Creative Light Launches with Class

Creative Light has just debuted a full line of moderately priced lighting modifiers. Never heard of Creative Light? That's because they just launched the company, too.

They are a subsidiary of Profoto um, based in Sweden, so you have a pretty good idea the gear is probably not gonna suck.

But that's not what makes this launch cool. What I am excited about is this:

They are wrapping the company around solid lighting education -- which is exactly what every photo gear company should be doing right now.

If a company is willing to devote the time and money to producing good, educational content about their gear, the cost of distributing those ones and zeroes is pretty close to zero. Yet it adds a ton of value -- especially for beginning photogs.

Two videos -- and more info -- after the jump.
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The first video is an aurora borealis-themed fashion shoot featuring Baldomero Fernandez, from whence came the shot at the top of the post. I love the idea of using the reflector to catch the spilled overhead key to double it as an on-axis fill, too. That had never occurred to me.




And even though this site's readership is depressingly, overwhelmingly, ninety-four-percentingly male, I do try to keep an eye out for the rare lighting demo that is a little more suited for the laydees:





The takeaway for this one (for me, at least) was an affirmation of the idea of setting your light and then allowing for things to happen at the edges. Those areas around the margins are where the unexpected lives -- always a good thing.

There is a full range of boxes, octas, umbrellas, etc. And these guys are embracing the speedlight ethic, too, with hot shoe-based speed rings for their 'boxes in the immediate pipeline. Gotta like that.
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Every Company Should Be This Smart

Props to Creative Light for having good how-to material right out of the blocks. You can find more videos here. (The main website is here.)

If you are a photo gear company, how can you not be doing this in 2009? Heck, every company should be doing as much as practical to use the free, worldwide information channels that exist to create a mini knowledge university centered around your products.

It's not just good karma -- it is good business. Even more so with text-based info, as Google will happily bring people in search of that info right to your door. For free. Every day.

Way to go, Creative Light -- and keep up the good work.