Trevor Sherwin recently traveled to Kenya, and decided to use this opportunity to create some amazing images for his portfolio. Most people who travel to the area tend to focus on the wildlife, but Trevor wanted to focus on something else - people. He wanted to create dramatic portraits of the local tribes in a way that shows both the people and the location. Check out his great video explaining his method of shooting.
Before traveling, Trevor searched online to see what was done before: how other people photographed the tribes. He noticed that in most cases, people shot with just available light or low-powered flash. The results were OK, but not powerful, dramatic or interesting as the images he wanted to create. He knew he will have to bring a powerful flash or a strobe to overpower the bright sunlight.
Example for a portrait taken with just available light. Face is exposed correctly, but the sky is blown out.
Trevor traveled with one battery-powered Photoflex TritonFlash, Large OctoDome Softbox, ND8 3 Stop Neutral Density Filter and Phottix Odin radio Trigger. This is a very light way to travel. Everything can fit in one backpack, and easy to travel with.
The TritonFlash is a very powerful flash that works with a battery pack, which makes it great for location photo shoots. On top of it, it is very powerful and can help you overpower the bright sun light, and create a very even, detailed and dramatic shot. In the video above Trevor Sherwin explains everything about the technical aspects, how he shot it, why he chose the equipment he took with him, and also everything about his retouching and post processing.
To learn more, head to Trevor's blog where he gives a lot of additional information about his technique and equipment. In addition - to join one of Trevor's future workshops, sign up here.
[via ISO1200 and photoflex.ca]
Personally I think this look is tired and unnatural. While there are many natural light photographers who are too afraid to get into flash, I think equally many photographers never really master natural light photography before getting into flash, or worse, go to strobist groups and think the only way to take a good photo is to blast it with 1200 WS of light and laughing at those who take "normal" looking pictures that may have shadows and highlights and still look human.
I love the look. And so do my clients. As long as they're happy, I'm sticking with it.
Lighting is the paint which allows us to make what we make. You decide to use dark paint and get those moody shadows in and I decide to use colorful paint to get a more poppy image.
It has its place if you're trying to be overly dramatic, but for me at least, it doesn't look real. With older cameras sometimes there was no other choice because with the lack of dynamic range, you had to find a way to balance the foreground and background, but now days I prefer to just keep it simple with an 85mm 1.8 lens and maybe a reflector in the shade or a diffuser in the sun.
How do you even come to a title like "All you need to know ..."? Expose for the background as you like it, setup your flash to expose your subject correctly. Anything else? Oh yea I forgot. $3000 of equipment for something as simple as this. I also like to go grocery shopping with my McLaren F1. Otherwise the food won't be any good.
Seems like you didnt really watch the video... it's a little more than just exposing correctly.
Anyway, glad to see other people like shopping with their McLaren F1 as well.
I don't understand the big issue with how he shot these images. Everyone seems to think he should have used other equipment, techniques, natural light etc. For the overwhelming response that everyone thinks he should have used natural light, maybe that is why he chose this route so his images wouldn't look exactly like the majority of peoples images if given the same situation. Portraits of indigenous people have been done outside of the natural/ documentary setting for more than 100 years. This is nothing new just look at Edward S. Curtis's portraits of the Indigenous North Americans in the early 1900's. Everyone needs to get over themselves and just go shoot how they want to shoot. Why does everything have to be a constant critique, eventually it becomes so tired and repetitive. He chose a style and technique, he shot it, and this is how he did it. Who cares what you think he should have done, I surely don't.
Very good and very informative tutorial. I would however encourage people looking to do this for a few thousand less dollars to explore some speedlite options. I make portraits with high speed sync all the time using my Yongnuo YN622 triggers ($80 ebay) and a couple 430exii's i picked up on craigslist. The yongnuo have full e-ttl capabilities, allowing me to control everything manually from the screen on my 5d. The equipment used in this video will of course give better quality of light and I'm sure is far more durable.
so people against artificial light prefer the 1st shot? if you don't approve of AF light stop watching cinema because even daytime scenes have additional lighting
For situations like this, about 80% of the time I like to overexpose the scene one-stop and then use the flash, I would probably use the technique mentioned here about 10% of the time, 5% I would use a reflector or diffuser, and the remainder who knows, I'll try different things.
