Intro by Skip Cohen

Every now and then there's a wonderful transformation that takes place in photography, when a student becomes a teacher.

Wandering through Profoto's archives I came across one gem after another in a series called "Rising Light". This one is about Jason Sinn, a student at Sacramento City College. Not only does each image represent the Jason's skill level but his passion for the craft. I also love the way Harley Anderson has put together each interview with another "rising light".

I've written a lot over the years about Profoto's dedication to education and this is one more example. There are now six posts in this relatively new series, which started last August. Each post is loaded with great content and a testimonial to the dedication of each artist.  Each image below includes a lighting diagram and all the specifications about each photograph.

Just click the banner on the right to see the complete series so far!

 by Harley Anderson

Rising Light is a monthly article series highlighting promising photography students from all over the world. In this second article we meet Jason Sinn, from Sacramento City College in California, who tells us about how photography change his way of looking at the world.

Unlike most Photography Majors, Jason Sinn’s interest in photography emerged while serving in the Coast Guard. Though he had been roaming about with a camera for about a year before enrolling at Sacramento City College, California, he was initially unsure about how far up the bar he should set his expectations. Fortunately the synergy between students and faculty, along with the encouragement from the teachers, quickly set the tone for the school year.

“The photo faculty at SCC have years of professional work experience and they’re artists at heart. They connect with their students very well. That’s what made it for me.”

Jason is quite clear about why he chose a path in photography.

“Photography has given me a completely different perspective on the world. Working the usual job from 9 to 5 has never been my style and as a photographer every single day has the potential of being an adventure.

“When I’m shooting, my world transforms. People have more depth. I find them even more fascinating when viewed through a lens”.

Prior to entering school, all Jason knew from lighting was his speedlight. It didn’t take more than a few outings with the Profoto AcuteB2 flash pack for him to recognize the difference between the two.

​Greatly influenced by photojournalist and commercial photographer Paul Estabrook, Jason makes frequent references to “the language of light”.

“Estabrook’s view is that you need to bring a story to a photograph, and lighting is one of the strongest tools for achieving that. That lesson always stuck with me”

He is quick to add that he does his best to get to know his subjects before photographing them, rather than shoot hit-and-run style.
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“I need to know who they are.”

A photograph Jason takes particular pride in – and one that he believes speaks the language of light particularly well – is his portrait of Philippe Ngabonziza, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide and a co-founder of Building Hope For Africa.

“I wanted the viewer to focus on his eyes. I wanted to, in some form, reveal what he’s seen.”
Powering down his AcuteB2 in order to shoot at maximum aperture for minimal depth-of-field, Jason lit Ngabonziza using a Profoto Softlight Reflector White – often referred to as the Beauty Dish due to its even, flattering light, crisp definition and contrast .

“The Beauty Dish illuminated his eyes beautifully and rendered his skin with what I would describe as ‘clean, focused light’. That lighting was perfect for the shot – it brought an immediate story to the photograph.”

Looking to the future Jason aspires to match the creative successes, and maybe even have similar clients, as two photographers in particular: Annie Leibovitz and Joey L.
“When I’m represented by Bernstein & Andriulli and shooting for national magazines like Vanity Fair I’ll feel like I finally made it to their level.”


Photographer: Jason Sinn
School: Sacramento City College, California
Profoto gear of choice: Profoto AcuteB2 flash pack
Visit his website: www.jasonsinnphotography.com

My history with Profoto goes back a lot of years, and one thing I've observed over and over again, is their never-ending support of the industry. They're always focused on helping you raise the bar on your skill set.  They manufacture some of the finest lighting gear in the world and then back it up with the support you need to get the most out of it in every image.

Here's a prime example - their FREE newsletter. Just click the banner above to subscribe. Twice a month it will show up in your mailbox, and you'll have an instant connection to some of the finest artists in photography today. This is about terrific "how-to" content from photographers all over the world. Plus, the video content in each newsletter is outstanding.

​Check out the video below, which just arrived in my newsletter a few minutes ago. It's loaded with helpful information. The topic today is creating dramatic portraits with one hard light.

​The description says it all:

Intro by Skip Cohen

I found this post in Profoto's blog archives and loved the way Rebecca Ahremark_ put it together. 

There's very little that beats a great behind the scenes video, especially when the subject is doing something contemporary and the photographer is demonstrating non-stop creativity.  Equally fun is seeing an artist push the edge of the envelope with off-camera flash.

In this post from Profoto's archives, artist, Tomas Januska wanted to add some special effects and used flour and color pigments to bring his downhill skateboaders into his world of creativity. It's a unique photo-shoot and the results speak for themselves.

Check out more of Tomas' work by visiting his website. Then, wander over to Profoto and check out the B1 and B2 systems. You'll also find incredible content in the Profoto blog with stories and how-to technique from some of the finest artists in imaging!

