Litebook 2014 issue 2 by Darian s.r.o.

litebook 2014 Issue 2

the creative lighting magazine

Steve Brown SB scores a field goal with the London Blitz American Football team

Kevin Abosch

Jake Hicks Quick Tips: instantly improve your photography

Victoria Grech Time for a change: time for convergence

‘I didn’t want a portrait of an inflated ego. I didn’t want Malala cloaked in all that hoopla.’ Plus...Kevin Focht goes down to the woods and takes some strobe lights with him. See the results inside... MODEL // malala yousafzai

02 9 772041 067144

C O N T E N T S

olly good show eh? The new kid on the block (Future Publishing’s The Photography Show at the NEC) proved to be a very cool event for us – over 30,000 photovisitors at its debut can’t be bad. I must confess it seemed at one point they were ALL in our Pro Lounge! That’s all consigned to history now though as we move on to the next jolly good show – photokina in September (16th -21st) The Cologne-based fair of course is anything but a new kid on the block. What is these days the world’s leading imaging event, first opened its doors back in 1950. The show spiel describes the biennial occasion as ‘the world’s most important platform for placing orders, gathering information and enjoying exciting experiences.’ Well, we intend to be doing all those things on our new photokina Bowens Stand. We’ll be showcasing some very engaging new products – including the recently launched and exceptionally well-received ‘Single Shot Cinema’ Comodo Orbit camera rig plus latest versions of our monolight ranges. But that is then. And this is now, so let’s focus for a moment on our ongoing commitment to develop and enhance our photographer tutorials programme. We’re delighted to have top shooter and lighting wizard Jake Hicks on board #TeamBOWENS. Jake – a well-established freelance photographer with a blossoming client list - is tightly focused on creating work ‘that stands out for all the right reasons.’ Jake is going to be feeding us with ongoing ‘quick tips’ for our Litebook readers. (Take a look inside this edition to soak up his musings on soft filters.) Also inside this time we’ve got Steve Brown’s very high speed shoot with the London Blitz American Football team, embracing Creo Packs and heads. Additionally, don’t miss the ever restless photographer/film-maker Victoria Grech who confesses to be always on a journey and never reaching her goal – simply because she keeps moving her own goalposts. And you can’t stop reading until you’ve been illuminated by world-acclaimed Irish portrait photographer Kevin Abosch – who tells us in a Litebook exclusive feature how he just wants to ‘ get under that mask and discover the vulnerability behind it’. Plus more, more, more. Inside. David Hollingsworth. Editor.

04. BEHIND-THE-PICTURE Litebook gets exclusive access to go behind-the-picture when Steve Brown took to the field for an action packed shoot with the London Blitz American football team. 10. PRO:FILE - VICTORIA GRECH From photography to video, from flash to continuous lighting. VG is a leader in convergence. Lately she's had queues of people lining up outside seminars halls to hear her talk about fusion. 18. QUICK TIPS WITH JAKE HICKS Litebook newbie JH provides some amazing tips to instantly improve your shots. In this issue Jake looks at ‘diffusion filters’. 20. PRO:FILE - KEVIN ABOSCH A true master of simplicity. KA talks exclusively to Litebook about ‘pealing off that layer of public persona’ when photographing some of the most recognised and famous faces in the world. 28. litebites - Kevin focht Another fantastic tutorial from US sharp shooter Kevin Focht. In this issue KF goes down to the woods (with some Gemini’s and Travelpaks) for a commission from fashion designer and Project Runway winner, Michelle Lesniak Franklin.

litebook: Published by Bowens International Ltd. 355-361 Old Road, Clacton-On-Sea, Essex, CO15 3RH. Tel: +44(0)1255 422807. Email: litebook@bowens.co.uk - Any prices quoted are correct at time of press but may vary by retailer and are subject to change at any time. All models and technical specifications featured are subject to change and without notice. ‘Bowens’® and ‘the power behind the picture’® are registered trademarks of Bowens International Ltd. © 2014 Bowens International Ltd. E&OE. // Cover image: ©Kevin Abosch - KevinAbosch.com

