I did an amazing photoshoot the last weekend. Had two full packed days with 12 hours of photoshooting each for the Volunteer Fire Department in Grossgoltern near Hanover. I first used my brand new Elinchrom Ranger Quadra with Action-Heads, which let me get pictures like that below…
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 14-24, one Elinchrom Quadra A-head from the right, one SB-900 from the left (for the water drops)
Huuuuh, it’s been a long time since my last post… There have been a lot of things to do. Some shootings & assignments, and I’m still working on my new portfolio for simonsenphoto.com for which I had to look through 17.000 images I had sent to newspapers within the last five years…
A word about it: This can disapoint you very fast. The older the pictures, the more i doubt of my skills. Holy shit, the first I recognized was:
YOU FOOL SHOULD’VE USED A CALIBRATION TOOL FROM DAY 1.
Man, I sent some really crap with shitty colours to newspapers & agencys in my first years. My suggestion: Start from your first day with an investion for a calibration tool like Spider Pro III or something else for your monitor if you plan to do it professional! Now sitting in front of a 24” calibrated HP-Screen and viewing my work I wonder why non of the editors had sent me a dead horse’s head by mail at that time…
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 24-70. two SB-800 gelled with full CTO and Full CTR behind the guys on the floor
Suggestion 2: To avoid depressions and suicid-thoughts when you go through your archive five years later, start at your first pictures and edge your way to your recent ones. I have had no experience and skills in my first months, but one can see that I at least did know how I wanted the picture but didn’t understand how to get it. Trust me, it will make you happier to see that you enhanced your skills over the years instead vice-versa like I did (gosh!)…
Okay, back to the present. The last weekend was very special and no less exhausting: I had a photoshoot for a calendar at the Volunteer Fire Department in Grossgoltern near Hanover, where the last two pictures were made. I knew this guys now for about four or five years of on-scene photography in a friendly way. So I suggested them to make a photoshoot for a calendar for free some weeks ago to support their work. They were very happy and then we started it the last weekend early in the morning.
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 70-200 with Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A-Heads from the back and the front of the guys
We did 12 hours of photography each day ’till sunset, but it was worth while it. Got more than 12 nice pictures, some of them are outstanding. I didn’t want models for this shoot, and after the weekend I’m sure that it was the right decision. They are all so natural and beautiful, everyone in it’s own way. They know how to work with the hoses, axes, compressed air breathing apparatuses’ and when you’re looking at them at the pictures you’re sure: They can save your life and love it to help people!
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 85 1.8 with Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A-Heads from above and 4 SB-800 as Rimlight and to light the people in the back
I used a new toy for the shootings: My brand new Elinchrom Ranger Quadra AS with Action-Heads (A-Heads), a battery accu pack with 400 watt-seconds triggered by a build-in wireless transmitter (Elinchrom Skyport). I got it on the friday before so I didn’t have had time to test it. But man, this thing blasted me away!!!! The flash-duration is only about 1/3600th of a second, so I was able to catch waterdrops at only a 1/250th at f14 and ISO 100 against the blue sky. The Set came with two heads and two accus. Believe it or not, after five sets the first one was still on power and did not need a recharge. More about it in a few days, maybe.
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 14-24 with Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A-Heads from above and 2 SB-900 left and right to light the waterdrops
I did a mix of the Elinchroms (with a beauty dish or the delivered reflectors) and Nikons good old SB-800 and SB-900′s. Some friends and my assistant Steffi did about six hours of Video, I hope to be able to cut it in the next week and show you a long behind-the-scenes-video. Here are some first Behind-the-scene-Photos for you, enjoy them!
At least, here are some more of the raw and unedited pictures right out of my cam…
Calendar-Shooting
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 24-70 with Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A-Head from the back and one SB-900 in front to light the faces
Photographed from the platform of a van, I installed two Full CTO'ed and two green gelled Flashes in the cabin, triggered with the cls. On-cam-Flash to light the engine and give it a shape
One Quadra A-Head from above the camera
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 14-24 with Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A-Heads from above and 2 SB-900 left and right to light the water
Studio Setup: Quadra 2 Heads, 4 x SB-800/900
One Quadra A-head in front, two SB-800 from the back
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 70-200 with Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A-Heads from the back and the front of the guys
Calendar-Photo, shot with Nikon D3 and 70-200 with Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A-Heads from the right of the camera
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