As you watch the video, think about what you might do in your own specialty to push the edge of the creative envelope.

 by Rebecca Ahremark

Shooting downhill skaters is quite popular. But some photographers like to add a little extra to a shoot. Photographer Tomas Januska is one of them. For this shoot he decided to make it a little bit dirtier by adding flour and color pigments to the images.

Tomas has since the start of his photographic career been interested in dust and movement.

“At the beginning of my photography career, I was experimenting with dust, movement and people and by talking to friends who take part in skateboarding we decided to create some sort of photoshoot.”, he says.

“We decided to shoot skateboarders whilst they are riding down a hill, and during the time of the turn the downhill skateboarder will create a slide whilst having color pigments and dust incorporated within this moment in time, also capturing the actual movement of the downhill skateboarder with the skateboard.”
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Shooting downhill skaters getting 30 kg flour and 30 kg color pigments thrown at them could definitely be a challenge. But not for Tomas, who planned everything ahead. He also got help from the UK downhill skateboarders: Josh Monk, Kami San and Ras and the Productions Team, DigiToast.

So, how was he able to pull this off? He brought hisProfoto B1 equipped with a Zoom Reflector to the set and put the B1 on power setting 5.  His Nikon D800E captured a maximum of 5-6 images per second and he wanted to make sure he would be able to light up the skaters and at the same time get 5-6 well lit up images. He placed the B1 on a stand about 4-5 meters away from the object, on the opposite side of the road and had his team mates throw dust and color pigments while the skaters came rushing down the road.

“The B1 fully met my requirements for this photo shoot. The power, the mobility and speed.“, says Tomas.

“My aim with this shoot was to capture the technicality and unpredictability of the sliding movement, something that is also shown in races but differently. The moment when you see the final shot can blow you away with a freezing “arrow” of beauty”.

See more of Tomas images at his website. You can also find him at Facebook. 

You can also learn more about Profoto B1here.

I love these "What's the Difference?" videos from Profoto. In each one Jared Platt takes you through the process of how he's shooting and then shares the changes in the image, usually in a with-or-without format.

It's a mini-educational series, typically done in three minutes or less and always making a point about how to improve the quality of your own images.

This particular video hits on the use of a reflector. While both images might be considered acceptable, the wrap around light definitely adds a feel to the portrait that "Uncle Harry" couldn't get. In fact, Jared's comment says it all,

                                      "Having a reflector in your pack is a great way to turn two lights into three!"

Profoto isn't just a great lighting company, they're a team focused on helping photographers raise the bar on their skill set and images. You'll find a lot of helpful videos from Jared as well as dozens of educators and artists from around the world on the Profoto channel on YouTube. 

​And, make sure you bookmark their blog. There's new content posted several times a week and all stories about artists from around the world pushing the edge of the creative envelope. 

​In this video Jared's shooting with two Profoto B2s - check out these "game-changers" with a click on the image below.

Intro by Skip Cohen

The archives on Profoto's blog are loaded with great stories about artists dealing with a wide variety of challenges. There are hundreds of examples with some terrific "how-to" explanations, including lighting diagrams.

Just like Profoto's focus for their blog, the company is always working to help artists raise the bar on the quality of their images. They're not just about great lighting gear, but helping you build a stronger portfolio and increase your brand awareness.  Check out Profoto's archives with a click on the banner below. You won't be disappointed in what you find to help you become a better photographer!

by Fredrik Franzén

New York-based photographer Victoria Will faced a challenge. She was in a small room with noting but floral wallpaper, a huge table and some chairs. In a few minutes time Brad Pitt would enter the room to have his portrait taken. Here is how she did it. 

The Shoot

It was 2013 and Brad Pitt was in New York City to promote his new movie World War Z. Journalists and photographers had been invited to a press junket at local hotel. One of them was celebrity photographer Victoria Will. “These kinds of shoots are always a challenge,” says Victoria. “They don’t tell me what kind of room we’ll shoot in, what clothes the subject will wear or how much time we’ll have.

The Challenge

When Victoria opened the door to the room she had been assigned to, she discovered a box-like space with floral wallpaper and no furniture except for a huge table with chairs. Something had to be done – fast. She pushed the furniture against the wall. She searched the adjacent rooms, found a chaise lounge and placed it where the light was coming in through the window. She quickly unpacked her D1 monolights and her Light Shaping Tools. When the famous actor walked into the room a few minutes later, Victoria was good to go.

“I guess I was on my game that day,” she laughs.

The Solution

Victoria asked the actor to relax in the chaise lounge. The sun was shining through the window on camera left, but it was not quite enough. Victoria added a bareheaded D1 monolight and angled it upwards, so that its light bounced off the white ceiling and wrapped itself softly around the actor. Finally, she had her assistant standing behind and to the right of the chaise lounge, holding a silver-sided Collapsible Reflector to create a little bit of edge light. A couple of minutes later, she got her shot.

The Gear

• 1 x Profoto D1 monolight
• 1 x Profoto Collapsible Reflector Silver/White M
• 1 x Profoto Air Remote​

Below are a few more of Victoria’s stunning portraits. You can, of course, see even more at her website.