IT’S TRUE: small is beautiful ‘The Bowens Octo90 is simple, tough and provides beautiful light’: Wayne Johns Compelling creativity from the getgo and within tough timeframes is a given for UK and international fashion and advertising photographer Wayne Johns. Clients like Vogue and Marie Claire want it done right and invariably they want it done within brutal deadlines. When Wayne first heard about the new Bowens Octo90 (the highly portable sibling to the Octo150 softbox) he knew he had to try it – but he had reservations. “When this piece of kit first arrived I thought its smaller dimensions would mean challenges getting the rods into the support ring – and even more of a mission getting them out again at the end of a shoot.” He adds: “But the truth is, I could not have been more wrong. The Octo90 build quality is outstanding. It’s tough.And it’s built to last.” But the most important Octo90 asset, according to Wayne, is its simplicity. Adds Wayne: “This is a terrific piece of kit. The rear facing flash mount means light is bounced from the back of the Octobox – and the light given off is beautifully soft and even – and enables pleasing round catchlights in the eyes. The gentle and smooth fall off of light gives great tonality too.” He concludes: “My initial worries when it first arrived were all erased after my first shoot. It’s simple. It’s tough and it provides beautiful light. I congratulate Bowens on this revamp. The Octo90 ticks all my boxes. I just love it.” www.waynejohns.com www.bowens.co.uk

Behind The Picture

Lights out for the London Blitz Continuing his coverage of American sports, photographer Steve Brown set up a shoot with the London Blitz American Football team, freezing the action with super high-speed Bowens Creo Packs and heads.

with steve brown

Behind The Picture when football players are running towards the camera at full speed...

...you need the power and short flash duration that the CREO lights can provide to freeze the action

with LONDON BLITZ

‘I’ve always been attracted to underground or fringe sports and activities - and I like the idea of sports that are hugely popular in America, and which are massively financed and followed by millions in that country - being played here in the UK by tiny groups of dedicated people who are involved purely for the love of the game. These people receive very little in the way of outside investment or coverage, and I think it’s time that they got a little recognition. The aesthetics of many American sports are also very photogenic, with great looking body armour, helmets and uniforms and, in the case of American Football, bone crunching action! Not so long ago (as you saw

litebook

in Litebook) I shot a series of pictures featuring some of the top players of the roller derby league; The London Rollergirls. Building on that I decided to move on and focus on American Football, which I knew was also played in the capital. Consequently I approached the London Blitz team and shot some portraits of a few of their players, which led to their coach asking me if I could produce some images for them that could be used as promotional images for the team. I immediately agreed – and I already had in mind pictures that captured the speed and power of the sport. My idea was to freeze the action with super high-speed flash, and so the Bowens Creo system, which I had previously

employed to great effect in my Roller Derby shoot, was my obvious choice of kit. Everything was scheduled to take place at the Blitz training ground in Finsbury Park, north London. We ran power from the changing rooms and set the Creo lights up on their field. I wanted a dramatic ‘lit’ look rather than one that was more naturalistic, so my idea was to set up my main light slightly from one side on the front and then put in a strong keylight from the back. I changed the lights around a little during the shoot, but my main setup was a large softbox at the front and two strip softboxes at the back, which were used as keylights.

Behind The Picture

with steve brown

i wanted a dramatic ‘lit’ look rather than one that was more naturalistic Creo

Lumiair 100x40

These heads are a great compliment to a great pack. They're small, they're compact and they just work seemlessly.

The Lumiair softboxes are great. They were a delight to use; easy to put up with a beautiful light output. And they look pretty cool to.

Bowens.co.uk

To get the angle I wanted I set the camera up on a tripod low to the ground and then asked the players to perform various actions, such as running directly towards the camera, tackling each other, jumping for a thrown ball or setting up in formation. I set a focus point up in advance and triggered the shutter using a remote shutter release, which enabled me to stand to the side so that I could see exactly when they ran across the optimum focused spot. When football players are running towards the camera at full speed you need the power and short flash duration that the Creo lights can provide to freeze the action and eliminate motion blur. They proved to be perfect for the shoot, because the 1200Ws

litebook

Creo Flash Head

I love using these packs. They're really easy to control, they've got a great spec and I know they won't let me down.

