The PHOTONews team recently attended two trade shows: Salon de la Photo presented by Gosselin and ProFusion by Vistek. Visitors to these shows were the first to see the new Elinchrom THREE in Canada. We setup a complete studio that included EasiFrame® and Tether Tools. If you missed these shows or wanted to learn more, read on.
Studio Gear
Our studio setup is something any photographer can assemble – even at home. We started with the new EasiFrame® – the world’s first changeable fabric cyclorama backdrop system. The metal frame can be assembled in minutes – just add two traditional light stands. The wrinkle free fabric skins (available in solid colours and many more custom prints) fit into a channel in the frame and pull tight. In a few minutes, you can have a perfect cyclorama setup. Swapping out the fabric skin also takes mere minutes (as long as you can reach the upper crossbar 😊).
One note – if you are set up on a soft floor as we were in Montreal, it is possible for the background to bunch; on a hard floor, this shouldn’t be an issue. I also had my model moving around so bear that in mind when using EasiFrame®.
The Elinchrom THREE was the highlight and we also used ELINCHROM FIVE and ELC 500. One of the key features of Elinchrom is that all lights that use their SkyPort triggering system will work together. Some features, such as HSS and Bluetooth, are only available with the newer lights.
Our setup included a range of Elinchrom light shapers: Softlite White Beauty Dish 70cm, Rotalux Deep Octa 70cm, Rotalux GO Soft Beauty Dish, umbrellas, 50x130cm Rotalux Strip Softbox, Standard Reflector and Grid plus a set of colour gels.
My camera was connected to my computer via Tether Tools TetherPro USB cables for fast, seamless transfer of images into Capture One. We also had a TetherPro HDMI for our TV to ensure proper duplication of our laptop onto the big screen. A Tether Table Aero on a Rock Solid Roller kept my laptop secure.
Elinchrom THREE
The latest off-camera flash in the Elinchrom line-up, THREE is a 261ws monolight that uses OCF light shapers. An adapter is included to fit any traditional Elinchrom light shaper. OCF is used by other lighting companies – light shapers slide on and off the light quickly and easily. For those using the other system, when you upgrade to THREE, you can still use your OCF adapters.
THREE fits in between the ONE (131ws) and FIVE (522ws). It’s about the same size as a 70-200 lens, making it extremely portable. The integrated Li-ion battery is good for 525 full power flashes – we used it all day long at lower power and still had lots of battery left each day. You can also charge the battery while still using the light. A full charge takes only 60-80 minutes!
The LED model lamp is efficient and fairly bright, barely dropping the battery charge. It’s a 20W (120W equivalent) variable colour LED emitter that can run from 1.5 to 10 hours.
THREE
FIVE
ONE
Other standout features of THREE:
- Supports HSS and TTL using Transmitter Pro on camera;
- Smart fan-cooling to maintain optimum operating temperature;
- Flash colour is very consistent – ±150K through the power range;
- Power stability is a remarkable ±0.5% between flashes;
- Exposed flash tube fills a light shaper, unlike the competition with their “integrated snoot” design;
- Rear touchscreen is very quick and intuitive with a bright, easy-to-read display;
- it’s Bluetooth enabled to work with the Elinchrom Studio app – this was a great way to adjust power and turn model lamps on/off;
- fastest flash duration is 1/8,500s t.01 (Action mode);
- recycle time is a blistering 0.06s at low power up to 1.2s at full power.
Shooting Experience
We had different models for each location. As the Salons were around Halloween, our models were local cosplayers, including the vivacious vamp Mika. For ProFusion, Maya was radiant.
Adjusting the power of our Elinchrom lights was simple using the Elinchrom Studio app, touchscreen or rotary controller – or the Elinchrom Transmitter Pro on camera. The system is very flexible and easy-to-use. With light output dialed in, show attendees could test out the lights for themselves – Transmitter Plus is a single contact radio transmitter that will work on any camera.
As part of my demonstration, I was mixing light from the model lamps with flash – set to rear-curtain sync. This image of Mika is far more dynamic than a simple portrait. I dragged the shutter whilst she moved and when she in final pose, I released the shutter and the flash froze her in place. The consistent power of the model lamps and flash made these type of images repeatable.
In Booth Seminars
Tether Tools ambassador Giancarlo Pawelec from Studio 311 presented two seminars on his tethering workflow. Connecting your camera to your computer is almost impossible without TetherPro cables – USB-C connections can be up to 31ft long! This makes tethering in studio, where you need to be able to move around, far easier. Giancarlo shared his workflow and many tips, tricks and hints at how he uses tethering for not just his benefit as photographer, but how the entire creative team can collaborate easier by seeing images in real-time, with automatic application of styles in Capture One. This means you can “proof” almost-final images as they are taken.
If you attended either show and want to share your own images, please tag @amplisfoto and @photonewscan and add the hashtags #elinchromcanada #photonewscanada #tethertoolscanada.
For more information, there is a NEW Elinchrom website: Elinchrom.ca that is Canadian specific. To find the TetherPro cable you need, visit tethertools.ca.
Author: Will Prentice
A portrait, fine art and commercial photographer for 30 plus years, Will Prentice is not just a contributor to PHOTONews magazine, but also host of PHOTONewsTV, owner of Captura Photography+Imaging and Technical Support/Brand Manager for Amplis Foto, Canada’s largest distributor of photographic equipment.
Will teaches photographers of all skill levels how to improve their craft – from creative photo projects to picking the right gear for their needs to flattering lighting to getting the best expressions to creating final images for screen and print. His unique style of highly detailed images with perfect tonality, wide dynamic range and stunning colour is instantly recognizable. Commercial clients rely on Will’s creative eye and mastery of lighting.
When he’s not behind the camera or in front of a class, you’ll find Will outdoors in any weather – usually on one of his bikes or enjoying time with his grandchildren.
