The fantastic photo shooting "Lighting The Spirit" by Michael Clark shows how talented photographers can take advantage of the incredible brightness that Elinchrom's Hi-Sync technology provides in combination with the primordial battery flash ELB 1200.
The environment for this shoot, Spirit Falls in Washington State USA, is far from ideal for the equipment and places high demands on both robustness and resistance to moisture.
Michael's own words after the shooting say a lot about what Elinchrom has managed to create with the new ELB 1200.
“Also, we worked really hard to kill one of the ELB 1200s. We splashed water on it and a lot of water, not just some spray (onto the pack not the heads but the pack had a head plugged in while we did this), we even subjected it to extreme spray behind the waterfall and it never died. I couldn’t even see and it was shooting into my ears but I think the pack fared better behind the waterfall than I did. We did get 6 error messages in a row behind the waterfall but after removing the battery and putting it back on it worked fine. I am pretty amazed by how tough it is. Any other strobe would have died very quickly. Nice work on this kit. It is the toughest strobe ever made I am pretty sure”.
During the adventure, all the lightning's properties were put to the test. In addition to resisting moisture and dirt, the flashes would be able to be placed and handled in difficult and wet terrain.
Thanks to the low weight of the lamp head, the flash can be easily placed on uneven surfaces and Elinchrom's standard bayonet gives access to a huge range of light shapers. For this shoot, Michael chose the High Perfomance Reflector which provides very high brightness and has a compact size.
The ELB 1200 has a very logical and intituiv control panel that provides easy handling without the photographer having to study manuals. In combination with the Skyport Transmitter Pro, the photographer has full control over all important settings and can quickly change brightness when needed.
First of all, of course, a skilled photographer is required who also has the ability to organize an adventure like this. Next, equipment that has the capacity and robustness to carry out the task is required.
There is no other studio flash that delivers the combination of robustness, accessory program and brightness for Hi-Sync photography (shutter speeds shorter than the camera's regular flash sync speed). Thanks to the ELB 1200 design and Elinchrom's Hi-Sync technology, it is possible to place the flash in difficult terrain and at a great distance from the subject, in order to achieve exactly the lighting that the mission requires.
Most of the images in the series "Lightning The Spirit" are photographed at shutter speeds between 1/2000 sec to 1/4000 sec, something that was previously impossible with the flash placed at a great distance from the subject.
The flash in this image is positioned diagonally above the waterfall. The distance to the kayak is about 8 meters and to the bottom of the waterfall about 20 meters.
The combination of Hi-Sync, ELB 1200 and High Perfomance Reflektor provides an outstanding light exchange and gives the photographer the opportunity to create images that were previously not possible.
For this image, Michael has used two light sources, 2 ELB 1200 with HS-Head. Thanks to the remote control Skyport Transmitter Pro, the photographer can easily adjust the different light sources from his shooting position. This picture also shows the enormous brightness the ELB 1200 gives in Hi-Sync photography!
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