and 2400Ws models come with specifications that include ultra -fast recycling, flash durations as fast as 1/7700sec, up to eight flashes a second and a ten-stop power range. I worked with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II set to ISO100 and fitted with a 24-70mm lens throughout, and had a couple of hours of pretty solid shooting until I felt I had achieved the results we needed. Everything went really well, and I was impressed by how well the lights performed - no mean feat considering the fact that they were being used outside in a muddy field! I was really pleased that the team wanted some dynamic action shots for their own use since this suited the ideas I had in mind, and

it meant that we all came away with images we were happy with. The Blitz guys loved the images I gave them; the players were clamouring for images to use as their Facebook profile pics, while the coaches were really pleased to have some high quality shots they could use to promote the team and to publicise their activities in the community. It was my latest shoot featuring American sports that take place in the UK, and the plan is to continue from here and to track down some more to cover. I’m hoping to continue the series this year with shoots of basketball, baseball and ice hockey teams – so watch this space. SteveBrownPhoto.co.uk

Profile

VictoriaGrech

Victoria's Secret In another life she was a Tom Wolfe-style â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Master of the Universeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; investment banker dealing with global payments and trades worth billions - and unsurprisingly, things were always likely to get a bit tetchy now and then in the fiscal firmament. But when London-based Victoria Grech made a sea change move to professional photography and found herself shooting fifty weddings in her first year, she might well have suffered less angst had she opted to French kiss a skunk or stick pins in her eyes.

VictoriaGrech "I am always on the journey and I never reach my goal – and I know it’s because I keep on moving my own goalposts."

She had fallen victim to an alltoo-common challenge for professional photographers (especially those on the way up) of overworking and undercharging. In an exclusive interview she tells Litebook: “I was charging clients a miserly few hundred pounds to work extremely long days alongside all the emotion that goes with shooting a wedding. Then I realised I couldn’t retouch quickly enough so I had to hire professional help – which, of course, I hadn’t costed in. So then my knee-jerk reaction was to go and shoot even more weddings to try and make more money to cover those costs! I admit I love the adrenalin rush that comes when you don’t have it all easy - and I’m particularly good at getting the best out of people – but I just hadn’t sorted out my business proposition properly at that point. Women were entrusting me with their biggest day but it was still vital to me to make sure the groom didn’t just feel like an addon – and that all combined to ensure I was mentally drained and physically exhausted at the end of each wedding.”

Victoria knew things had to change. She says: “I wasn’t charging enough; I didn’t like my branding and I hated my website. I needed to be more much more ‘out there and edgy’ so I invested £10,000 to work with a graphic designer and completely rebrand my setup. Then at my wedding fayre show the next year the people who couldn’t afford my solution just walked by – which was great. My aim was to connect with people who understood what luxury really is – and what it really needs to cost.” “So then there were no more one-per-week wedding shoots and certainly no more ‘three or four weddings in a row.” She recalls: “I had a client that wanted me to photograph a wedding in Italy but I knew the wedding I was committed to shooting the day before wouldn’t finish until the early hours, and then I would have to fly straight out to Italy. But I still agreed to do it. Then I went down with food poisoning before I even got to the airport. I scrambled onto

the plane but I spent the entire journey in the toilet – before a two hour car journey to Lake Como where the wedding was due to take place. I managed it but it proved to be a turning point. Now I shoot perhaps FIVE weddings a year… but the venues can often be quite exotic - perhaps Venice or Saudi Arabia.” Time for a change: time for convergence. When Victoria left the banking business she knew her income would plummet. “I made the change for love, not money. But the truth is now I have no social life and more stress than ever. I am always on the journey and I never reach my goal – and I know it’s because I keep on moving my own goalposts. The truth is I want to evolve into an entrepreneur and not just rest on my laurels as a photographer/film-maker.” A few months ago, in a dramatic swerve away from the ‘wedding box’, Victoria – with her documentary film-maker hat on - had what she describes as ‘the biggest ever opportunity to film human rights issues undercover in Nepal’

Bowens

VictoriaGrech "I don’t fit the ‘house; two kids, a car and one holiday a year’ paradigm – I just need to rule the world"

She says: “My friends and family didn’t want me to do this but I was really up for it – and I knew I couldn’t do it shooting stills. I needed to make a film.” But three days before she was due to leave she was rushed into A&E with a hernia. “I was only 35” she said; “But I guess lugging heavy camera gear around didn’t help.” Nepal was out of the question, so instead she went on holiday to Antigua – and came home full of sunshine and armed with a whole new business plan. “I don’t fit the ‘house; two kids, a car and one holiday a year’ paradigm – I just need to rule the world", she smiles. Fusion (convergence) was coming and Victoria sensed a change in the imaging air. “We’ve had video options in cameras for some time now of course” she acknowledges. “But like most photographers, I initially wondered why I needed it. The word ‘video’ was the devil – I didn’t want anything to do with it. But then I saw video shot on a Canon 5D and it blew me away. I then just saw a niche in the market and lots of dollar signs flashing before my eyes.”

