Photographer Dave Lehl wanted to take action photography somewhere new; somewhere he hadn’t seen it go before.
After a whole lot of experimentation, Dave came up with the winning combination of a long exposure to create light trails and a HyperSynced flash shot to freeze the action. He used an Elinchrome Ranger and a Lumedyne for lighting, triggered with his new PocketWizard MiniTT1 units.
Just how fast did he go? He says, “I just got the new PocketWizard Mini’s, which allow for HyperSync®, which means you can sync your flash at a much faster speed. I think I was shooting at around an 800th or a 1000th of a second.”
Watch the video above for more behind-the-scenes details and to see the final shots. See more of his work on his site and follow him on tumblr.
Note: This video contains more cats than you might expect.
All videos and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Dave Lehl, all rights reserved; story is ©PocketWizard. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or repost elsewhere without written permission.
© 2012 Chris Garrison
Where were you on 29 November 2012? If you weren’t here with us watching Chris Garrison’s HyperSync® and extreme sports themed Webinar, then you’re in luck because it’s been archived right here for your viewing pleasure.
To get the show-stopping photo above, Chris employed the help of a boat full of studio strobes, a spare gorilla hand, HyperSync technology, wakeboarding talent, and a whole lot of patience.
Learn the story behind this shot and many more by watching the archived Webinar.
All images in this post are used with permission and ©Chris Garrison, all rights reserved; story is ©PocketWizard. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or repost elsewhere without written permission.
There really isn’t anything acclaimed Korean photographer Manchul Kim can’t shoot. Take a look at his portfolio and you’ll see everything from conceptual still life shots to rock band album covers. In this shoot, Manchul takes on skateboarding for DC shoes and Lee Sanglee.
Manchul Kim has known Lee Sanglee, a Korea DC Shoes team rider, for over ten years. Lee is one of Korea’s most experienced skateboarders and he has been active publishing books and DVDs as well as teaching the younger generation how to skate.
© 2012 Manchul Kim
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© 2012 Paul D’Andrea
Paul D’Andrea is an Indianapolis-based photographer whose work runs the gamut from portraits and events to fine art. He even helps run one of the few photography galleries in the city, M10 Studio and Gallery. Here, he gives us the details behind an outdoor portrait he made with a little help from HyperSync®.
When making a portrait I have to decide how to draw the viewer’s eye to the subject. I might do this with a simplified background, a composition that frames the subject, or it might be with a shallow depth of field or a difference in exposure (making the subject brighter than the backdrop).
For an outdoor portrait, using a shallow depth of field often precludes the use of studio lights and exposure in pulling the subject off the background. With a maximum sync speed of 1/250th of a second for the studio lights, I need to choose an aperture to match the ambient exposure, this might be f/11 or f/16 on a sunny day, which won’t provide a very shallow depth of field. Enter HyperSync, which allows me to have both a shallow depth of field and large light modifiers.
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© 2012 Ryan DeCesari
Ryan DeCesari (a.k.a. Denver Photo Guy) was looking to gear up for the coming ski season and get some high speed sync happening. Looking back on his blog, you can watch his experiments evolve as his research leads him to what he needs to get the results he wants.
In his most recent two posts, he shares the results of his latest experiments, using PocketWizard’s HyperSync® with a MiniTT1® and FlexTT5®. He headed out to Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, Colorado for a test run and reports after “about 10 minutes with my laptop and the PocketWizard Utility to dial in the Hypersync function… I was able to get up to 1/8000 exposure.”
Later, in a more detailed post, Ryan sprints up the learning curve and tries out the classic dropping-objects-in-a-fishtank shoot, and gets some results that he says “utterly stunned and shocked him.” Using just one strobe, Ryan was able to shoot at 1/8000th and freeze motion perfectly. He writes, “The heavens lifted angels and choirs began to sing I sat back in my chair struggling to understand what this meant for my photography…… I settled on the idea that for an investment of around $800 I had a set up that could play with the big boys I had a super powerful strobe that could be transmitted from extreme distances and the ability to sync that strobe at its full power setting up to 1/8000 of a second shutter speed.”
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When photographer Tristan Shu got a chance to work with some of France’s best freestyle skiers, he knew he had to produce something spectacular. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Tristan created a meticulously timed image showcasing the skiers’ precision and skill. How did he do it? Read the account and see the video below to find out.
©2012 Tristan Shu
I triggered my flashes using a mix of PocketWizard FlexTT5’s, PowerST4’s, and Plus II’s.
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BMX photographer Klaus Dyba comes to us from Cologne, Germany, where he recently tried his hand at canine photography – with spectacular results! Here, he gives his account of his Weimaraner shoot and some tips for photographing man’s best friend.
Weimaraner, ©2012 Klaus Dyba
I come from a background in action photography, especially BMX riding, so when my brother-in-law showed up for a visit with his energetic Weimaraner, Charlotte, I thought it would be fun to shoot her in the same style I use for my BMX work.
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When photographer Tony Donaldson set out to test PocketWizard’s HyperSync technology on the PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 with his Nikon D800, he focused on the two things most important to him: “freezing action and being able to create good light even in crappy, midday sunlight.”
For that, he enlisted the help of gymnast Anna Clols and a trampoline. He was able to overpower the sun and freeze motion (even her hair!) while shooting at 1/2500th. Next, he went to a nearby park where he was able to get beautiful light, even at midday, and a shallow depth of field at 1/1250th.
He concludes:
“Having the versatility to make light bend to my will is absolutely amazing. The PocketWizard Mini and Flex worked flawlessly for the whole shoot. Being able to make well-lit pictures at times of the day when the sun is harsh but not caring is invaluable. There will always be times when this comes in handy, and being well practiced in it and knowing how to do it when it counts adds versatility and makes me look like a hero to my clients.”
Take a look at his results on the ProPhoto Coalition and see his portfolio.
If you haven’t explored the wonders of HyperSync™, here’s a great blog post with some numbers a photographer was able to get.
Impressed by previously mentioned photographers’ results (see below) with PocketWizard’s HyperSync technology, Laurence J. took to the beach with his Canon EOS 7D to see what he could get.
After calibrating, he was able to push his 7D to a sync speed of 1/1250th, far above the camera’s typical sync speed of 1/250th.
This piece opens eyes to the ability of HyperSync, and educates shooters to the types of shots possible with speeds you can get using PocketWizard MiniTT1 radio triggers.
Read the full review and take a look at some of Laurence’s work.
Further reading on HyperSync:
Tom Bol and High Speed Sync
Dave Black Shooting His Dreams
Chris O’Connell Stops Time
At about the age of eleven, Richard Pardon was given a film camera by his grandfather in Dorset, U.K., who also taught him to develop his own film. Turning professional about a year ago, Pardon has realized a lifelong dream. “For me, it’s more than a job or a career. It’s like a lifestyle or a passion,” he says. He credits no two days being the same as making photography a rewarding career.
©Richard Pardon
Although his grandfather gave him his start with film, Pardon has learned everything about digital photography by teaching himself. With books and DVDs, a trial-and-error approach has helped him not only develop his technical knowledge, but his own photographic style. He credits his autodidacticism with enabling him to work in different areas of photography, including portraiture, automotive, landscape, and stock work. The road hasn’t been easy, but the work is worth it, he feels.
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