Okay, so I’m shooting a wedding which has a few planned location shots split into two times during the day… location: Michigan Student Union, downtown Ann Arbor, MI.
First are some afternoon Bridal fashion type shots on the Art Museum’s steps across the street … when we get there the sun is blasting the background with dappled light hot spots and the steps are in deep shade. I’m using the S2 and 70mm mounted to a Kirk Grip, Profoto AIR radio on grip handle connected with a PC cord to trigger a 600B AIRs strobe. 27″ Profoto gold tint Octa mounted on a mobile boom arm. SF58 in the hot-shoe with a Graslon Prodigy diffuser.
I manually under-expose for the background, and hit the foreground subject with the strobe camera left. Camera is in portrait orientation so I rotate the S2 to the right to place the fill more to the right side of the image. Hard to tell that powerful strobe light was used on these … I was delighted with the natural looking way the S2 renders subtile light. It was more than I expected given what it looked like to the eye.
This is a perfect example of why I want the CS lenses … with a moving subject, I would have much preferred a higher shutter speed than 1/90 or 1/125 in brighter ambient.
The second mini session after dinner is running late and I’m going to be running out of light by the time we get to a few planned shots. Anticipating this is the reason I brought along the Profoto 600B AIR in the first place.
The original 2nd location (U of M Law Quad in Ann Arbor, MI) is inexplicably locked up and we can’t get access … sun is just about gone now … we bustle down the street to a giant modern sculpture (by Calder I think), and do the key shot for the day … by then in the dark : -(
So dark, the S2 with 70mm is struggling to focus … we turn on the wimpy 50 watt modeling light and wham! the S2 nails focus immediately over and over. I had to shoot these at 1/30 shutter to pick-up the dim ambient, so I used a monopod … only a few exposures showed any slight motion @ 100% … the S2 loves the Mono-pod!
Client is the daughter of a lighting tech I know, While the crushed little jpegs here don’t do them justice, I delivered the prints yesterday and they were stunned by the quality of the 30″ display images. I mean jaw dropping, speechlessly STUNNED and delighted. Good thing too, he has two other unmarried beautiful daughters … LOL!
All in a day’s work.
-Marc
Well done Marc. Glad to hear the S2 is doing the job…but I think you deserve the lions share of credit. Always enjoy reading about your lighting solutions…
Marc,
I really like the Calder shot.
That shot would definitly look great in 30″.
I have learned that one should always keep shooting in the dark, and that shot proves it.
Of course you brought your own sun, but your balance of light was so good, I would not have imagined the conditions if you had not told us.JackThanks guys,
David, yes it is always what’s behind the camera no matter who …. however, when a camera does what it is supposed to do, when it is supposed to do it, and the files have such a nice look and feel, it’s a real help.
Frankly, I have not seen files from any other camera provide the look and feel that the S2 provides. There is a sort of gentleness to tonal roll-off and a way of rendering light that looks better to my eye than any 35mm DSLR of any meg count, or even the range of MFD cameras I have had the good fortune to own and use. Not everyone can see that or will agree, but I see it … and I am the one that counts … LOL!
Jack, I’m a real avocate of having lighting available, and using it when called for with the S2, or any other camera pressed into service for assignment work … be it weddings, portraits, advertising, etc. In these cases, I don’t have the luxury of not taking the shot because the light isn’t right like we do when shooting for ourselves.
This is not to say that I don’t use the S2 in available light when it is right and true … it is just nice to have more light available : -)
-Marc
Very impressive use of artificial light. I say that because you can’t tell artificial light was used. Well done.
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