So Victoria went for it. “I needed some video training – but no one was doing it in the photo-world. I learnt from professionals working full-time in video but also from blog posts and websites. Then I just went out shooting – and of course, made a complete mess of it to start with. I was having mini mental breakdowns for weeks but it was worth it to learn this vital new skill.” Now people queue up outside seminar halls to hear Victoria speak about fusion. She was approached by Creative Live – the free online workshops run by experts. “She says: “I’m no rock star photographer but for CL to ask me to fly out to places like Vancouver, Cuba and Dubai to speak…was just mind-blowing. Now people listen to me and I feel they are wondering what I am about to do next.” Victoria has no doubts at all about the imminent impact of fusion. “I really believe photography is eventually going to take a back seat” she predicts. “There will soon be a day when I can pull extremely high quality stills from video footage and make an album…it is happening. I just feel more in charge with

video. Plus, why do we need all these megapixels if we are not bill boarding? Now it’s all 72dpi on screens everywhere.” “As photographers we have to try and guess the moment and we have a split-second to do it. But I have 25 fps with video so, for example, at weddings I’ve got all the ‘before the kiss or just after’ sequence…and quality is no longer an issue." She adds: “We worked with another client recently – a London florist – who had an idea for a PR stunt. She organised a lingerie company to get involved and together they commissioned a burlesque dancer to pretty much strip off in her Clerkenwell shop window at lunchtime. They wanted me to shoot stills but I suggested we film it too. We put it on YouTube and Facebook and it got many thousands of hits. The stills were great for print but the three minute video gained them so much more exposure. We live in a viral world now.” Victoria is a Bowens disciple: “I use Geminis and their small LEDS extensively. Sometimes I still need that ‘whopping flash’ to get the 'wow' camera flash image that I still can't get with video.

Bowens

Victoria’s Key Equipment Fresnel 200 Spot The Fresnel is a truly wonderful modifier to use. It has an amazing light output that's so hard to replicate with other attachments.

The Mosaic units are simple to control and have a huge output. I love the BiColour units; having control over the colour temp is amazing.

Bowens.co.uk

Limelite.uk.com

A few months ago I did some work with a PR agency. I was teaching top wedding bloggers how to shoot. We engaged a model and put her in a £30,000 wedding dress. But the problem was she wasn’t well and started throwing up. She was a pro though and still wanted to get the shoot done. I was using the Bowens Fresnel 200 to get that classic soft focus Hollywood-style of lighting- that’s similar to sunlight - and you can only get it with quality Fresnel spots. We kept the Fresnel on and we repeatedly handed the model a bucket on the side so she could throw up when she had to. All a bit bizarre and extreme I guess, but it ended up just fine.” Victoria, who now runs her own training academy for wannabe film-makers, believes a key part of video is audio. She says: “I used to say it was about 50% but now it’s more like 80%. Even without an image I can play a noise and someone can feel something – and then if I add storytelling to that I can easily make someone look superior or perhaps inferior.

Limelite Mosaic

If I create, for example, the sound of waves and swaying palm trees, you already have that image in your head. And the great thing about film or video is that I don’t have to give you the whole story. I can pin bits and you can start to create in your head. Then I can take you on a journey and as a director that is what I get a real kick from.” Victoria, a committed Canon user, is now also the owner of a £12K C300 cinema camera and admits she almost quit stills photography altogether at one point: “I was just so in love with film”. She adds: “I believe there is honesty in the video world that isn’t always there in photography. In the video world everyone is freelance, so if there is a really big job we all club together.” In past weeks Victoria has been shooting video with some top name chefs too: Gordon Ramsay and Gary Rhodes. “My team and I did three restaurant shoots in two days and that was just insane – far more stress than a wedding. And at The Savoy kitchens it was so hot I thought my lenses were going to melt. I was trying to focus-pull manually the whole time, or I was on a Steadicam

