Kit Used:
Paul Buff Alien Bee 1600; Paul Buff 60” Foldable Octabox; Pro-Elite Bike Repair Stand; Paul Buff Cybersync Transmitter/Receiver; Smith Victor FLASHLITE 120i MONOLIGHT; Paul Buff 13' Air-Cushioned Light Stand; Impact Aluminum Mid-Range Boom Arm; Tokina AT-X AF f2.8 50-135mm 535 DX for Nikon; Nikon D810; Induro GHB1 Gimbal Head; Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod
Lighting Gear Notes:
The Paul Buff 60” Foldable Octabox with Alien Bee 1600 is mounted on the Pro-Elite Bicycle Repair Stand (modified to hold Lighting Accessories (Load rating: 75 lbs))
The Smith Victor FLASHLITE 120i MONOLIGHT with PhotoGenic 28" Silver Parabolic is mounted on an Impact Aluminum Mid-Range Boom Arm which is mounted on the Paul Buff 13' Air-Cushioned Light Stand
This aforementioned "Kit Listing" is embedded in the .jpg file for posting on flickr where they are parsed out as "TAGS" same with IG where they are again added as "Image Tags"
This
Maternity Session was shot several days ago... 12/24 (8 hours including prep and wardrobe changes)
The Model was the AD on the Shoot and managed Wardrobe
Her significant other was the lighting assistant
Both were absolutely critical for a successful outcome in as there is no way I would attempt this solo.
The greatest challenged was by far Illumination...
It took several days to setup and balance illumination
I used a Nikon D300s with an AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR-II DX Nikkor for that task (the D300s is pretty much identical to the D810 in required features & controls) and with the VR-II the
Gimbal Mount was redundant i.e. only used for the actual session shoot.
Please realize that nearly all my Kit is either
Refurbished or
Previously Owned. What I'm sharing with you here is there actually is a relatively low barrier to entry for
Studio Scenarios. In my experience as a commercial makeup artist on many many commercial jobs the greatest challenge to a DYI home studio are 11 foot ceilings. This is critical for working with 5'11" fashion models who can't do vertical narratives (jumps etc.) even without arms raised. Albeit I can Beauty Genre work with a typical 8' ceiling (however for serious Beauty Genre a Hair Light is Critical to the mix and thus requires at least 10' ceilings)
Posted Below is the AD's first pick... Delivered in 24 hours... another dozen to go (at a more civilized rate)
If you are serious about shooting commercial assignments you'll likely need a Studio (they are readily available in nearly all major Metro areas) many even have rental kit available also. However to master studio illumination by renting studio space is akin to taking an Uber for a cross-country vacation... a.k.a. It is very time intensive...
Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...
Wishing all a fabulous Holiday Season and an Epic successful
Photographic Journey in the New Year ahead!
Cheers! Thomas
Kit Used: br Paul Buff Alien Bee 1600; Paul Buff 6... (