longer the distance, the more power you need. This is where the Neos comes in, as I fired it at nearly full power. Another important consideration is flash duration. Dancers move fast. If you fire any of the flashguns at nearly full power, your flash duration will be significantly reduced. The generator that can do all the high power, fast recycle and consistency is the Neos. Plus it has HMI capabilities as well as daylight output. Truly a lighting unit to rule them all, not just a flash generator. But enough about that. Let’s talk about how I got this shot.
How I took the photo
The way I got this shot was by using a long exposure on my camera and exposing the image with multiple flashes. The key is to time the movement and the flash together. In a way, my camera is the light box, while the flash is actually the shutter. I watched the movement of the dancers and pressed the flash button when it felt right. One thing to note is that I couldn’t hit the flash too many times, or the image would be overexposed.
The final image looks like this:
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Here’s how I recreated, in my own way, a still from a 1970s short film Pass of TwoWith very little Photoshop intervention, these images surpassed all my initial expectations.
I would like to thank:
- Louis Muslin and Charlotte Larzelere in front of the camera.
- Briese Studios, especially Martina and Yvonne.
- Greig Jackson, who edited the photo.
- And my assistant is Leo.
If you are interested in renting or purchasing a Briese product, please contact your nearest rental unit or Briese directly.