Gemini 400Rx My go-to monobloc unit. Loads of power, truly portable & easy to use...another really great piece of kit from my favourite lighting manufacturer. Bowens.co.uk

trying to move around. It was manic and I ended up burning my arm quite badly.” What next? She reveals: “I want to spend time doing film and documentaries. I’ve spent time on charity work in Africa in the past and I want to do more work in that line – ideally with Bill Gates’ Foundation. At the end of the day I want my life to stand for something.” She admits: “Trouble is people say I will burn out if I keep going like this but I seem to have substantial reserves of drive and energy. And without drugs or alcohol too! But this addiction to my business affects my social life quite dramatically. Recently I went on a date with a Greek guy who flew in from Athens just to take me out. But my workaholic challenges mean I find it hard to date – and especially those men with 9-5 jobs because they don’t have the same ambition. Mind you, I confess I don’t actually know anyone who has a perfect work/life balance – perhaps it’s a dream too far? All I know is I am dipping my toe in a whole new ocean now.” VictoriaGrech.com

Bowens

VictoriaGrech

s with Jake Hick JakeHicksPhotography.com iffusion filters, or soft filters as they are sometimes called, have a turbulent history. The effect that they give is a hazy, dreamy quality to an image and it can be seen clearly in the main image. Lens manufacturers spent hundreds of thousands of pounds at the dawn of cinema trying to get the sharpest and clearest lenses; but as soon as that was achieved it quickly became

lightingsetup

C B

passe to have crystal clear images and the introduction of atmospheric imagery became popular. Roll out the stockings and petroleum jelly on the lens, shortly followed by the more professional solution...the diffusion filter. As soon as the effect became mainstream in the glamour and portrait market it was deemed uncool once again. But never fear, the 'hipsta'

revolution is bringing back the flare and cheap lens look of the humble diffusion filter with a vengence. Nothing makes me smile like seeing one of these little beauties strapped to the front of a Hasselblad... now that's cool! Seriously though, call me a hipsta if you must but I like the effect, anything that adds a little depth and interest to a shot is 'cool' in my book. Just make sure you use it before it becomes trendy.

equipmentused

camerasettings

4 x Gemini 500R

Film Speed: ISO 100

A • Lumiair 100 x 100 softbox with blue gel

Shutter Speed: 1/250sec

B • Lumiair 40 x 100 softbox with grids C • Grid Reflector

Let's talk...

Additional Kit: 1 x Lens Diffuser Filter

Aperture: f5.6

E BEFOR

Just Add Filter...

AFTER

Profile

KevinAbosch

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT

KEVIN

Ah, the much vaunted KISS principle: keep it simple, stupid. Kevin Abosch is a master of this code. Give him a camera, a couple of Bowens Gemini heads (at most), an umbrella; a black background; a stripped down hint of a smile (and often not even that) from the subject – and he’s pretty much done and dusted.

‘I don’t compare myself with other photographers, which probably contributes to my overall happiness’

MODEL // Kevin Abosch 20

KevinAbosch

‘It doesn’t matter to me if you are a celebrity superstar

or you work flipping burgers at McDonalds.

I am after your face.’ Kevin (44) is an Irish visual artist and a world-acclaimed portrait photographer of the great, the good - and equally importantlythe ordinary. He’s done very well thank you very much – by never really changing his portrait-shooting modus operandi. Over many years a prodigious A-List cast of Hollywood glitterati, have sat (or stood) facing the Abosch lens as he set about doing what he’s been doing with a camera since he was in short trousers with plasters on his knees – capturing faces compellingly denuded of ego and posturing. On his ‘done that in tinseltown’ big name list you’ll find celebrities like Stanley Kramer (visionary director of classic films like High Noon and Guess who’s coming to dinner) Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johannson and Yoko Ono. But browse the Abosch catalogue

