Intro by Skip Cohen

One of the challenges with the Internet is the shear amount of incredible information out there to help you raise the bar on your skill set. Profoto's blog is certainly no exception with stories about some of the most talented artists in the world.

With Profoto's permission, I want to start sharing some of these remarkable stories with everyone at SCU.  Right off the bat, this story about a project Mark Kensett did a few months back is the perfect place to start!

A big thanks to Profoto for their never-ending belief in education and technology. Their products continue to be game-changers!

by Fredrik Franzén

When Mark Kensett was asked to shoot a series of promotional images for a UK dancing school, he decided to bring the students with him to a roof top and have them jump off it. (No it’s not as bad as it sounds.)

The Northern Academy for the Performing Arts is a school for dance, drama and musical theatre skills, located in the city of Hull in northern England. The school is thriving community, far from many peoples view of old dancing schools, and Mark wanted to somehow show that. His solution? Bring the kids up on the roof and let them dance. Sort of.

“I thought the flat roof was large enough and the architecture interesting enough to get an eye catching image,” writes Mark on his blog. “But could we get a sense of drama? My original idea was to create a parkour inspired image, run along and off a pitched roof, it was safe in every sense of the word. “Why don’t we jump off the roof?” they [the dancers] replied. Well if you’re sure… So, five dancers, two Pro-B4 packs, three ProHead Plus heads, Magnum Reflectors and a Softlight Reflector and away we went.”

Head over to Mark’s blog for the full story.

Images copyright Mark Kensett. All rights reserved.

Intro by Skip Cohen

One of the toughest things for both new and even a few seasoned photographers is to get a great group shot at a wedding. Over the years it's been a big focus of almost every instructor from the late Don Blair to Bambi Cantrell, David Ziser, Clay Blackmore and here with Mary and Justin Marantz. (Just to name a few.)

In this new episode of Walk Through a Wedding, Justin and Mary take you through some of the ingredients for creating that iconic bridal party portrait. Pay attention to the positioning and how fast they can set up an image like this.

Watch this new installment and then get yourself on their newsletter list of subscribers so you never miss a beat...or a video! Plus, this is the link to watch any of the past episodes, just in case you missed any!

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's just a short video, but it'll give you a good idea of how my good buddy, Michael Corsentino, shoots in this behind the scenes clip. While the video is really about Phase One, you've got to love his lighting and Profoto's presence! He doesn't go anywhere on location without his Profoto gear!

Another classic from Justin and Mary Marantz and all thanks to Profoto USA. In this new episode, Mary sets the stage for the inevitable - a time crunch at a wedding. She even references a wedding where they were supposed to have two hours to shoot the details and wound up with seven minutes. This is definitely one of those scenarios of... "These people are trained professionals, don't try this at home!"

However, details are all part of the story and no wedding would be complete without them. It's a critical part of the photographs every wedding photographer needs to include in the final album.

Watch this new installment and then get yourself on their newsletter list of subscribers so you never miss a beat...or a video! Plus, this is the link to watch any of the past episodes, just in case you missed any!

Intro by Skip Cohen

New Jersey wedding photographer, Vanessa Joy, together with Profoto US, packs an amazing amount of content into just three minutes in this stunning video. Her renowned expertise as an artist is really demonstrated as she takes you through how the B-1 is helping her push the envelope on her creative skills.  As she talks about the image on the left, I love what she told the bride,

           "This is going to be the picture your children fight over!"

That statement alone is the best example I've ever heard to describe a photographer's quest for the ultimate image. When you can make a statement like that to a client, you've truly become one of the very best in your industry! A big thanks to Vanessa and Profoto US for another addition to helping you raise the bar on your skill set.