When Gregory Heisler did my head shot seven years ago, it took him only a few minutes. He had me sitting down and leaning in towards his camera on a posing table. The camera was at best 10-12 inches in front of me. He had one Profoto narrow 1x3 softbox, set up vertically down the left side of my face - probably not more than about 8-10 inches away. The rest of the technique was all Heisler shooting wide open with his signature narrow depth of field.

One of every photographer's greatest challenges is understanding lighting and this post I found in the Profoto's Blog archives is loaded with great content, starting with the video. Written by Jens-Linus Lundgren-Widén, Jens has done an outstanding job taking you through each of the artist's steps in creating the images.

So, Andrea Belluso is back with another incredibly informative video to help you think outside the softbox and I've included the entire post here in the Profoto Showcase.  He's called "The Light Shaper" for a reason and in this video he packs an incredible amount of information.

So many of are working hard to create the finest images of your career. Well, Andrea is about to take your through some stunning ideas to raise the bar on your technique and get even better results.

Check out Profoto's complete lineup of great products, including the new Air Remote TTL-S for Sony coming in 2017! For more information, find a Profoto dealer nearest you!

The fact that the softbox is such a common tool doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with it. To prove this we asked Andrea Belluso to do four different fashion setups using nothing but softboxes.

We all know the softbox. When it comes to Light Shaping Tools, it might very well be the most popular and most widely used. But the fact that we see it and use it so often can sometimes make us forget what a versatile and creative tool the softbox actually is.

First of all, there are many different sizes and shapes of softboxes to choose from. Secondly, you can position and direct the softbox in many different ways, which will create very different lighting effects. Put it to the side of your model. Put it above. Direct it straight at your model or feather it and use the fall off. Almost anything is possible with a softbox.

To prove this we asked light shaping guru Andrea Belluso to do four different fashion setups using only softboxes in an out of the box kind of way.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Andrea came up with four unique solutions. He tethered up with his Phase One XF and TetherPro USB 3.0 SuperSpeed and set to work. He used the softbox as side light, he used the softbox as top light, he used it to create a hard light, and he used it as back light to create an even softer light.
How did he do it? Keep reading and we’ll go through each setup one at a time.

Using two differently sized strip softboxes – the Softbox RFi 1×6’ and the OCF Softbox 1×3’ to be exact – placed on each side of the model, I created a very moody and dramatic fashion light. The larger one, on the left side, will give a softer light, and the smaller one, on the right side, I want to be more focused light. This generates an almost silhouette effect, leaving the greater part of the picture under exposed on purpose.

I am getting correct exposure on the left side using the Softbox RFi 1×6’ with an RFi Stripmask 7cm 1×6′. The stripmask narrows down the light spread, making it even tighter. With this as main light I capture the correct skin color of the model and revealing the structure and details of the outfit. But only on a very specific part of the image.

On the right side I put an OCF Softbox 1×3’ with a blue OCF Gel, giving a touch of color to go with the theme of all four images. To balance the background lighting I used the B2 Off-Camera Flash fitted only with a blue OCF gel. With the Pro Tethering Kit I could see the result on my laptop straight away as well as avoiding transferring the images from the camera to the computer later, which made it easier to ensure that the images kept to the color concept I wanted for this series.

Gear list1 x D1 Monolight
1 x Softbox RFi 1×6’ + RFi Stripmask 7cm 1×6′
1 x B1 Off-Camera Flash
1 x OCF Softbox 1×3’
1 x B2 Off-Camera Flash
2 x OCF Gels (blue)

We always think of the softbox as a soft light source, and we forget that a light’s hardness or softness depends on the size of the light source. So placing the Softbox RFi 2×3’ far away from the model turned it into a very hard light.

By removing the inner and outer diffusers I also made the light less diffused. A diffused light is not necessarily a soft light, it is the size of the light source (in this case determined by the distance between the softbox and the model, creating relative size) that determines the hardness of the light.

In order to understand the difference between soft light and diffused light I normally say to think of the two opposites. Hard is the opposite of soft and focused is the opposite of diffused.

To fit the color theme of the series I lit the background with the B1 Off-Camera Flash with the Rose Pink OCF Gel. As you can see from the image, the shadows get sharper than if I had shot with the softbox close to my subject. You also see the contrast in the details of the models jewelry and clothes.

Gear list1 x D1 Monolight
1 x Softbox RFi 2×3’
1 x B1 Off-Camera Flash
1 x OCF Gels (Rose Pink)

A top light always creates a lot of drama in fashion shots, and it also gives a very interesting play with shadows on the garments. That is because everything facing the light coming from the top is lit, while every part of cloth facing the floor is in darkness. All the shapes of the cloth stand out and everything in the picture becomes very intriguing.

Placing a Softbox RFi 3×4’ with a Softgrid 50 3×4′ above the model as the only light source created just this. Although there obviously are shadows on the floor, the edges of the shadows are very diffused and soft, just like the shadows on the model’s face. The Softgrid added contrast on the picture and restricted the light spread, as all grids do.

Once again I lit the background using the B1 to get the image to fit in with the color theme. This time equipped with the Light Lavender OCF Gel.

Gear list1 x D1 Monolight
1 x Softbox RFi 3×4’ + Softgrid 50 3×4′
1 x B1 Off-Camera Flash
1 x OCF Gels (Light Lavender)

This is actually not one of my inventions, I have my mentor and first master Bardo Fabiani to thank for it. I have simply made a couple of small adjustments to it to make it more personal and to make it fit in this small series of images.

