LATEST ADDITIONS

While in Kenya on business I visited the Nairobi Railway Museum, home to a variety of fantastic and rare trains from the Colonial Era, including the famed Lunatic Express. Yet little effort, if any, was made to preserve these historic treasures as they silently deteriorated in the equatorial heat and humidity. I spotted this one rusting train engine bearing the fallen Masai of Kenya nameplate (painted in Masai red) and thought it summed up the state of the museum quite well.

It has been 20 years since Parkside Optical introduced the original LensPen, and a generation of photographers and outdoor enthusiasts have counted on it to keep their cameras, binoculars and other fine optics clean and images sharp.

Profoto is proud to introduce the new Umbrella XL product line.

Available in three versions – white, silver and translucent – the new Profoto Umbrella XL features a diameter of 65” with a slightly parabolic shape that allows photographers to change the light distribution by simply sliding the umbrella shaft inside the flash head. In addition, the light spread can also be adjusted by moving the Zoom Reflector back or forth, creating an even more versatile look.

The Profoto Umbrella XL fits on all Profoto flash heads and monolights. It can also be mounted on Profoto’s Cine Reflector, and thereby can be used with the new line of continuous light sources – ProDaylight 800 Air and ProTungsten 1000 Air.

There is also an optional front diffuser available to soften the light and reduce the intensity by 1.5 f/stops, practically converting the white and silver models into a fully functioning Octabox. An optional stand adapter allows photographers to mount the umbrella on a light stand, or for use with other flash brands.

Richard Avedon once said, “I think all art is about control—the encounter between control and the uncontrollable.” That’s what a dedicated studio, no matter what size it may be or where it may be located, provides a photographer. It is a safe haven from the real world where, like the Outer Limits voice says, you can control the lighting, the background, and the subject. When working in this kind of environment, I control everything from the subject’s pose to their clothing and makeup and the resulting photographs tend to be as much a portrait of me as they are of my subjects. What often emerges from all that control is a style. Photographic style is not something I’m conscious about when shooting but the truth is that over time we all develop a signature way of shooting. The danger is, of course, that we keep shooting that same way or different versions of the same shot for the rest of our lives, so any style you develop must grow and change as you learn. To get you started, here are a few tools that will help enhance or define your style.