How Much Strobe for this Halfpipe Shot?

[joshuasigar]

<p>Hi,<br>

I was wondering what I would need to make the kind of shot below.<br>

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/files/2009/12/louievito_colebarash.jpg</p>

<p>I got a Nikon D90 and a couple of Nikon SB-600s with pocketwizards. It seems they'll do but I don't know--I haven't got many hours with my gear. I ride a snowboard so I know how to get to a halfpipe :).</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>It's hard to say. That shot was at a slow-ish ISO 100 and f/5.6, which makes me think that's more than speedlight (perhaps a monolight at a few hundred WS).</p>

[summerleif]

<p>Yes, remember the distance squaring formula for increasing amounts or light as the distance double the light required must be squared. It can take a lot of light when the strobe is fifty feet away from the subject though. But no worries, lots of companies make strobes that can through plenty of light for such a shot. Some of the strobes in this shot also have gels on them, which increases the need for power as well. I imagine my Bowens 500ws units could handle this shot if the lights didn't need to be too far away. But many companies, Bowens included, make strobes that can throw as much as 1500ws of light, and with something like with a snoot on the front, to give the spot light effect.</p>

[sheldonnalos]

<p>You can see one of the strobes in the shot, the blue foreground one. It's definitely some sort of pack/head combo judging by the bag sitting at the base of the lightstand. Also, if you check out the photographers blog (Cole Barash) you can see in a video clip that he uses some sort of pack/head light system.</p>

<p>The thing to keep in mind is that since this is at night, there's really no ambient light to worry about overpowering. You could replicate this with gelled speedlights, but you might have to shoot at ISO 400 or 800 to do it.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Could also be a simple battery pack (like a Vagabond) that you're seeing on the ground below that strobe, and a simple monolight doing the work. Regardless, it's not going to be a hotshoe flashgun. You could probably make use of those SB-600's if you were composing instead for a much more up-close shot. </p>

[summerleif]

<p>Sheldon, the object that looks sort of like a pack, could also be something like a Bowens TravelPak battery, which is about the same size as a smaller Profoto pack. This shot was definitely done with a lighting system for which there are snoots and gels available, like Profoto or Bowens.</p>

<p>http://www.bowens.co.uk/content/pages/travelpaksmall.html</p>

<p>Check out the following snoot and gel system as an example:</p>

<p>http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/CF1001/</p>

[joshuasigar]

<p>Thanks for the insight guys. Big words you threw at me I just realized that I grabbed a photo from a respected magazine, ha ha.<br>

Well, now I know what gear the pros use. My halfpipe will be smaller and I suppose my rider will be a lot closer to the lip.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>It's not about how much close the rider will be to the lip, it's about how much closer your light source will be to your rider. The inverse square law is a fundamental one, so find a way to position the flash unit(s) very close to the subject, and their more modest output will be put to far better use.</p>

[sheldonnalos]

<p>After a little more reading, I confirmed that he uses Profoto or Elinchrom. I would guess that this was shot with a 7b2 or a Ranger. (He mentions possibly switching back to Elinchrom in the interview)</p>

<p>http://toomuchchocolate.org/?p=253</p>

<p>http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000086692/photos/the-cole-barash-photography-collection/</p>

<p> </p>

[Two23]

<p>This could be done with about four SB-28 type flash. I would buy either CyberSync or RF-602 triggers. Much cheaper and every bit as reliable. You will also need at least an f2.8 lens. If you don't gel the flash, you can set them back about 30 ft. and spread them out to cover the whole area. If you gel the flash you will start losing a lot of power from them and will have to place them closer to subject and closer together. You are in luck that snow is a great reflector and really helps flash. I am an outdoor shooter and routinely light up big areas (trains, canyons, grain elevators.) I use CyberSync triggers and either SB-28 flash or White Lightning monolights, depending on how much light I need.<br />Kent in SD<br />2 SB-28 flash at half power:<br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/4216816415_2a5b875f42.jpg">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/4216816415_2a5b875f42.jpg</a></p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>The EXIF says it was shot at 1/200 f/5.6 and ISO 100.</p>

<p>More light than a couple of speedlights to get that exposure. More likely the Ranger.</p>

<p><Chas><br /></p>

[joshuasigar]

<p>Do you know why the shutter speed is 1/250? Is it to freeze motion? I thought the flash would do that--if the flash light overwhelms the ambient light, that is. I want to use 1/60 to help me out with the exposure. Will that cause blur because a snowboarder's motion is just too fast?</p>

[joshuasigar]

<p>Mmm, on second thought, shutter speed will only affect the ambient light. My strobe light will still be weak. Oh, well...</p>

[dougscroggins]

<p>I'm by no means a professional, but to my untrained eye it appears there is a strobe hitting the snowboarder on the edge of the half-pipe to his right. If you look closely you can see a slight rim light on the upper lip of the right side of the half-pipe. The light in the shot seems to be lighting the pipe more than the rider. Take my opinion for what it's worth, which is little, but I thought I would put it out there.</p>

[len_currie]

<p>Agree with Douglas on this.. likely shot with 3 strobes.. one on top of the half pipe could be a speedlight seeing that it's pretty direct and seeing that the pipe is lit it's likely setup to handle shots of the snowboarder not in the air as well and just at the rim of the halfpipe.<br>

The other 2 strobes light the ramp with gels full power (no reason not to really). </p>