Beautiful Shoot Today, BUT......

     I need to write this portrait session down as a lesson's learned....needless to say, I dropped a profoto strobe today while trying to move a light stand. Glass everywhere! UGH! The lesson is to ensure that your assistant does in fact tighten down the bolt to the stand before you pick it up. Oh, and don't pick it up by the light itself. In a rush, trying to get the shot which resulted in an expensive piece of equipment inoperable.

     That said, I did have a backup plan on me while in the field and away from my studio. I typically carry a Canon 580EXII and extra pocket wizards in my bag and immediately pulled those out. I still had one large softbox, but without a strobe to light up the background it just wouldn't be high-key. So......used the speedlight on the background and bounced a white reflector off of it to maintain somewhat of an even background lighting. Used the main large softbox and a silver reflector for the fill. I think I probably would've done it a little different if I wasn't panicked and maybe used the large strobe for the background and the speedlight (580EXII) for the subject. It's something I need to play around with.

So here are the lessons I learned today....

1.  Make sure everything is tied down, taped, sand bagged, and secure prior to starting the shoot. I tend to do this, but when I get in a rush it goes by the way side.

2.  When changing the lighting I need to ensure everyone to take their time, including me.

3.  Don't Panic when something happens....even though that sinking feeling was there.

4.  I learned this while in the Marines and was able to apply it today, but I need to say it over and over. "Adapt and Overcome"

5. Carry backups....I have extra strobes but didn't have them in the field. At the least, I have an extra Sony Flash and a Minolta Flash that I could have synced to strobes easily.

6. But I don't have a lot of the necessary gear to hold my mini-flashes in place and need to really ensure I have to proper grips and connections to function in the field.

I'll let you know what I decide on purchasing as I go forward.

Anyways, these kids were great and I had a lot of fun taking their pictures while outside.

Enjoy!

Michelle