Traveling light, which means not having a lot of gear cases, isn’t something I’m known for. In my defense, growing up with film, there was simply a need to apply more gear intensity to the situations, just to create exposure. ISO 5000 sounds like the name of a new planet discovered by NASA, you know, the one on the dark side of Uranus.
Combine the intensive work obligations of film with the type of assignments I usually get, and things could easily end up being “a lot of things.” They were all loaded onto a plane, hopefully the same plane I was on, and met me at the baggage claim counter.
All of the above followed me as I photographed one of the largest telescopes on earth. As one does. The work was filmed from a helicopter, the lights activated via radio transmission to unreliable radio receivers placed on high stands in the telescope’s slit door. Thankfully, it was a very quiet night in the Atacama Desert. Windless. Slow shutter, most likely 1/30, Leica M4 with 21mm lens, to avoid specular reflections. Kodachrome 200, is the upper limit of ASA that I can typically use for Geography magazines.
Now, bless technology! I travel a lot lighter. We did some of the above reels Instagram channel Have some concerns and some questions. I went back and looked at some of the images and a lot of them were just one light. One light and it’s done. New technology with mirrorless, e.g Z 9, extremely clean, with a surprisingly high ISO. WB automatically. AF is razor sharp. The glass array is surprisingly fast. Plena!
The photo below is from a fashion series in Peru. Profoto Octa four legs, Correct camera. One light.
Take a photo through the umbrella and camera right away. One light.
A rough, warm, camera-appropriate light.
From a fashion chain in Beijing. A beauty dish (a light), from camera left.
Leading up to the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in 2021. A light, a rough head (Profoto B10X Plus) with an extraordinary athlete and Mount Fuji.
A series of favorites from Vegas. An overhead light – Profoto beauty dish.
From Havana, Cuba. A lamp in the kitchen. One Four foot Octa – in a tight space!
The thing is, when I look back at the series of photos shared recently, it’s simple, tried and true. No matter how beautiful the camera is, there are still two basic controls. F-stop and shutter speed. When you add the third element, flash, or as some call it, artificial lighting, you gain great leverage for your scene. You speed up your foreground and thus you can subdue or even obliterate your background. You can saturate it, emphasize it or de-emphasize it.
You can wrestle an annoying sun to the ground and stomp on its neck if you have a good powered light source. You can create a sumptuous quality of moody and thoughtful window lighting. You can turn someone green or blue.
You don’t need a driveway filled with boxes, bags, and closets. A lamp that gives you a world of control in a small package.
Let’s add more….
Post Demystifying the tourism industry appeared first on Photography Joe McNally.
