I love these little gems from the Profoto USA archives, because they give you so much information in such a short time. So, grab a cup of coffee and no matter how much of a veteran you might be in photography, check out these great tips from Jared Platt!

I decided to share three of these short videos together in a post. They're each only a couple minutes long, but hit on very specific techniques and Jared does a terrific job sharing  some solid "how-to" content.

​
​In addition to Jared's ability as an educator, he's shooting with Profoto's B2 Off-Camera Flash System, otherwise known as the "game changer". The ease and portability of having quality light no matter where you're shooting has been one of the most talked about topics in lighting since the system was introduced over a year ago!

Whether you're shooting with on or off-camera flash; on location or in a studio or experimenting with hard or soft light, each video hits on a specific point to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images. Along with that quality also comes creativity and nobody does it better than Profoto.  

Intro by Skip Cohen

There's so much great education on the Internet, especially in the Profoto blog. This one was published almost a year ago and features Joe McNally setting up an image for a Halloween inspired shoot. It features Joe's creativity and Profoto's B1 off-camera flash system.

This is just a teaser. You'll find the complete post on Joe's blog along with more great how-to pieces from one of the industry's favorite educators. 

Written by Rebecca Ahremark 

Sometimes, you just have to let your imagination run free. That’s exactly what photographer Joe McNally did for this Halloween-inspired shoot. Born and raised on comic books and vivid imaginations of Mordor, Joe’s imagination ran all the way back to his darkest childhood fantasies.

In a recently published story on his blog, Joe McNally reveals how he turned an empty room into a scary Halloween fairy tale. With great help from a brilliant body painter, a talented hair stylist, producers and assistants, Joe turned his vision into reality.

Lighting-wise, Joe brought a bit of everything. He had three AcuteB2 battery generators, one powerful B4 battery generator and two B1 Off-Camera Flashes. He also added five SB 910 speed lights to the mix.

“Each light had a job to do, in a specific area of the photo,” Joe writes. “Then they all had to mesh into something plausible.”.

It all started with a shimmer and an idea and ended up as really amazing images.

Head over the his blog for the full story. This is too good to miss.

I love these short videos from ProfotoUSA. This one features one of the industry's strongest lighting educators, Jared Platt. I pulled two images from the video in screen shots so you can see his point on the impact of HSS (High Speed Sync) on this image of a bride. 

It's pretty amazing how much great information Jared packs into a two minute video. Now imagine how much he shares in a live program or a webinar. If you see his name on the schedule for any convention in the next few months, run, don't walk to get a seat. You'll never be disappointed, and most of you will always learn something new.

In the mean time, check out the B1 and B2 off-camera flash systems along with Profoto's entire family of light shaping accessories. Click the banner below for more information.

Intro by Skip Cohen

There's so much helpful material in Profoto's blog archives. Over and over again I keep finding these great stories about different photographers from all over the world. The common denominator is their passion for images matched with the quality of Profoto's gear.

This story about an adventure of Jeremy Snell's makes the point about the off-camera flash system and it's ability to go anywhere! I love the what Fredrik wrote at the start about Jeremy's challenge. He needed lighting gear 
that was light enough to carry around, but powerful enough to overpower the African sun. Plus, Jeremy knew that the gear had to be able to take a beating.  

Visit Profoto's blog for yourself. You'll find story after story, thanks to some of the finest imaging artists in the world. Then click on the link for Profoto's Off-Camera Flash System. It's remarkable gear by a company who never strays from helping you raise the bar on the quality of your work.

Written by Fredrik Franzén 

In 2014 humanitarian photographer Jeremy Snell packed his bag and went to Nairobi to shoot some portraits on location. The trip required a lighting solution that was light enough to carry around, but powerful enough to overpower the African sun. Plus, Jeremy knew that the gear had to be able to take a beating.  

The Shoot

Hawaii-based photographer Jeremy Snell was asked to shoot a series of promotional images for the charity organization Serving Orphans Worldwide. The assignment required Jeremy to travel to Nairobi to photograph the children living at one of the organizations many orphanages. “I grew up traveling, so photographing people from all over the world is a natural thing for me,” says Jeremy. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a humanitarian photographer ever since.”

The Challenge 

Traveling all the way from Hawaii to a faraway town in Nairobi, Jeremy needed his lighting equipment to be portable and lightweight. It was also important that the gear was easy to work with. 

“It has to be fast and allow me to focus on what’s in front of me,” said Jeremy. 

It was also important that the equipment was powerful enough to overpower the harsh African sun. Another requirement was that the flash was battery-powered.

The Solution 

Jeremy used two lights to create this image. His main light was a B1 off-camera flash standing camera left, quite high up on a stand, looking down at the girl. The main light was equipped with the small yet deep and parabolic Umbrella Deep S White plus a diffuser. There was a second B1 inside the building, standing in the girl’s bedroom, flashing though the window and hitting the wall to the right. “I use umbrellas more than any other Light Shaping Tool when traveling,” says Jeremy. They’re the most compact and the easiest to use. You just pull them out, stick them on your flash, and immediately you have beautiful, soft light.”

The Gear

• 1 x Profoto Umbrella Deep S White + Diffuser
• 2 x Profoto B1 off-camera flashes
• 1 x Profoto Air Remote 5

A few more of the portraits Jeremy shot during the trip can be seen below. Equipment used: Profoto B1, Umbrella Deep, Octa Softbox, Softlight Reflector White (Beauty Dish) and other light shaping tools.

To see even more of his work, head over to his website.

There's a fun back-story to today's Profoto Showcase post...

The photo industry is relatively small. Many of us have worked together in the past. We attend the same conventions and often the same "rubber chicken" retirement, testimonial and association dinners. Pick any two people who have been involved in professional photography for ten years or more and you'll find a whole bunch of mutual friends, even though they may never have met before.

Yesterday morning at a photo event in New York I met Michelle Turner and later in the day found the video below in Profoto's archives.  I called her and she was more than happy to take a few minutes to talk about Profoto.  She's been shooting with the B2's for almost a year. After hearing so many people call them the "game-changers" it was the perfect opportunity to talk about her experiences since they were introduced.

The three images featured here were a few of my favorites from Michelle's portfolio. Click on any image to see more of her work. You won't be disappointed. All images copyright Michelle Turner. All rights reserved. 

Profoto's never-ending quest to create products to help you raise the bar on your image quality and creativity is changing the way so many artists shoot today. Check out the complete off-camera flash system with a click of your mouse below.