Los Angeles-based photographer Zach Sutton has spent a long time doing on-location photoshoots for his business. These kinds of shoots usually involve the typical off-camera strobes on light stands and maybe an assistant to help mule equipment or adjust lighting for the photographer. However, when Sutton moved to L.A. last July, he quickly learned that this sort of on-location shoot is not allowed in the city without a proper commercial shoot permit — even if it’s ultimately for personal use. His solution for getting by light stand free looks somewhat crazy, but the end results speak for themselves.
By using the ProMediaGear Boomerang Flash Bracket paired with a Profoto B2 and two-foot octabox, Sutton is able to create high-end lighting without the footprint that will cause him trouble with L.A. law enforcement. The biggest usability issue is probably the most glaring, that having that weight above and off-axis from your body can be awkward. But according to Sutton, he was “easily able to handle the rig for a one-hour shoot on the Venice Boardwalk” so it’s obviously still practical for when you need it.
Sutton's camera rigged up with the ProMediaGear Boomerang Bracket and Profoto B2 with octabox.
You’ll want to check out the end result of shooting with this setup in Sutton’s writeup. There you’ll also get the full review of the ProMediaGear Boomerang Flash Bracket for those that are interested in a similar solution for their on-location gigs.
All images used with permission.
[via Resource Magazine]
Looks interesting, but they should post more than one sample image IMO.
What about friends holding the light?
Any assistants holding lights brings it right back into the commercial photography aspect...
Wow... That seems excessive....
Of course it is excessive.... It is Los Angeles!!
at that price, i wonder what the permit cost.
For real.
"Sutton is able to create high-end lighting"?
What is high end about this lighting except the price?
Flash duration, higher light output, high speed sync, better modifiers, and he probably already owned the B1 for use in other situations, which IS vastly superior and more professional than speed lights. Also works great in studio, and in conjunction with other PROFESSIONAL profoto gear and modifiers.
And honestly... since everyone else is doing speed lights, this LOOKS more professional, and image is everything.
Sorry guys, but speed lights on professional shoots are handy to have, but if you think they're all you need, you're an amateur.
I don't even know what high-end lighting means...
But to address your points:
-Flash duration as... long flash duration? Short is on low power output. It pretty much works like speed light (lower power - shorter flash duration)
High speed sync? HSS works on higher output so you sacrifice previous point.
Higher light output? - yes, but from the distance it is not relevant. You need to use lower power or close down the lens...
Better modifiers? - Just not true.
It is just a light right above the camera. It works but I don't see anything high-end about it, except the "look".
If you do it for LOOKS, then I don't have a comment.
One more thing. There are other things that actually make you professional, and those are not in stores ;)
- The B1 flash duration at FULL power is 1/1000, and as low as 1/11000 on minimum. If you can sacrifice a bit of color consistency, you can get 1/19000 out of a b1.
Speedlights on full power have durations of around 1/250. At minimum power, they can get pretty quick, but their minimum powers are so low (which can be good) as to not be as useful as a B1 to many.
- Yes, it’s either High speed sync OR flash duration. But at least with the B1/B2 you have a choice. Flash duration is unlikely to be of importance for this guys work. But for a fashion guy shooting quick movement, it might be.
- And yes, higher light output isn’t relevant for this particular guy in LA shooting this particular setup. But for people shooting with a permit, or in another location, being able to put a light 5-10 meters away is VERY important.
- Agree to disagree on the modifiers. Profoto make some of the best modifiers out there all of which fit a B1. Not to mention adapters that allow the use of modifiers by Mola, Elinchrome, and other major brands. I’m aware there’s some good modifiers for speedlights. But the variety is not there.
And high end… well yeah, that’s up for debate. But I think a setup like this has a better chance of nailing it than a guy with a speedlight, and limited access to modifiers. Of course there’s more to photography than gear, but gear obviously plays a part.
And as for looks… trust me. It’s just like dating a woman. Looks and first impressions count. :) Project success.
There is a time and a place for everything. I've hacked together photo gear from bits of paper, and cardboard, and all kinds of things. But man, give me a B1 any day. Try it and see.
Man, you are going so OT...
"- And yes, higher light output isn’t relevant for this particular guy in LA shooting this particular setup. But for people shooting with a permit, or in another location, being able to put a light 5-10 meters away is VERY important."
I don't know what are you referring to... We are talking about very "particular" setup. "High-end" setup...
Obviously! Theses are "off camera" lights... and he used B2, not B1, but anyways. I don't have anything against these lights, unless you are trying to use them in place of speedlight.
Regarding flash duration you are compering incorrect data. t0.1 for speedlight and t0.5 for Profoto...
Save your self thousands and get a TTL speedlight. Screw Profoto's $1900.00 price tag!
*an
"How an LA photographer.."
~Study says those who call out grammatical errors are in fact scientifically 'jerks'~
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Study-says-those-who-call-out-grammat...
The thing is it takes one minute to learn for a lifetime. If it's a text etc. fine, but when your job is writing, there's no excuse. It's like a photographer only ever shooting on auto because they don't understand shutter speed, aperture, or iso; it's not that hard!
