The idea behind this shoot was based on several youtube videos and DVDs I have watched over the last few years. They were all about using just the minimum amount if equipment to get the best result. As several of the last work shops have had quiet complicated lighting set ups I thought it would be great to use just 1 Bowens flash and 1 or 2 reflectors. Although I limited the number light sources I didn't want to limit the light modifiers, this way we could create totally different looks easily e.g. Hard light vs Soft light, Direct light vs indirect light or Large light source vs Small light source.

Markus Meier

Roland Preussmann

Scott Lewis

It was a long night.... With 4 models and 5 lighting setups we ended up shooting for about 6 1/2 hours. So thanks every one for putting in such a great effort. We started of with a large Octobox behind the models and 2 reflectors in-front, we shot from a position between the reflectors. This achieved a strong back lighting and the reflectors threw enough light into the faces that the models weren't just a silhouette. This lighting design can deliver great results but you need to keep the "Inverse square law" in the back of your head. The next few set ups were variations of 1 softbox and 1 or 2 reflector. The last set up was 1 large parabolic dish set up opposite a sofa.

Christian Konrad

Thorsten Rüger

I also deliberately used different depth of field for each set up this way each lighting construction had a totally different feel to it. To add to the different feel we shot different poses head shoulders, 2/3 body , full body and sitting. Everyone had a great evening which makes me happy, as I put a lot of time and effort into organising the Friday night shoots. I have at least 5 or 6 more one flash set ups floating around in my head so there may be a "Creative Minimalism 2.0" latter this year.

Markus Wochele

Jan Brinker

Unfortunately our in house video production crew (2dudes) were busy and couldnt make it to the shoot ..... But thanks to M-Arx and Thorsten, they shoot some "making of" footage during the night so that the 2 dudes had something to edit.

Andreas Schott

Benita Kuttelwascher

Scott Lewis

The lighting concept was to keep the shadows and contrast that separated all the objects in the photo. When you have a lot of items the same colour in your photos you need to control the angel of the lighting so that shadows still fall where you require them. What we didn't think of was how much static was involved, it played havoc with the models hair. Next time ill be a bit more prepared.

Marco Spalluto

Laura Gube

Markus Wochele 

We only used 2 different lighting set-ups. But they couldn't have been more  different. The first set up was a large octo-box from directly above the models pointing down, using the balloons to reflect light back up for a bit of fill light. The second set-up was 2 strip lights set horizontally on both sides of the studio, and set down at eye level.

Thomas Reimann

And finally the world famous Making of/behind the screens video

After creating a rough sketch of the possibilities it was clear that we were going to develop film. Since the process of color film development is rather complicated, i decided that it only made sense to develop “true” black & white film. As we do not have a dark room it would have been quite impossible to make true analog prints. So we stuck with the development process.

Once the goal was set i took on the workshops detailed planning. At first we determined the necessary materials with the help of Roland, a.k.a. ropmann. Then i ordered a first set of tools off eBay. After that we (Tom, Roland and me) dared to take our first baby steps…

We all met at the studio and roland brought most of the equipment with him. We went on developing, exposing film and back to developing until we were sure that “This is how it’s done!”. After that, things went pretty fast. I ordered the missing pieces off eBay, so everybody had their own developing tank to work with. Also, a date when the studio was vacant was found quickly and we had to get some participants. Since some people already said they’d be interested in the past Flickr Klub Karlsruhe meetings that was easy, too.

Saturday, a few weeks later. Scotty, Markus, Marco and Jannis showed up on time at the studio’s doorstep with their previously exposed film. A few things i auctioned off eBay arrived literally last-minute and so Alex a.k.a. andl helped us out with some parts of his tools. At this point, i want to say “Thank You” for that. We had the following equipment at our disposal:

• development tank,
• developer,
• fixer,
• can opener,
• film clips,
• stripping tool,
• changing bag,
• nail scissors,
• egg timer,
• thermometer,
• measuring cup,
• graduated cylinder,
• clothesline,
• duct tape (wasn’t actually used, but you never know…)

We started at noon, as planned. First i gave out some technical basics, so that everyone had an understanding of the development process instead of just following a step-by-step manual.

