Russell Smith shoots some food with the impressive Briese strobe/modifier, which offers daylight quality lighting inside the studio.
Article by Russell Smith.
I have always loved and used daylight for shooting food. I’m always on the lookout for studios with the right orientation to the sun and, when looking to buy a studio, even went through the difficult task a few years ago of briefing property agents on these non-negotiable requirements for my ideal space. I even went as far as putting in an offer for a larger space then I needed or could afford, just because it had the right light coming through the windows.
I was recently given the opportunity of taking a new German studio light called the Briese for a test. The agents explained how it provided light that was comparable to soft daylight and I took them up on the offer to test it out on a recent Women’s Health food shoot. The food images on this post are evidence of this incredible light that I instantly fell in love with. Besides looking like a gizmo straight out of Bond’s The man with the Golden Gun, and needing the agents to help me assemble this beast, I loved the ease of use and constant soft light that it gave my shots. Opting for the traditional flash unit over the constant light version, I could still use the modeling light to get a good idea of how the light fell and shadows were cast.
Don’t get me wrong, daylight is still very hard to beat (and costs a lot less to use) but for a constant dependable soft light source, this was a beauty to use. I recently did a commercial job for a client having to shoot various citrus fruit on white backgrounds. The molding from this Briese light was ideal and the colour shifts and directional changes that daylight give were taken out of the equation altogether.
By sliding the central rod further back into the light dome one can direct the light more. And it all fits snugly into its own portable casing. What a breeze! (Ok I think I have used up my puns for one post!).
For those that are wondering, the Briese is available for purchase straight from the manufacturers in Germany, and is available for rental locally via the Sunshine Company.
Post originally appeared on Russell’s blog. Russell is a prominent food and portraiture photographer based in Cape Town, but also enjoys to document his travels.