The principle is to make a softbox even softer than it already is, by placing it behind the model instead of in front of her. Then I am letting all the light from the largest available softbox, the Softbox RFi 4×6’, bounce around a cage of white polystyrene boards, reaching the model as a reflected and very large light.

The only direct light on the model is the B1 with a scarlet gel, which is not the main light, which I use to add a touch of color on the model’s hair, so that the picture fits right in with our color theme.

The Softbox RFi 4×6’ also acts as the background of the image, creating an even softer effect by burning out the edges of the model’s body, hair and clothes, blending them almost in the background itself. I added a diffusing panel in front of the softbox to spread the light even more and to eliminate the bottom edge of the softbox itself in the picture.

Gear list1 x D1 Monolight
1 x Softbox RFi 4×6’
1 x B1 Off-Camera Flash
1 x OCF Gels (Scarlet)

All of the four pictures in this series where taken with softboxes as the main light. The background lights in most of the images where created with direct light by B1 Off-Camera flashes with OCF gels.

This was the tenth episode in our ongoing video series The Light Shaper in which Andrea Belluso shares tips and tricks on how to shape light. Have you watched them all? If not, head over to our website and pick the next one to watch!

Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Check out Andrea’s portfolio at www.belluso.com

by Skip Cohen

I don't normally stack multiple videos in a post, but every now and then something comes along that's so worth sharing.

Introduced on YouTube just a few hours ago, these three videos take you through Profoto's new Pro10 studio flash. What I love most about them is the way they show the final results video, followed by a chance to step inside the artist's head, Iain Crawford, whose comment below says it all,

"Having the confidence to know you can freeze anything pin sharp at the power you want opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities. It's good to know that whatever you want to achieve, the Pro-10 has you covered." 

And then, just to top it all off, one short video from the engineering and technology perspective. In the end you're got the complete story of Profoto's new flagship flash.

But, take it one step further - pay attention to the way they tell the story. While the Pro10 is a tangible product and obviously different from a marketing piece you might put together about you and your business, it's still a remarkable high-impact story. How would you tell yours?

by Skip Cohen

One of the things I love about Profoto's blog and website is the constant introduction of new content. Last week they launched "A Week in a Photographer's Life." The description says it all:

Every new day is a new challenge for a photographer. Will it be a portrait, sports, fashion or something else completely? And no matter what that day brings, it must always end the same way – with a great shot. Dealing with these pressures takes experience, talent and speed. Follow photographer Andreas Lundberg during his one week experience with the D2.

​Recently introducing the new D2, this new video series takes you through Andreas Lundberg's thoughts each day, and how he sets up his lighting and works with his subjects. Pay attention, because there's a lot of good content here.

Profoto not only manufactures the finest lighting equipment in the world, but they also lead the industry in great educational material! Just click on any image to follow this new series and read more about the Profoto D2.

About Andreas Lundberg: ​Andreas Lundberg is an acclaimed Swedish Fashion and Portrait photographer, based in Stockholm but working all over the world. Andreas shoots everything from editorial, high fashion, advertising, portraits, beauty and sports for a wide variety of international clients. His work is admired for his crisp, high contrast imagery where lighting is the essence of the look and feel.

Visit his website to find out more about him and see more of his outstanding images.

Intro by Skip Cohen

Just announced- check out the NEW Profoto D2. This is directly from today's Profoto newsletter.

As you watch this short video, you'll have an even greater appreciation for Profoto's technology, but also pay attention to the way they tell the story. There's so much great content in these short presentations!

Just click on the image of the D2 below to find out more!

by Skip Cohen

Not only is Profoto the manufacturer of the finest equipment in lighting, but their website is one of the most fun to visit. The Internet has given us the ability to be interactive with the products and companies we choose, and Profoto is making the most of it.

Check out the images below - with two different beauty dishes, a silver and a white. What's so great about the the Light Shaping Tools section of their website is your ability to review each of the eight tools above and see the impact it has on the final image. It's just a slide of the cursor on the screen and you're able to see the difference each accessory has on your images.

And, for those of you who keep telling people, "I'm a natural light specialist," give it a rest and start to learn how to create beautiful images no matter what light you're using. There's an incredible amount of great content on their site, before you even get to their blog, and it's all there to help you be a better artist.

Don't take my word for it - click on the accessory banner above and check out all the accessories for yourself. This is about Profoto's belief in education and helping you raise the bar well beyond the quality of images "Uncle Harry" could capture.

This five minute video is packed with outstanding content as Adam Angelides takes you through his steps to create natural light using Profoto's Off-Camera Flash System.  As with all of the videos on Profoto's YouTube channel, the goal is to help you raise the bar on your understanding of lighting. Profoto doesn't just produce the finest lighting in the world - they're the leader in lighting education.

Adam does an outstanding job taking you through his thought process, along with each step in how he's setting up the image. You really don't have an appreciation for the quality of the image above until you follow how he's set up a B1 and the gel outside along with the conditions inside.

In a recent "Why?", Sue Bryce talked about the importance of learning lighting and finding that balance to produce natural looking images. She also used Profoto B1's for the portrait she shared.

Check out more of Adam Angelides' work with a trip to his website. Then, swing by your Profoto dealer and check out their Off-Camera Flash System for yourself!