Rineke Dijkstra strobes

[msk2193]

In Rineke's own words......

How do you set up your lights?

In the beginning I always had really complicated lighting set-ups because I thought: the more lights, the better the picture. Now I work with as few lights as possible.

For me, daylight is the main source of light, and the flash is really only there to lighten the

shadows. I use one Lumedyne flash. It works with batteries so you can use it inside and outside.


copy and pasted from a Popular Photography interview done in 2008.

[Jim Michael]

I think everyone covered the basics pretty well, but a couple of comments. Re the bellows extension compensation, assuming a 66 inch person producing a 4 inch tall image on the film and a 150mm lens, exposure compensation would be less than a quarter stop. Shutters typically are a little slow at the higher speeds so calibrating the shutter would be advisable. Also, consider the umbrella to subject distance from the standpoint of the quality of light - it's pretty soft when the source is close in and gets harder rapidly as it's moved away and the angle subtended by the source from the point of view of the subject decreases.

[lolorent]

The most challenging part about replicating this portrait is finding a beach and a person to photograph.

Thanks a lot everyone for all those answers and the time you took to give advises.
I'll have homework to do now!

Concerning the beach, I live on the Mediterranean coast in south of France so it will be the easier part, for the girl I'll convince one of my friends to play this role but right now temperatures are a bit low for a bikini portrait I wanted to have that look but not to push the copy to such an extend.

Choice of negatives color films is rather reduced (Kodak Ektar 100, Portra 160 & 400, Fuji Pro 160NS). I'll probably use Portra 160 that I know better than other ones.
For the lightning setup, Noah and Jamie, you both tell me to go 1200j if I can, so it will be the way to go. I see that all majors producer of lightning equipment (Balcar, Broncolor, Elinchrom,...) produce portable generators that could deliver such a power. Elinchrom Ranger RX is given for 1100j and seems to be a good solution for me but I'll see what I can find secondhand.
Light modifiers don't seem really expensive so a trio softbox, umbrella and a simple reflector are probably a good way to learn.

Thanks also for the advise about polaroids. Thankfully Fuji still produce some cause DSLR is not an option for me.

Thanks again for your kind help, now I have to experiment and to post examples of what I've succeed (or not) to do but it won't be for tomorrow,
Camille

[jayabbas]

Norman 200B's or Norman 400B's and for sunlight zapping power, Comet PMT-1200. Battery powered and built to the hilt for durability in the outdoor arena .

[Struan Gray]

Once caveat when overpowering the sun: with a small flash you are dependent on short shutter speeds to knock down the ambient. Many budget studio flash models have burn times that are too long to play this trick - the total time the flash is emitting light becomes longer than the shutter speed. Unlike hotshoe flashes, the problem only gets worse at reduced flash power.

I only know Elinchrom. This is not a problem with Rangers, but if you're tempted by the budget D-lites, the burn times can be surprisingly long. I have a pair, and like them, but if I were thinking of taking up strobed portraiture with any seriousness I'd save up for something faster.

[Jamie123]

Thanks a lot everyone for all those answers and the time you took to give advises.
I'll have homework to do now!

Concerning the beach, I live on the Mediterranean coast in south of France so it will be the easier part, for the girl I'll convince one of my friends to play this role but right now temperatures are a bit low for a bikini portrait I wanted to have that look but not to push the copy to such an extend.

Choice of negatives color films is rather reduced (Kodak Ektar 100, Portra 160 & 400, Fuji Pro 160NS). I'll probably use Portra 160 that I know better than other ones.
For the lightning setup, Noah and Jamie, you both tell me to go 1200j if I can, so it will be the way to go. I see that all majors producer of lightning equipment (Balcar, Broncolor, Elinchrom,...) produce portable generators that could deliver such a power. Elinchrom Ranger RX is given for 1100j and seems to be a good solution for me but I'll see what I can find secondhand.
Light modifiers don't seem really expensive so a trio softbox, umbrella and a simple reflector are probably a good way to learn.

Thanks also for the advise about polaroids. Thankfully Fuji still produce some cause DSLR is not an option for me.

Thanks again for your kind help, now I have to experiment and to post examples of what I've succeed (or not) to do but it won't be for tomorrow,
Camille

The reason both Noah and I recommended at least 1200J is that it's better to have more power than you need (i.e. if you're not sure how much you need). And as I said, unless it's absolutely impossible where you live, I'd start with a rental as far as the light is concerned. You'll want to learn a bit more about using strobes before you buy one. All of them have their pros and cons. Also, beware of buying second hand. Replacement bulbs can be expensive and when you're buying portable packs you never know how much life they have left in them. You can buy a cheap used Broncolor set and end up paying more than a new one costs to have them fixed.

As far as the modifier is concerned I think Frank Petronio's right, it's most likely a very small umbrella. Noah said a bare reflector but I think the shadow contours are too soft for that.

Like others said, this is really simple. From a purely technical 'schoolbook' point of view the lighting isn't very good. The legs are getting too little light while the chest is overexposed (no pun intended) in regards to the light on the face. It's most likely she just set up the light in a one-size-fits-all way, i.e. without making adjustments for the individual people.
What this shows you, of course, is that the technique really doesn't matter much. The less sophisticated the technique, the more it becomes about subject matter. Which brings me to the next point. I strongly recommend you consider talking your friend into doing it with a bikini despite the cold temperatures. Having her stand there, freezing, trying to stand still for the camera - now that's a portrait I want to see!

[D-tach]

i hope not, I've forgotten to do it for 28 years....

[Robert Oliver]

This was shot with a Dynalite Uni400jr at full power (plugged in) with a softbox to camera right...

Underexposed background a little over a stop. ISO was 200. Exposure was 1/500th @ f16.

This was with a DSLR, but the principles for flash fill are the same with a real camera.

[sully75]

In Rineke's own words......

How do you set up your lights?

In the beginning I always had really complicated lighting set-ups because I thought: the more lights, the better the picture. Now I work with as few lights as possible.

For me, daylight is the main source of light, and the flash is really only there to lighten the

shadows. I use one Lumedyne flash. It works with batteries so you can use it inside and outside.


copy and pasted from a Popular Photography interview done in 2008.

I don't think daylight is the main light source in the image.

[Robert Oliver]

The reference shot you show is using flash as the main light.... and very close to the camera. I personally think the strobe is too close to the camera and not close enough to the model.

I can't figure out where the sun is... guessing it's a fairly overcast day. Looks like photographer underexposed background by about 1/2 a stop.

You don't need as much power to do this technique on a cloudy day... you could probably get away with a metz strobe into an umbrella for this.

But if you are trying to use flash as a main light source on a sunny day you will need more a lot more power than a handle-mount or shoe mount flash can deliver at normal working distances.