Lighting 101 - Traveling Light

Everyone is different with respect to the gear they choose to take a given assignment. But a news photographer typically carries two digital bodies, one with a fast wide zoom and another with a fast tele zoom. A Nikon user might have two Nikon D2h's, a 17-35/2.8 and an 80-200/2.8. This gear covers wide to telephoto with the ability to shoot wide open at f/2.8 throughout the range.

Add to that a small waist pack with a strobe and a 50 (either an f/1.4 for speed or a micro depending on the assignment in my case) and you have a very capable setup.

But with the addition of a few small, light items, you can add to it the ability to easily use light off camera on any given assignment.

The idea is to incorporate the gear into your standard setup so you will always have the ability to use better light. The White Lightnings are nice, but they don't do much good from inside the trunk. Or under the bed. If you have the light with you, you'll be more inclined to use it. That is the whole philosophy behind learning to better use the shoe-mount strobes. They are always there. If you get in the habit of using them more effectively, you will always be ready to add light to a situation when you need it.

The first photo (up top) shows the typical two-body, two-zoom setup and small waist pack.

The second shot shows that with the addition of a little bit of gear you have the added ability to use light off camera. You can create hard, soft or bare-tube-style light, with a full beam spread or very tight throw. It can be balanced for flourescent, daylight or tungsten ambient light. The light can be positioned with either a stand or a Super Clamp. Not much difference in weight. Huge difference in ability.

The light stand is a compact, 5-section Bogen 3373, modified (drilled) to have a strap. It is topped by a standard umbrella/stand adapter with a shoe mount. "Ball-Bungeed" to that is a full-size stowaway umbrella that double folds for easy transport. The umbrella is stuffed inside of a homemade folding snoot made out of gaffer's tape and the cardboard from a box of Frosted Flakes.

In the waist pack is a set of Pocket Wizard remotes that will allow me to trigger the strobe wirelessly from up to several hundred feet away. I keep some small items, like a Super Clamp, a Sto-Fen Omni Bounce and some gels there, too. The ball-bungees holding the umbrella to the stand also double as clamps.

I sometimes carry an external high-speed battery for the flash, but only if I am likely to be using the flash above quarter power (or for extended shooting.)

This gear suffices for easily 90% of the assignments I shoot. And I can comfortably walk a couple of miles with it, if need be. I also can easily shoot with either camera with the lighting gear hung from my shoulder.

The sooner you get the "less-is-more" philosophy about how much gear you carry around, the less likely you are to be popping Vioxx for your back and joint pain when you are 40.

Next: Lighting 101 - Light Stands