Those two things – the dimension and texture of the light – create a mood that flat light doesn’t have. By getting the light off the camera, you can create angles of light that give you the texture, dimension and mood that you can reach out and touch. – Cliff Mautner
Cliff uses one light on a monopod off-camera to achieve his stunning wedding photography. The light he chooses to control manually via his AC3 ZoneController creates depth, personality and vibrant colors. Cliff chooses to deliberately avoid flat lighting, using his one off-camera flash to create these scenes where the focus of the photo is clear, and the bride and groom are stars. By using manual control, he can switch lenses, distances and adjust with the ambient light – all the while knowing that the things that normally trick TTL will not affect him.
Here is a mini gallery of Cliff’s images for your enjoyment.
We have other good news for photographers in the USA – if you purchase a MiniTT1 & FlexTT5 (or two FlexTT5 units), you can receive a FREE AC3 by mail after purchase!
Yup, that’s right! Until July 31st, you can take advantage of this awesome offer. You never know, it may change your photographic life, too! LEARN MORE >>
Photographer and photo educator Doug Gordon breaks down a bridal portrait session in this 12+ minute video. He explains how he dials in different intensities from his lights directly from his camera with the PocketWizard FlexTT5, MiniTT1, and the AC3 ZoneController.
Gordon’s premise is to have his system as stripped down and foolproof as possible. Stressing the total lighting control he can achieve from behind the camera, Gordon shows how different lighting setups work with slightly different bridal poses to achieve astonishingly different portraits.
We love discovering photographers creating great images with interesting use of off-camera flash. Chris Arace is a Detroit photographer who not only uses PocketWizard radio triggers to light his portaits, but his series ”We Are Vacancy” includes images of talent actually handholding speedlights. In his own words, here are his thoughts on his work.
An artistic rebellion of faith and spirit. Eager to create. Created to create. Rise against the onslaught of homogenization in culture, we shall. We Are Vacancy.
The above statement was crafted as part manifesto, part inspiration, and part dedication. It provides a tangible concept for me to visualize and create images for this series of shots. The idea was created while on location last year. I often am running at a fast pace on shoots in some diverse and amazing locations. It was not always possible to create personal, compelling imagery under the time crunch of a production schedule. We Are Vacancy allowed a portable, manageable, and very artistic way to satisfy my personal artistic needs.
Joel Hawksley, a photographer for The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, IL, spends a lot of time in the gym. He’s not working out; he’s setting up lights. Fortunately for shooters everywhere, he’s taken the time to show how he does it in an informative post on his blog.
Hawksley goes into serious detail, all in one page, and explains how he does everything to make high school gym athletes look like superstars. The gear he literally lays out in this blog post include the PocketWizard PowerMC2, the FlexTT5, and the AC3 ZoneController.
This blog post provides dozens of large photos, including many behind-the-scenes shots. Watch what Hawksley does to light up big places. You won’t be sorry.
Chris Gampat of The Phoblographer recently returned from New York Comic Con 2012, where he shot a variety of heroes, villains, and other comic book inspired denziens.
His kit for the event included “the Olympus OMD EM5, Voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95, PocketWizard Plus® III triggers, and the Paul C. Buff Einstein E640.”
It’s great to see our newest triggers out there in the field, doing what they were made to do. Read the post for more images of some costumed crazyness. Connect with The Phoblographer on Twitter and Facebook. See more of Chris’ work on 500px.
Join us on November 27, 2012 at 1pm EST for this free live video seminar sponsored by PocketWizard.
Spend an hour with guest photographer Bobbi Lane as she demonstrates the techniques used to create a conceptual image on location, a “romantic portrait”, perhaps as a gift from the bride to the groom. We’ll have Bobbi live in the studio where she can explain in detail the concept, the process, the tools and the final results to creating a beautiful image.
Learn how Bobbi uses fill flash to open shadows and create a more pleasing light and skin tone. While on-camera flash can provide fill, the light sources are still small and often don’t provide a soft and effective illumination. Bobbi will take the flash off camera, using the PocketWizard MiniTT1® and FlexTT5® to create a more pleasing light. Take advantage of the live chat room to ask Bobbi questions as she takes us through the creative process.
This Webinar has been archived, and can be found here.
Photographer Doug Gordon has posted an eight minute video showcasing his use of basic off-camera flash. Watch Gordon explore three simple, yet beautiful portrait lighting setups using PocketWizard wireless technology.
Gordon explains and demonstrates the importance of lighting ratios and how PocketWizard radios help him create the light he wants quickly and easily. “Just by being on the PocketWizard,” he says, “I can set and turn down my light to be be two stops under [my main light] from wherever I am.”
Watch the video to learn why PocketWizard radios are Doug’s “newest and most favorite toy in the world.”
See more of Doug’s work and learn about the photography workshops he offers by visiting his site.
See host Joe Brady as he shows how to put PocketWizard Radio Triggers to use firing multiple off-camera flash units in both studio and environmental on-location portraits. With the addition of the easy to use AC3 ZoneController, you can instantly control and adjust up to three flash zones to create beautiful portrait lighting ratios using both TTL and manual modes — right from the top of your camera!
During this live online video seminar, Joe demonstrated how to take control of light with multiple flash units both alone and with different light shaping tools. Joe also answered questions from the audience live on the studio set.
Photographer Chris Garrison has shared his thoughts on HyperSync technology with us. You can learn more about Chris and his work by visiting his site and his blog.
HyperSync
1/800th at f/7.1.
HyperSync(TM) is the single largest game changer for photographers using studio-type flashes. As photographers, we are once again taking part in another evolution of our industry. I consider the introduction of HyperSync technology by PocketWizard to be as large as the digital format transition. We are no longer just freezing motion with shutter speed or light, we are actually painting light onto the frozen motion.
PocketWizard users are responding more and more to using off-camera flash at incredible shutter speeds — speeds photographers have been dreaming about since the dawn of flash photography itself. From stopping powdered snow surrounding a professional snowboarder to freezing water droplets as a diver enters a pool, shooters around the world are exploring new worlds of creativity with PocketWizard’s HyperSync technology.
In the recent past, the PocketWizard blog has showcased photographers like Tom Bol, Dave Black, and Chris O’Connell, all of whom are exploiting HyperSync to get shots impossible with any other system.
We have other good news for photographers in the USA – if you purchase a MiniTT1 & FlexTT5 (or two FlexTT5 units), you can receive a FREE AC3 by mail after purchase!