After the relaxing part on the comfy couch, we started the process of “getting-the-film-into-the-tank”. I brought some film material as practicing material. Here we found out at which point it made sense to invest some money into good equipment and where you can help yourself with existing household material. Ultimately, the goal of the workshop was for the participants to be able to develop their next films themself.

With this training excercise behind us, we made a smooth transition into the “live” session. In the end, everyone managed to get their film into the tank. Some were faster, others took a little longer. Then, we had to mix the developer before we could continue and get to the actual development.

Eventually, everyone successfully processed their own film and hung the material into the special film-drying chamber (which, at first glance looks a lot like the studio’s changing room). Since the film was meant to dry for quite a while, we decided to call ends to Part One. We decided it was time for a late lunch and drove to a close-by american fast food franchise.

Back in the studio, we started to cut the film into smaller strips. Since Marco brought a scanner, we had the possibility to digitize our freshly developed shots. In the end, we took a group shot of the proud participants and their negatives. I hope everybody had as much fun as i did and that the workshop met or even exceeded their expectations.

For those of our readers who like what they just read and are keen to develop their own film, should check the lightGIANTS blog frequently, as we will announce upcoming workshops here soon.

Jan Brinker

Benita Kuttelwascher

Tobias Gaugler

Scott Lewis

Je später es wurde, um so aufwendiger wurde auch die Beleuchtung und um ehrlich zu sein, ich kann mich nicht mehr an jedes Set-up erinnern. Zumal die Set-ups sich sehr schnell änderten. Aber das Grund-Set-up für die meisten Bilder war ein 400w Bowens Blitz mit einem großen Reflektor und einem Wabenfilter auf einem kleinen Galgenstativ als Haar-Licht, ein 400w Bowens Blitz mit einem roten Farbfilter und eine Nebelmaschine in einem alten Space Invaders Spielautomaten. Das restliche Set-up änderte sich ständig während wir uns im Studio bewegten.

Markus Wochele

Thomas Reimann

Stefan Janeschitz

Marco Spalluto

Einen großen Dank an alle Teilnehmer, ganz speziell an Missy Mantis für ihre Beratung.

Und zu guter Letzt noch das weltbekannte "Making of" Video, dass ihr normalerweise nur auf der Collectors Edition DVD zu sehen bekommen würdet

Outfits: www.nakedshameclothing.com
Styling: Missy Mantis - Mantissima

A special thanks to our models |links| for a great job and putting up with all out crazy ideas.

Tom Lorenzen

Phillip Dehm

Christian Konrad

We only use 1 basic light set up but changed light formers during the evening. The was we could have a similar fell and flow through the photos but have different looks and affects to match the situation. As the evening went on we added a smoke machine and coloured filters to the hair light this changed the  atmosphere of the images witch was planned as a part of the transformation over the evening. Also that way we didn't have to adjust the key light.

Scott Lewis

Thomas Reimann

Stefan Janeschitz

Marco Spalluto

Well that almost wrappers up the last shoot of 2011 Thanks every one who participated and contributed to all the work shops in 2011 but what we have planed for 2012 will be even bigger and better......

And finally the world famous making of video.

• What do we want?
• What do we need?
• How much can we afford?
• What experiences have we had with different equipment in different studios?
• What light modifiers are available and what do we want to use?

Between us we had used a few different rental studio with a variety of different brands so we all had a good idea of what direction we wanted to go. It was quickly clear that none of us wanted some cheap "No Name" or "made in China" flashes due to quality control and white balance issues. It was also clear that most of the "No Name" or "made in China" stuff was manufactured with a Bowens compatible bayonet (in fact we already had a lot of light formers with the Bowens bayonet). Although "Alien Bees" started off hight on the list the were soon dropped due to availability, power issues and  availability of light modifiers (at the time in the EU). It was soon a clear what brand we would chose, there were only a few real quality manufacturers that made it through the selection. But only one offered real quality at an acceptable price.