a little more deeply and you see an alternative theatre of portrait endeavour. Take, for example, his two year tour de force (totally self-funded) Faces of Ireland project – which on completion in 2011was showcased at Terminal 2 at Dublin airport and seen by hundreds of thousands of travellers from across the globe. Kevin, armed with a camera and his Bowens lighting accoutrements, trekked the length and breadth of Ireland taking pictures of people in pubs, hotels, offices and homes. Yes, the 250-strong image gallery included well-known, and in some cases, world-famous faces like rugby star Brian O’Driscoll, singer Sinead O’Connor and poet Seamus Heaney – but many of his targets were simply ordinary local people. A few years ago Vogue Italia pronounced: “Abosch knows the true face of a star.” “I don’t care what you may

have accomplished”, Kevin tells Litebook. “It doesn’t matter to me if you are a celebrity superstar or you work flipping burgers at McDonalds. I am after your face.” He adds: “I like to strike quickly before the subject of my portrait can retreat inside their head and manipulate that moment. Often, celebrities in particular, come with a preconception of what they think they should be doing. But I set my own agenda. I am there to remove that layer of public persona. I want to get under that mask and discover the vulnerability behind it.” But once he’s got you as he wants you - don’t worry because he won’t need you for long. “Even if I am allocated plenty of time for a shoot I know from experience that in truth I really only need a couple of minutes. I shoot quickly. That is the key for me. I work extensively with a black background and minimal lighting.

Bowens

MODEL // BOY GEORGE

MODEL // MICHAEL PALIN

MODEL // ROGER WATERS

MODEL // VANESSA REDGRAVE

KevinAbosch

‘I like to strike quickly before the subject of my portrait can retreat inside their head and manipulate that moment.’

I am a reductionist by nature. I use equipment sparingly and I don’t have assistants. I just don’t need them.” Kevin, once described by leading web and technology writer Om Malik as ‘an anthropologist of the human soul’, admits his shooting style was born from a frugal environment. “I stumbled into photography when I was living in LA. I began taking pictures of people I’d meet – and I was economic with my use of film because it was relatively expensive. I was lucky that people seemed to like the way they looked in my photographs. In Hollywood that goes a long way – especially if you can enhance someone’s image and help them make more money. My style made me quite popular.” Kevin’s break into the big time came after he agreed to do a favour for a German journalist friend. “I helped him get into film studios for his interviews I just went along for the fun of it. But before long I found myself with opportunities to photograph

these people – and despite my having no formal photo-training, it seemed to come quite naturally to me. Then I found out that people would actually pay me to take their picture. It became quite exciting as my access to celebrities was validated by one person who would then introduce me to another.” When Kevin blagged his way into a photo-session with a famous French actress who was shooting a scene on The Queen Mary at Long beach in California, he suddenly realised that he was going to be shooting at night: “I had contrived various stories about photographing royalty in England. The fact is I had to do a bit of bull******** in those days just to seem credible – but it occurred to me that I would need artificial lighting for this night-shoot session.. I panicked. I didn’t even know which lights to acquire” he confesses. “I did know a bit about tungsten lighting from being on sets but at that point the whole strobe thing

was way beyond me. I knew I had to use tungsten balanced film with tungsten lighting so I went out and bought $120 worth of tungsten lighting equipment. I remember walking past a photostudio and I just walked in cold and bold. I told them I was a student taking a photography class and I just needed to know the answer to one question: ‘If you were photographing a woman what tips could you give me?’ I told them I would be photographing a face. The guy said: ‘Will you be using an umbrella?’ I said ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘What colour?’ I admitted that I didn’t know. He said I needed two pieces of advice. He told me to use a white umbrella as that would provide softer light than silver…using silver on a woman’s face was too harsh. He told me to always make sure there was a little light in the eyes – so they would never look flat and dead – and he advised putting a bit of gloss on the lips.

Bowens

MODEL // Aung San Suu Kyi

KevinAbosch

'I love the Gemini heads they are totally dependable units. What I love about the

Bowens brand is that their equipment travels well."

