It's all in the details. Adding elements like wind is a great option to add more life and emotion into your photographs. Studio photography and natural light photography can be very different genres. In the studio, you’re in total control of your environment and surroundings, and having an industrial fan that plugs into a wall is pretty standard in most studios. Unfortunately with natural light, you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature. But that’s OK; with this inexpensive tool you will add a little “studio flair” to your natural light portraits.
One of the staples of studio photography is that household item we all have: the fan. By using the fan, this tool adds a little life to a portrait by adding movement to a garment or at least the subject’s hair, depending on what you’re shooting. We can capture this similar look if we’re fortunate enough to have a nice breeze on that perfect day shooting with natural light. But what happens when there’s no breeze or an electrical outlet in sight?
I wanted to overcome this issue and looked into it to see what I could find. I browsed the web for portable, battery-powered fans that would output enough power to make a decent effect on my natural light portraits. Although the options were limited, I did find what I was looking for.
I found the O2COOL10" Battery Operated Fan on Amazon. While it is small and compact, I took the $20 gamble on it.
First Impressions
Right out of the box I was skeptical and realistic about my expectations. While I was excited about the household product's potential, could this 10-inch fan come even close to adding results?
The fan can operate on six D batteries alone, or also plugged with the AC adapter provided.
As you'd expect from a $20 item, it is made out of plastic and comes with the option of operating the fan by six D batteries or an AC plug adapter. It has three power options: low, medium, and high. It's pretty self-explanatory and no instructions are really needed.
Trying It Out
I had my photo assistant, Anthony, hold the fan up close to test out the portable fan. We were able to get great, life-like results out of using the fan. Here’s what we ended up with below.
The fan is very portable and useful with an assistant holding the fan up close for best results. It can be also be placed on ledges and windowsills if there is no assistant present.
After using it a couple of times, it puts out some decent power, enough to add some life to your natural light portraits and headshots. While it's not an industrial fan by any stretch, it puts out enough power to add life to headshots or even three-quarter shots. Like I mentioned earlier, it runs on six D batteries and one set of batteries lasted me 2 or 3 shoots, depending on how much it was used.
The fan has a great ability to create life-like, subtle results.
Your Model's New Best Friend
Another advantage from using the fan is that it becomes the model’s best friend. With the hot and humid days we have here in Florida, this fan becomes a must-have to keep your models cool and refreshed in between shots. Since we are doing most of our shoots outdoors, this is also useful for when makeup is applied while working with the makeup artist. The model will really appreciate having this alongside them throughout the shoot. It's also great for us photographers when we spend long days on-location and need a little breeze for a pick-me-up!
Model's new best friend on hot, humid days!
The $20 gamble paid off well and is now a staple for when I’m shooting my outdoor portraits with models on those hot, humid days. I am in no way affiliated with this company and I would definitely give it a shot to add that “flair” to your natural light portraits.
For Canadian readers this fan can also be purchased from Bed Bath and Beyond for a cheaper price than Amazon Canada's listed price. $36CAD whereas amazon canada is over $50CAD http://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/store/product/10-inch-battery-or-electric...
Good find Bryan, thanks for sharing!
Another good cheap option is from different cordless tool manufactures, from Milwaukee, Ridgid, Ryobi, etc. (Ryobi for example has their P3320 Fan that is powered by either 120v plug in or using their cordless batteries. When using their larger battery, you get about 10 hours of use per charge. Which saves on buying D batteries in the long run, and as they are meant for construction sites, they can take abuse from any photographer. And the price if you already have Ryobi products already is cheap, for $40 at home depot you can pick up the Ryobi P3320 fan).
Stoked you posted this. Ive been looking for a fan just like this! Thanks Nick!
No problem! Thanks for the feedback!
Bonus points if you could rig up a way to mount it onto a light stand! How did you manage to place it high enough on location to blow the hair?? Was it on a window sill or ledge or did you rig something up to hold it??
That's actually a great idea with the lightstand Phil! I've been using windowsills, stairs, and whatever I can find right now. Having an assistant is obviously the best way to go.
If i have an assistant with me, i have them wave a reflector at the model, which makes it easy to control the intensity and direction of the wind on them. Doesn't require an army of D cell batteries, though it does usually require a lunch. :)
Same here. It can be a bit of a workout for them after awhile. I had someone complain about their arms being sore the next day.
I also have a little mini-blower if I can find a plug-in. http://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SERIES-114-mph-110-CFM-Electric-Mighty-Pr... The unit is just a touch bigger than a typical hair dryer but powerful enough to be able to blow a dress slightly even. Also small enough that I can keep it in my car all the time.