Even if you don't care, you should know that people will judge you for it and so perhaps you should take those few seconds out of your day sometime in your several years as a writer/editor to learn the difference. In print I usually take an author's grammatical errors as a lack of education and stringency that probably carries over into their research, and so an opinion that carries less weight.
^^^ Exhibit B: Doubling down on scientific evidence.
Actualy the study you posted supports my statement. If your writing contains grammatical errors many people will judge you negatively for it.
So now you're going to claim to be a Savior Against Judgement and a Grammatical White Knight? Impressive delusional blindness.
You're misrepresenting your own posted evidence. I called you on it. End of.
This seems like it might be a useful piece of gear and I'm gonna check it out a little more, thx!
It's been my experience that I don't get hassled by the cops nearly as much as I do from security guards. It's also my perspective that it seems like when I do start getting questioned it's cos I could be perceived as "in the way", or maybe as someone who's gonna leave a footprint, or just shady in general. I've never been cited before (warnings or fiscally), and my run-in's with the cops vary from:
- Venice cop (LAPD) drives by slowly and just nods at me, I nod back, and that was it (2 lights).
- Malibu ranger asks what I'm taking pictures for, give him the correct answer, "taking pictures for personal practice, I'm in a workshop class", he takes a long look at the model in her bikini, looks around at our minimal set, and asked, "she in the class to?" I laughed and told him she was a friend helping out, he tells me I'm lucky and suggested to get a permit and to have a nice day, then walked down to the next shoot taking place (which was a bigger set than our little 3 banger of a person thing going on) (2 lights).
- Downtown (LAPD) cop drives up and approaches us, asks me what I'm doing, so I tell him "taking pictures for a workshop class I'm taking". Tells me, "you can't have this thing (what is it a light?) set up like this in public." So I promptly started tearing it down and I asked if the girl could still hold that reflector, and he said "yeah, nobody's gonna fall and injure themselves over that." "What are you taking pictures of?" I pointed and said, "just her." I guess he meant if we were doing any nude shots cos he asked specifically if any nudity was going on. Cop left and I set the light back up. (single light)
- San Diego (SDPD) approached, asked if we were shooting nudity or anything for a payment, answered no, he asked if he could get a selfie with the model, and that was it. (single light)
The biggest bummer of permits is that many of them (like in Venice) you need insurance also, not to mention the inflated bureaucracy. They're not that expensive, nor is the insurance, but definitely a buzz kill to get. Permits handled at the local level are way easier to get and if you know someone you can get them at the local level with just an email and no insurance (like in Malibu). But if you don't know someone, then you're just taking the long way home, period. Most LA areas have their permits handled by a vendor (again, unless they can do them locally).
It's definitely a thing in the greater LA area, so maybe the gear can help someone out there. If it's cost prohibitive, then just use your best judgement about shooting in LA City or LA County areas, or just get the permit(s). Also, be aware that Orange County has their own rules, as does San Diego City and County. Again, just use your best judgement, be cool, and you should be alright. I've shot all over Venice without too much hassle from the cops.
Just remember, there's "letter of the law" and "spirit of the law".
I need one of those! I love shooting guerrilla style!
Hey Martin: I think you mean guerrilla, right?
I think he is really into shooting fashion photos for gorillas
Isn't that the new Profoto OCF Beauty Dish in the 2nd pic, not the octa? I could be wrong...
Shouldn't you give a nod to Jason Joseph who popularized this last year with his even more outrageous Double Jay Six Beats bracket? Promedia even features it on their site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFxz8hoYT-M
Spot the huge grammatical error in the first few seconds of the end credits of the double j video. (And it doesn't show any samples except for one quickly displayed photo :/ )
epic set up!
Nice idea, but one good gust of wind and that camera is going parasailing.
Permits in LA are $60 for those that are curious. As long as you are not impeding traffic, you should never have a problem. I would buy a permit for commercial shoots of course, but never had the police ask to see one while on location.
This isn't even my final form.
So all his shots use the same lighting? If this is his job he should really be looking into getting permits.
Are monopods/tripods allowed in LA?
Letter of the law is no in LA City and County. Spirit of the law is usually yes. There's plenty of wiggle room and interpretation that goes on... For example, every cop has their own interpretation of the the law and every cop enforces it somewhat differently. If a cop interprets what you're doing as "permit required" and wants to cite you, he will and can, and from there, it's up to a court to decide- his job is done. Even courts will have varying interpretations of your actions... But, since cops are people, you might catch them on a bad day, or they might simply like you, or you might rub them the wrong way (maybe they don't like your face or your attitude or something I dunno), but although they most certainly can (and sometimes do), in most instances you really should use your best judgement. If it looks like you're getting in the way and/or someone might trip or get hit in the face with a surfboard and you get into a pissing contest with a cop, you will get cited without a proper permit. If you get caught shooting nudity in a location where Mr. Sutton is shooting (for example), you'll get cited even with a permit since permits don't allow nudity. If you're on a public beach with your camera pointed at the ocean, and it's not a particularly busy or crowded day, you're going to be just fine. Same thing, if it's not crowded and you're set-up on a public side walk somewhere, you're probably going to be okay. BUT, if you're on a street somewhere and your camera is pointed at something like Staples Center or you're taking pictures of people that can be easily identifiable, you might get cited, but almost always they just tell you to go away. Just be cool, don't be a dick, and use good judgement.