Intro by Skip Cohen

A few months ago Profoto launched a new series, "A Week in a Photographer's Life" featuring Andreas Lundberg. There are five videos, each representing a different day of activity and no pun intended, his focus.

I've never met Andreas, but when you watch the video and then visit his website you'll be introduced to one of the most creative professional photographers in our industry. If you click on either of two favorite images I grabbed above, you'll find yourself on his website where he shares an impressive body of work.

But even more impressive than his work is his passion for creativity. I love the way Profoto has given us a sneak peek into his thought process in the video below as he "gives fast food a totally new meaning."  There is virtually no line between commercial photography and fine art when Andreas is behind the camera.

Andreas is shooting with Profoto's new D2 - the fastest monolight with TTL in the world! Watch the video and you'll be amazed at how much is packed into less than five minutes.  

Check out the new Profoto D-2 together with the full line of Profoto gear, including the new Pro-10 and their Off-Camera Flash System. All supported with the most powerful and diverse accessory line in lighting. Visit your Profoto dealer with a click on the banner below.

Intro by Skip Cohen

There's an incredible amount of content being shared every week on the Profoto blog. One of my favorite features is "Rising Light."  Harley Anderson does a terrific job with each post, putting an imaging student in the spotlight. He also presents one topic/specialty after another that's so relevant to working professionals today.

Over the years, many times when teaching a workshop, I've asked for a show of hands of how many people do table top work. Since most of my audiences are usually in the portrait/wedding category, very few hands are ever raised. But, that's what's so wrong in this industry, because wedding photographers especially have to do some of the most difficult table top shots in imaging! Think about the skill it takes to capture a truly great shot of the wedding cake. Or, how about the bride wants a picture of the cake-cutting and wants to see the engraving on a family heirloom cake knife that belonged to her grandmother!

When I saw the images below and read this post, it was an obvious addition to SCU's Profoto Showcase. Michael Scholz is an accomplished artist and Harley has chosen some exceptional images. Like so many images and posts shared from Profoto, I'm hoping a few artists might feel inspired to put a little more effort into future product type shots.

Your clients deserve the very best.  While you might never need to produce a purely commercial product shot, knowledge is power, and at least understanding the craft a little better will help raise the bar on so many of your images.

Check out Profoto's blog for great posts from new material as well in their archives. Plus, if you haven't checked out the Profoto line of lighting, what are you waiting for? Visit their website and then stop into a Profoto dealer near you!

by Harley Anderson

Rising Light is an article series highlighting promising photography students from all over the world. This month we introduce Michael Scholz, at Santa Monica Community College.

Michael Scholz was born and raised in Heidelberg,Germany, and spent his first 30 years with a life style that never felt quite right. After earning a graduate degree in Technical Editing from the University of Applied Sciences in Karlsruhe he spent 6-years as a project manager in a digital advertising agency, working with high-profile clients including Porsche, Vodafone, and Fujitsu. Then one day he realized he “simply didn’t feel it anymore”. He decided to take a break for a year.

Even though Michael never considered himself the creative type, it was something he couldn’t shake. The epiphany came while walking along the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James), the Spanish part of the famed spiritual pilgrim route that thread throughout Europe, where he realized it was time to move on. Rather than to organize meetings and set budgets, he wanted to be a photographer.

As young, Michael loved to take pictures with his father’s Minolta. However, having been raised to be more practical rather than creative, the thought of choosing photography, or anything in the creative arts for that matter, never crossed his mind.

Initially, Michael chose to go into video rather than still photography. After reading a blog post written by a friend in Austria about the film department at Santa Monica College (SMC) in California he decided to do something about it. He packed his bags, caught a taxi to the airport and flew to sunny California.

During his first semester at SMC he enrolled in film classes along with a class in Photography 101 to brush up on his still photography skills. By the end of the semester he began having second thoughts about making movies.

Though he enjoyed film and video production, the tug of still photography proved stronger. In addition, still photography was something that he could do by himself, whereas film-making required a crew for even the simplest of projects.

It wasn’t long before Michael began researching online to see which lighting system best fit his needs. The Profoto B1 Off-Camera Flash system had caught his attention after shooting with it at school. The idea of having so much light output on hand, regardless of where he might be shooting, was appealing to him.  Impressed by the system, he bought a B1 of his own through Profoto’s student discount program.