Bowen 400/400 twin-head starter flash kit

The Bowens Gemini 400/400 twin-head starter flash kit is made to the same high standard as Bowens' professional equipment. It offers robust build quality, simple easy-to-use design and reliably consistent results. It can be the foundation of a growing studio system, while its portability and the versatility of optional battery power make it a good choice for outdoor location shooting.  For your money you get two compact but powerful Gemini 400 flash heads, two aluminium 120-degree reflectors with umbrella mounts, two sturdy metal stands, two mains leads, a camera sync cable and two 90cm silver/white umbrellas with removable covers that can be used as either reflectors or diffusers. The kit comes in a large black holdall bag, and all included weighs approximately 12.5Kgs

We ordered 2 Bowens Gemini 400/400 twin-head starter kit giving us 4 x 400ws as a starting point. This way we could add larger and or smaller Ws flashes in the future if needed. In the last 12 month these flashes have severed our needs fantastic. The performance has not been compromised either with this petite power-house offering impressive flash-durations and recycle times. And precise light control over 5 stops of power using a single simple stepless dial which also controls the 250W proportional modelling lamp. Or you can simply press a switch for the modelling lamp  and use it  100% or off . No complicated digital menu systems - 'simplicity' is the keyword here, the Gemini really is a plug-and-go system, that can suit the needs of every user from a first time studio user through to pro work.

The main problems with  "No Name" or "made in China" studio flashes that I have seen so far is 2 fold.

• The Quality control leaves a lot to be desired.They pump out as many flashes as thy can as quick as they can and hope people won't return them.
• Irregular white balance. If your flashes have different colour temperatures or a large difference in the colour temperature you may end up with odd looking images or spending a long time in post production.

The Gemini range offers consistency, reliability and quality to ensure stunning results in any environment. As an optional extra there is a battery pack available that allows you to use the Gemini flash heads as a mobile unit. We dont have one yet but who knows what will happen in the future . We recently added one 200w Gemini flash head to the collection. This add more control over our lighting set-ups and depth of field in the studio, I am hoping we can add one more in the near future.

Specifications:

Conclusion

• Simple to use intuitive controls
• Five stops of power control
• Lightweight & compact
• Travelpak Battery compatible
• Auto Power-save mode
• Robust Metal Construction
• Proportional modelling control
• Recessed switches & sockets
• Huge range of Bowens and 3rd party accessories
• Fast Flash-Durations
• DSLR friendly Low Sync Voltage

Stephanie Schlittenhardt

Christian Konrad

Tobias Gaugler

And as always it was a blast for everyone...

Thomas Reimann

Scott Lewis

Markus Wochele

And the famous making of video!

Sylight:

Due to unfortunate circumstances both models couldn't come to the workshop, and we had no other choice than being the models by ourself. It was for us photographers a great experience how the other site as a model is.

The aim was to produce expressive images with only a few light sources, so we had to with work with an wide open aperture.

lichttraeumer:

malabito:

m-arx:

Thomas Reimann:

Stefan Janeschitz:

Scott Lewis:

Among other light-setups we used this one:

Not to forget the famous Making Of:

and here the whole team:

]]> 1 http://www.lightgiants.com/en/3117/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lightgiants/en/~3/gUlu4dSF00Q/ http://www.lightgiants.com/en/3079/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:11:39 +0000 t0m http://www.lightgiants.com/?p=3079

by @Isamona

This weekend we finally had our grand opening party at our new Studio and we decided to set up a photo booth where everyone could take pictures by themselve. It was a blast and so we are proud to present you the outcome!

The full gallery with all of the photo booth pictures...

...is here in a seperate Gallery.

Here's a small collection:

More posts about the opening will follow soon, but we wanted to show you the booth pictures as fast as possible!

Thanks to all of you for joining us!