We should not limit ourselves to one technique for every situation. We need some variety or else it gets tired and boring. The reason I like to overexpose the background by one stop, it adds a bit of realism but the same time looks better than real life, but they are situations where the subject or scenery require a different look for impact. There is no right or wrong way, do what you or your client likes, just avoid becoming monotonous.
tldw
One thing he didn't mention about the Masai is that they traditionally never liked being photographed. Has that changed, or is it subject to payment?
I found the insights useful and I appreciate him sharing the details but unfortunately I can't afford the lighting equipment he used at this stage. The reminder on the "Click to edit point curve" in LR was useful but the processing went a bit too far in terms of lowering contrast for my taste (I'd have at least lowered the blacks). And despite his vimeo "explanation" I still don't see the downside of shooting at ISO100.
Commando mode, high speed sync? Would that have worked as well?
Great images regardless.
Great portraits... very similar to the Joey L. series.
Very intersting setup this Triton thing. I like the result - thanks for this post !
My question is : what about the Phottix Reveiver on the Triton ? If I understand correctly, the trigger signal comes from the Odin on the camera, but I can't find accurate data about any specific receiver designed for the Triton, on the Phottix website.
I was considering the Elinchrom Quadra Ranger system, but the ability to get very high speed sync with the Triton is definitely what I'm after...
Thaks for your answer !
I used to work there, and was there during the "Development" of this flash (aka the decision to buy it from Cononmark). There is no specific transceiver system that was built for this thing on this particular model. it just accepts anything via a plug.
Cononmark did develop the next model a year later that integrated TTL and wireless control using a proprietary transceiver unit, however Photoflex could not rationalize the purchase of an upgraded unit when they had not sold their supply of the older units. So to my knowledge, that was never purchased.
This is the exact same thing (though a little more powerful) that B&H purchased for their Impact line: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/695135-REG/Impact_10052520_LiteTre...
I found the design of the flash bulb in this one to be a bit odd, which is my main complaint. Also, the swivel is cheap plastic. But from a raw power and control interface perspective, it is pretty much the same.
HSS is not part of what the Tritonflash can do. Since it has no digital communication with the camera, it can't know when to fire multiple times as a shutter moves. It just has a great recycle rate and weighs almost nothing.
This is the one with the built in transciver: http://www.cononmk.com/en/cp1.asp?sendid=112
Looks like my memory isn't serving me properly, and it did not have TTL. At any rate, there you have it.
Thank you very much Jaron for your answer, it's very interesting. I didn't know the Triton was born at Cononmark ;-)
I do understand there is no TTL or HSS TTL - is there a particular way to set my (future) Nikon Odin Commander / receivers to get the proper "part" of the T.1 duration on the Triton ? My goal is to get the highest sync speed / widest aperture as possible when shooting portraits outside.
And second question in line of what you said above : Why get a Triton if Cononmark builds it or get a B&H Impact instead ? - if they are the same and behave the same... What's the difference ? (except the higher output of the Impact and the plastic swivel...) - I mean : do they all behave the same in terms of flash T.1 duration ?
Again : thanks for you answer !
coppy of Joey L's stuff
10 minutes before he really started explaining anything at all, which just ended as an add for Photoflex.
What am I missing. Why did you use a ND filter on the first image?? ISO 400, F2.8 : Too bright. Toward the end you comment that the sky is a little grainy. Why could you not have shot at ISO 100 (Which would have lowered exposure by 2 stops) then raised your F-stop by 1. In the first example you were showing, the background scenery was so far away, I don't think a one F-stop change would have made any noticeable difference. Plus, the sky would be smoother.
Now...it would have made a noticeable change to the photo in front of the wall.
I think he meant 1/8 hundredths of a second, not 1/8 thousandth.
He keeps multiplying his shutter speed numbers by a factor of 10 off from the real speed. I highly doubt he has a shutter that goes to 1 / 6400 and certainly not syncing at that speed.
These are very weak portraits. Technically superb but that's about it. There is nothing about the subjects' expressions or posing that inspires anything in me; they look rather uncomfortable.