Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Greetings all:

I'm new to this board and to using strobes in general... Mind you, I have used the Nikon CLS system for years... As a result my questions might be a bit stupid - but as I said, strobes are a little different animal and one I don't know a lot about.

I have been asked to photograph Inuit (Eskimo) elders on an upcoming trip to the High Arctic. In all, there will be 60 to 80 set-ups of elders from several communities in several circumpolar countries - almost all shots will be outdoors.

Because the Arctic is a very windy place, I'm concerned about the trouble one would have using an traditional studio modifiers like umbrella's or soft box's. Most of these images will be the subject and some surrounding landscape or items like dog teams, snow houses etc... As a result, most shots will not be a traditional close portrait type shot and will show the subject in some type of context.

At this point, I have filled my Paul Buff shopping cart with (2) Einstein lights, (2) Vagabond Units, (2) 8.5" reflectors, (1) 22"Beauty Dish (silver), (1) 11" long throw reflector and Grid's for both the reflectors and beauty Dish.

At this point, I'm not sure if I have identified the right options for light modifiers - and would really like to hear from others as to how they would deal with the gear for this type of project.

In closing, I should mention that I plan to trigger everything with Pocket Wizards. As it will give me the ability to also add SB-800 guns into the mix when needed.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and give me your consideration

Cheers
Doug

http://www.dougbarber.ca

I think the 22" beauty dish is an excellent choice for a main/fill light - in that it will be much less likely to blow over than other modifiers as you noted. If you put the diffusion sock on it it will have a much wider beam spread than without.

You will love the VML and the Einsteins. I'm sure the Pocket Wizards will do fine but I'd at least look at the Cyber Commander. Even if you just use it to control the power on the Einsteins and actually trigger them with the PW, it would still be handy.

If your locations allow, consider bouncing your strobes off something - a bank of snow, side of a house, etc. That will probably be your largest windproof modifier. The 8.5" or 11" reflector would help you direct and concentrate the light for that.

A gridded 8.5" could provide nice rim light from behind and off to the side of the subjects.

If you'll have some helpers around, you could also take a diffusion panel - like a Lastolite triflip or Skylite. Someone can just hold it in front of your strobes when you shoot. Produces nice, soft light, packs small and light, and you can fold it up or lay it flat on the ground when not shooting.

Hope it goes great!

Thanks very much for taking the time to give me your thoughts and input

Doug

I think your choices are good: I have all of those modifiers, and the beauty dish would be my first choice for a main light outdoors. The reflectors, along with grids, give you lots of flexibility. I assume you got the grids for the beauty dish, too? Those really increase your creative options, too.

I might add a couple spare batteries for the VMLs, too.

Will look forward to a follow up post with a link to some of the shots, if you you are able :D

Good luck!

Thanks for the input...
Yes I will get the grid's for the BD also.
A buddy of mine who uses the VML's tells me that they will run for a long time on a charge, but in my case, I think extra batteries are a good idea as shooting in the cold has a very big effect on batteries. I know that from shooting at -50 to -60 with my D3's and the battery will only last about 15 minutes.... :D

+1 for the grids and reflectors. Outside softboxes mounted is going to be very precarious at best assistant notwithstanding. The type of connector Paul has gone with is not known for it's lock & load capabilities. So strong winds are going to be problematic right out of the box.

To actually say you have all the stuff you'll need is a bit misleading here.

The type of images you shoot might be worlds apart given another's view behind that camera.

If your looking to shoot in a variety of situations, have flexibility and be able to light rooms etc. Your on the right path.

I saw a video where 2 guys from Western Canada had a shoot on a ski mountain top which lasted a full day. Despite the elements their minis held up quite well and the were able to get everything they needed. Just in case you were wondering about the effects on your power source.

If you want to add SB800s to the mix as manual flash the Cyber Sync Receiver works fine.
Using the Cyber Commander gives you power control for the Einsteins along with triggering for anything else via a CSR.

If you already have Pocket Wizards then a MiniTT1 and AC3 on your camera with MC2s in the Einsteins will give you power control. And with appropriate FlexTT5s for the SB800 you will get remote power control over them as well. The AC3 permits controlling up to three zones with a 6 stop range from the camera.

As you know from using speedlites, when the light source is away from the subject the modifier becomes less important just because the light source is too far away for any transition softening.

I'd take a Beauty Dish with sock to use for close ups and the 8.5 or 11 reflectors with grids for longer throw lighting.

And, I've used those break to head hand warmers to keep batteries at a comfy temp when outside in the cold. Maybe a nice thermal bag for the VMLs. :-)

After thinking about it some more, since you have the SB800s and want to include them in some setups, I'd lean toward the Pocket Wizard ControlTL stuff with MC2s for the Einsteins.
They work great. Only restriction is that you have to set the 6 stop range in the MC2 via the software interface on a computer so it limits the Einsteins to 6 stops in the field. Rather than the 8 stops available on the back. (and you can't control them on the back to override the ControlTL. if reprograming the MC2s is inconvenient carrying two sets, one for high range one for low range is an option.

Thanks everyone for your input...
In the end, I think i'm going with the pocket wizard system as I already have some of their earlier products.

Good choice. TT1/AC3 on camera, MC2's on the Einsteins and TT5s, or even PW plusIIs, on speed lights make a great mix and match combination.

Just a thought -

I sometimes use Phottix radio triggers with my speedlites. If I want to use speedlites plus some PCB strobes, sometimes I just put the CST in a Phottix receiver. Then I use the Phottix transmitter to control my speedlite power and the Cyber Commander to control Einstein power. They all fire appropriately when I make an exposure.

It's a circuitous route but it let's me get the full functionality out of each element of the setup. (primary issue is the full power range of the Einsteins which you reduce to six stops with the MC2.) I've never used Pocket Wizards though - just a thought.