Balancing environmental light with flash is and will probably always be one of my favorite aspects of the lighting process. In this video San Antonio photographer Kurtis Kronk takes us behind the scenes of his recent shoot at Enchanted Rock for Profoto. While the video focuses quite a bit on the AcuteB two-head split cable there are plenty of shots of the setup and resulting images. Kurtis explains his concept this way:
"I wanted to show someone doing yoga at enchanted rock, it's a spiritual place, a unique landscape. I had this crazy idea for doing a blended exposure of the model at sunset with a long exposure showing the stars or star trails unfortunately it was cloudy in that direction so that there would be no stars visible - but it worked out for the sunset colors. Part of the 'deeper' meaning behind the location for me and why yoga was a good fit is that it is such a simple land feature...this huge hunk of relatively smooth granite, forming a dome sticking out of the earth"
After the fact this is what Kurtis had to say about the setup:
"It's a miniature studio for environmental portraits, with the only caveat being that it's not super high-power. The new Split Cable is definitely a niche accessory. I see it being ideal for tight portraiture or at least shooting in an enclosed space. The AcuteB2 is like 12lbs and if you don't need high power but want to be able to use really great light modifiers... this setup is a beast."
You can view more of his work at kurtiskronk.com
I am unsure about the models tattoo. I do not believe it adds anything to the photograph. In fact I found it distracting.
“I wanted to show someone doing yoga at enchanted rock, it’s a spiritual place, a unique landscape..." so, she's not a model, she's a person who practice yoga (like a boss).
Correct - she is not a model, just a normal (talented) person I know. And she didn't get her tattoo for anyone else's approval, it has deeper meaning to her so that's okay. Personally I think it is unique and I liked it enough to make it the main subject of one of my photos from the shoot. :)
I used to own an AcuteB2. Now I have 2 Einsteins E640 moonlights from Paul C. Buff and a Vagabond Mini Battery Pack. Lighter, cheaper and longer battery life. Very Happy.
Vagabond mini and lights also travel very well! I keep a vagabond mini and ab800 in my backpack. Wallet and back very happy lol
I love the idea of backpacking with the gear.
Beautiful work! I love incorporating different forms of art so I really appreciate the paintings on her back, mixed with that gorgeous scenery! Well done!