Photographer John Gress takes you on five different types of shoots where he takes advantage of some of the amazing features Elinchrom FIVE has to offer. Thanks to the ability to connect the flash to an external power supply in the studio through the Active Charging function, John can go on photo missions outdoors at any time and get a whopping 450 flashes at full power from the battery.
Join us for five different photoshoots where John Gress generously shares his extensive experience with indoor and outdoor studio flash photography.
The video's first photo shoot John completes on a beach on Lake Michigan. The assignment was to photograph a triathlon runner who comes running out of the water early in the morning. To get every drop of water rendered razor-sharp and to balance existing light and flash, John uses the HSS function on the Elinchrom FIVE, which allows him to freely choose the shutter speed on the camera while the FIVE has the required light power.
When shooting dancers and other moving subjects in the studio, a short flash duratoiun usually gives the best sharpness. Because the Elinchrom FIVE always shows the flash duration t0.1 at the display, John can quickly set the output power to suit the aperture and shutter speed/ISO number he chooses to use. When John works with several light sources, he chooses to control the flashes from the Elinchrom Studio App on a smartphone, which is connected to FIVE's built-in Bluetooth. The light is measured and fine-tuned directly from the Sekonic light meter L-478D-EL, which has a built-in Skyport remote control.Tips from John! Measure the ambient light and make sure that the flash light is +3 f-stops stronger to avoid ambient light affecting the image result.
To quickly get the right basic exposure, John uses the TTL function on the FIVE. TTL gives the correct exposure from the first shot and thanks to Manual Lock, the flashes retain the set output when he switches to manual control of the flashes. This allows John to quickly fine-tune each individual flash to personal taste. Of course, as always he uses the Elinchrom Studio App to control the flashes.Tips from John! Since the FIVE has a unconcealed flash tube, just like all other Elinchrom flashes, he does not put a reflector on the FIVE, to benefit the flash's wide light spread and get a optimized the light flow from the large umbrella.
When shooting outdoors with many light sources, it becomes super easy to quickly gain control of each flash individually with the Elinchrom Studio App. FIVE has built-in Bluetooth that communicates with a smartphone or computer and also functions as a Skyport bridge for other Elinchrom flashes in the set-up. To get exactly the right brightness from main light and fill light, John measures the light with the lightmeter Sekonic L-478D-EL which controls the flashes via Skyport. To illuminate the mighty steam locomotive, only 2 FIVE with 16cm 90° reflectors are needed. The combination of unconcealed flash tube and built-in reflector that runs behind the flash tube and creates an almost seamless transition to the 16cm reflector, gives a wide and very even light spread.
Far from all electrical outlets, John appreciates the powerful battery on the FIVE, which provides plenty of light before any charging via the USB-C socket is required. In this type of shooting, on a boat that is in constant motion and a rapidly fading evening light, the FIVE shows the advantages of fast image-to-image recharging, ensuring that no moment is lost.When the sun has set, John uses the modelling light on FIVE to be able to work with the light source very close to the subject and with a large aperture. The LED light has the same color temperature as the flash light, but can also be set in color temperature if you want, e.g. want the feeling of a warm evening light.
After completing five shootings with completely different set ups, John Gress summarizes his impressions of the Elinchrom FIVE.In 2019, John switched to shooting with Elinchrom because he loves the Elinchrom light shapers which, combined with the Elinchrom unconcealed flash tube, creates amazing light. John tells us that his equipment will consist of 3 FIVE and 3 ONE because this combination gives a unique versatility both in the studio and on location
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About John Gress:
For over 20 years Chicago photographer John Gress has created stunning photography and videos for some of America’s largest companies and international media outlets. His work has included national lifestyle advertising, portraits and videos for the beauty industry and action photography of professional athletes. Professional Photographer Magazine called Gress “one of the nation’s foremost experts on lighting.”