Michael admits he knew next to nothing about studio flash when he first started working with studio lights. However, after poring over umpteen ‘how-to’ lighting videos he quickly gained an understanding about lighting. Lighting has definitely changed his outlook on photography and he credits his understanding of studio lighting for enabling him to capture professional-level photographs.

Michael prefers to keep things simple when it comes to both composition as well as lighting. His favorite light shaping tool is the Profoto RFi Softbox 3’ Octa followed by the Profoto Softbox RFi 2×3’, sometimes with grids. Depending on the situation, Michael uses a Profoto Air Remote system to trigger his flash wirelessly.

Michael’s stylized photograph of the Nike sneaker was a turning point for him. This was the photograph that lead him to further explore taking common objects and lighting them in a way that makes them appear heroic. He strives to visually and emotionally connect with the viewer and other images he’s proud of include the photographs he’s created using products from Chanel and Nivea.

Working with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II and EF 24-105mm/4L IS II USM and EF 70-200mm/2.8L IS II USM zoom lenses, Michael Scholz has developed as a product photographer and continues to push his limits as to what’s possible.

Michael  also enjoys creating appetizing photographs of stylized food setups. That said, Michael’s passion is in product photography. “I would like to ultimately become a commercial product photographer of high-end, high-tech, premium products from say, Nike, or even Apple.”

“I like to create something beautiful from nothing. I’m not comfortable being called a fine artist. If anything I’m a commercial artist.”

Michael’s 5-year plan is to open his own advertising agency where he can take full control of the creative process – including that of product photography. Asked where he’d like to open shop, Michael answered “Los Angeles… And maybe a studio in Germany too!”

by Skip Cohen

Just a little short of two years ago I shared this video from Profoto US featuring Justin and Mary Marantz. As so often happens with great artists, I got a little feedback that the Walk Through a Wedding series, while nobody questioned Justin and Mary's expertise, they did question how easy it was for them to produce images when there was a script. The comments essentially boiled down to the fact that these videos weren't from real weddings - there was no stress, no "Uncle Harry" getting in the way, no clock clicking the time away, etc.

So, I started "Walk the Talk" to show Justin and Mary's results with images that demonstrated they always practice what they preach. While I normally don't dig a lot out of the SCU archives, as an administrator on two different Facebook forums for wedding photographers, I've seen a lot of mediocre work. The passion of the artists is always top shelf, as they try and learn more - but often the images they're sharing demonstrate their technique has yet to catch up with their enthusiasm.

Last weekend we went to daylight savings time and it's now getting dark earlier. In looking through Profoto's archives I ran across the Walk Through a Wedding series, and since there are so many of you who might not have seen the videos two years ago, it's time to bring at least one of them back. "When It's Dark Outside" hits on some great techniques to help you capture even stronger images, even in the cold of winter.

I'm also sharing a few of Justin and Mary's images from "Walk the Talk." They're all at night and you know each one wound up as a feature image in each couple's album.

Walk Through a Wedding is loaded with good solid content.  Watch all of them, one after another and pick up some outstanding ideas to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images. Here's the YouTube link to all of them.  

The image on the right above, was recently featured in a "Why?" Just click on it to hear the backstory.

Intro by Skip Cohen

This is one of my favorite videos from Lin and Jirsa Photography in the Ordinary to Extraordinary series so far. Pye Jirsa does an outstanding job packing in a lot of great content into a four minute video. In fact, this is one of those videos I wish was mandatory for EVERY wedding photographer to watch.

As Pye points out in the very beginning - the shots of the wedding party are some of the most popular images in any album. Put that together with the way images are shared today and each person in the group portrait shares it with friends. Now, go one step further and remember every bride has friends who are getting married and the power of word-of-mouth exposure, for a wedding artist who's done an outstanding job, increases the reach even more.

This video is also a terrific reminder of one of my favorite things about Profoto - they don't just build the best in lighting gear, but they're also helping to build some of the very best photographers! They never slow down in their educational efforts to help you create the very best images!

Stay up to day on all of Profoto's new products with a visit to the website. Then click on the Find a Dealer link below for a hands-on look at some of the very finest products in lighting! 

Check out Lin and Jirsa's complete series and also the full archived collection of dozens of other videos in Profoto USA's archives on YouTube. You'll never be disappointed and you'll be introduced to some of the finest artists in professional photography today.