Recently I bought two Profoto Umbrella XL (silver) with the optional Front Diffuser, they are really big and gives a soft light (of course, as they are quite big light sources) but with contrast. Maybe not the light modifier I would use primarily for portraits in the studio (I have tried it, and it is ok, but not great), my 5-foot softbox Octa is still more my choice there, but for assignments on locations they are very good. And they are easy to carry, and easy to set up.
I was hired to take publicity photos from an event a client of mine had which included a prize ceremony and they needed good photos of the winners. That included single portraits of the winners as well as group photos in different sizes.
What made me very glad was that with just two umbrellas (big ones, but still just umbrellas) I could use the exact same lighting setup as well as light settings and exposure to get good portraits and good group shots.
Two umbrellas for portraits and group shots…
Taking portraits on location with studio lights is something that is 90% setup, 9% small talk and around 1% pressing the shutter. Working in Sweden, I usually bring a couple of lights to every shoot, unless it is a regular assignment for articles in a magazine when natural light feels more appropriate.
The above portrait was an assignment from one of my clients where they wanted a nice picture with the man in a suit standing in their office. I had been there before, so I knew the layout pretty well. Which meant that I only packed two Profoto D1, one 5-foot softbox octa and a couple of light stands, and a Chimera reflector panel.
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This is just a reminder that soon a lot of my assignments can be done with just a reflector and a diffusion panel. And not having to freeze while taking a stiff portrait of some poor guy or girl outside in the cold just to use the little natural light that might be available around lunch just before it gets dark again.
Sunlight is very hard to beat when it comes to lighting a portrait, and even if you surround your models with stands and screens, they are a lot more relaxed out in the open than they are in the studio.
I really look forward to be able to work with sunlight again.
My latest investments in light modifiers are two Profoto Umbrella XL, silver. I also bought two Front Diffusers, but haven’t had the time to test them yet.
I have been looking for an easy way to set up simple portraits on-location without having to bring too much heavy equipment, but still be able to get good, big light that I can control. For that, I usually bring softboxes and/or diffusion panels together with a Profoto AcuteB 600R or my Profoto D1 (if they have electrical outlets).
The weight of the monoblocs or the battery generator is nothing I can reduce (until Profoto figures out how to cut the AcuteB in half), but the other bag would be nice to make both smaller and lighter. Many assignments would be easy to do with just two lights, two stands and two umbrellas. But small umbrellas are not that fun, I think.
Studio test of two Umbrella XL…
There is something I like with cinema lighting, or lighting for television, when they tend to have faces painted with just two tones of the same skin colour.
This might sound strange when I try to explain it, I blame it on not having English as my first language. What I am trying to say is; I like interesting shadows.
For this portrait, a headshot for an author I did a couple of weeks ago, I tried to balance the key and the fill light so there would be one half of the portrait in a lighter skin tone, and the other in a darker.
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