Frankly, at the end of the day that’s all you need to know! I walked out of there thinking I had just received a transmission from God.” In 2002 Christian Bale had a movie coming out called Laurel Canyon. Kevin discovered that the actor was going to host a press screening and talked his way into the conference area. He says: “I was very confident that if I could just get ten seconds with him I would capture an image that would make his agent salivate. And I did just that. I took the picture, went straight to a friend’s house that afternoon and got the photograph ready. I branded it ‘Bale by Abosch’. The strategy worked and within six months I was on a total roll.” Kevin then invested in some Bowens kit: “I’ve used it for many years” he notes. “I love the Gemini heads they are totally dependable units. What I love about the Bowens brand is that their equipment travels well – but

I never use more than a couple of lights. A typical set-up is just one head and one umbrella.” He adds: “I have always been cost-conscious so I would never buy the most expensive kit on the market. It intrigues me that photographers who have made it – or have been successful at least to some extent – the first thing they do is blow all their money on equipment. They think to be seen with the latest and most expensive kit validates them to some extent. And perhaps for them it does. But me? I don’t compare myself with other photographers – perhaps that is why I am so happy. I go the other way. My shooting style and aesthetic come from not having any money in my early years – and that style has worked well for me all my professional life.” He smiles: “Photographers are like stand-up comedians. They all like talking about each other… ’This guy ripped off my style’ etc.

I don’t go there because it’s a losing proposition.” But ego is frequently a challenge for a celebrity photographer. Says Kevin: “The very first time I photographed Lou Reed (who became a close friend) he actually wanted to tell me how to light the shoot. He said he didn’t look good with strobes. I didn’t want to get into an argument (that was in the early Nineties) so I just put him near a window and shot with daylight.” He adds: “That sort of thing happens quite regularly. One famous Hollywood actress didn’t want to shoot with me after announcing that she thought I was too tall. She thought my shooting angle would make her nose look long. The whole thing escalated into an ego-fest and we parted company. In those days I demanded respect - but frankly, now it doesn’t bother me.”

Bowens

MODEL MODEL //// Aung DUSTIN San HOFFMAN Suu Kyi

KevinAbosch Gemini 400Rx kit

Lumiair 60x80 softbox

Silver / White Umbrella

Simply a great kit. These heads never let me down; consistent light output, made like a tank and they travel really well.

Softboxes are the tool of my trade. The Lumiair softbox range from Bowens is briliant. A beautiful soft, even light; just perfect.

The humble umbrella is far too under appreciated in my opinion. I really like Bowens dual use shootthrough umbrellas.

Bowens.co.uk

Last year, as part of his commitment to Amnesty International Kevin photographed human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi. “This was a bit of a challenge because usually there is nobody else around when I shoot” he says. “I will normally insist that everyone else leaves the room. I don’t want anyone in my eye line or in my subject’s eye line. But with Aung San Suu Kyi there were always people-mainly security staff- in the periphery. I was able to mainly push them to the side but it was awkward. I have to use every conscious and subconscious tool I have at my disposal to focus my subject and work quickly – and it’s very important to me that the sitter likes the subsequent picture. I won’t put any photograph out into the public gaze that someone doesn’t love.” Kevin’s classic image of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot in the head in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen as she was going home on a school bus last year, has become an iconic image underpinning the virtues of extreme courage and

Kevin’s Key Equipment

determination. He tells Litebook: “Amnesty asked me to take a portrait of Malala in Dublin after she had received the Ambassador of Conscience award. It was very important for me to capture the picture I really wanted to take. Malala is a young girl who has millions of people worldwide following what she does and says. She represents something really powerful - and just as you would have with a Hollywood celebrity, here you have the collective energy of millions of people projected onto her and channelled through her. And the truth is that no matter where you come from ideologically you cannot help but have an inflation of ego. I’m not saying Malala has a big ego but it’s difficult for her when adults are dealing with her in a way that normally wouldn’t happen with children.” He insists: “I didn’t want a portrait of an inflated ego. I didn’t want her cloaked in all that hoopla. All I wanted was the girl; a dignified and very brave girl. And just as in all my portraits, I wanted to show strength and vulnerability without that intrusive mask of public

persona. When I look at the picture I see a portrait of humanity – something that I think is pure. The magical thing is that it becomes a portrait of shared human experience.” Next up for Kevin is an exhibition (Irish Museum of Contemporary Art) of a series of images he has been working on for four years: Intimate Portraits of Killing Machines. He tells Litebook: “I happened to be at the Paris Airshow four years ago and I saw these drones. They gave me goose bumps. I looked at them head-on with their eyeless faces. I knew I had to shoot a series in exactly the same way that I shoot people. I extended the idea to missiles and fighter jets – all shot in the same style; head-on with a black background; ego out of the way. I projected nothing but love towards these things just to see how it all came back. It was an experiment but I think it worked. What I see is a portrait of humanity reflected in these killing machines.” KevinAbosch.com

Bowens

‘I want to get under that mask and discover the vulnerability behind it.’

MODEL MODEL // Aung // DENNIS San HOPPER Suu Kyi

KevinFocht // KevinFocht.com

if you go down to the woods today.. . .take some strobes was recently commissioned to do a shoot for Michelle Lesniak Franklin, a 34-year-old American fashion designer and also TV’s Project Runway (Season 11) winner. Her latest line of clothes was called ‘Little Girl Lost’ and was themed around a famous Hungarian nursery rhyme

The shoot concept required the models to be: ‘lost in the woods, trying to find their way home’. But Michelle needed it all to look a little creepy too. The lighting challenge here

was that I was shooting in deep forest and at all times of the day. I needed to be able to show her clothes at their best, so shooting in deep shade

without lights would not work. It would be way too gloomy. I decide to use strobes, so that I could control the look of the final image and light it exactly as I wanted.

shotone

THE GEAR A x

Gemini 500R w/ Wide-Angle Reflector

B x

Gemini 500R w/ Wide-Angle Reflector

C x

Gemini 500R w/ Softlite Reflector w/ CTO Gel

N.B. Small Travelpak used per Gemini

THE SET-UP

The Bowens Travelpak battery kits allowed me to shoot all day long with no additional power. The Softlite reflector was my main light. The trick here was to try and balance the strobe with the sunlight coming through I really tried to pick locations that were in the deep shade with just some highlights emerging exactly where I wanted them. I metered for the background first and then underexposed by a full stop to create mood. Then I metered the model at the proper

exposure. My camera settings were ISO 200 shot at f4 at a 1/125th of a second. I also shot in tungsten balance for my white balance. My feeling on the white balance was that if the background was cool it would add to the eeriness of the shot. I then added a full CTO to the main light. It was a bit too warm but after discussing it we decided that it actually helped the shot. It made the models

pop a little more. I then added two lights to create separation from the background and to create some drama. These were a stop over my main and they were not gelled. I wanted them to be part of the background light. In some of the shots I put the light in the frame or right on the edge of the frame, so I could get some backlight and flare. We were really going for a cinematic feel to the shoot.

shottwo

setup

Kevin’s Key Equipment

Gemini 500R

Travelpak Battery

Softlite Reflector

These are my go-to heads. I love the Gemini lights, they're great in the studio and just as reliable when out on location.

This little battery pack has changed the way I shoot on location. Now I can take my entire lighting set-up anywhere I want.

This is one of my favourite light shapers. Its perfect for portraits with the Grid Diffuser and great for full length without it.

Bowens.co.uk

I was concerned about making sure the dark clothes were able to separate from the dark background. Being able to take your studio outside is such a massive bonus. At my workshops I am always touting flat light. I like to keep my light source parallel to the facial plane of the model’s face. This was a fashion shoot and we were going for drama and texture. I wasn’t so worried about flat lighting on the face for this session. But I was concerned about making sure the dark clothes were able to separate from the dark background. Being able to take your ‘studio’ outside is such a massive bonus. Just

being aware that you have the option really opens up your shoot arsenal. The Bowens Travelpak battery kits allowed me to shoot all day long with no additional power. You do need to consider your shooting though - as you need to give the flashes time to recycle with the batteries. But that’s not all bad. You actually think about each shot, instead of just racking off a bunch of them.

Thankfully at the end of the day the shots were very successful and the client was beaming. I think we captured the feeling of being lost in the woods but lost in a fashionable way! Frankly, the Bowens 500Rs with the Travelpaks made the impossible possible. Dream big and Bowens lighting will make it a reality. KevinFocht.com

For more fantastic tips and tutorials visit Kevin's Creative Orange website...

"At The Creative Orange we strive to help photographers grow as artists and business people with our quick tip videos, our innovative products and our online seminars." Kevin Focht TheCreativeOrange.com

Making Memorable movies with emotive lighting

Watch the making of Shade Tree Films creative

vision for commercial client, TasteTea Shade Tree founders Chad Brown and Drew Renner set out to craft an amusing and quirky ad for a client. During the location shoot, they took time to reveal some of their processes and philosophies for commercial filmmaking.

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