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Not long ago, carrying lights on location meant dragging large cases full of big studio strobes, heavy-duty light stands, modifiers, soft boxes, and hundreds of feet of extension cords. Most publications demanded transparency film, often in medium format, and that required a lot of light.

New technology has reduced the need for heavy lights on location. We can shoot at higher ISO values and use faster sync speeds, making small strobes usable in a wide variety of situations indoors and out. Taking advantage of this change, I recently put together a 4-light kit that fits comfortably inside a carry-on size rolling case. With this kit I can light portraits, events, classrooms, speakers, and even buildings, inside and out, and it’s small enough that I always have it in my car.

Kit Details
Case: I chose the Pelican 1514 case, a rolling plastic hard shell case that meets domestic carry-on requirements. This model comes with adjustable padded dividers.

Lights: I already had several Canon flash units, so I added a pair of 430 EX II speedlights. That gives me a total of six speedlights, four in the kit and two in my camera bag. All the lights have a Sto-Fen Omnibounce attached.

Stands and Grip Equipment: Two of the Bogen/Manfrotto 6.5-foot compact light stands will fit inside the Pelican case. I also have two Bogen Justin Clamps, which will mount a speedlight almost anywhere, and four of the little flash feet that came with the speedlights. To mount the flashes to the stands, I have two Lastolite TriFlash brackets, which can hold three speedlights and an umbrella.

Light Modifiers: Two Westcott 43-inch compact umbrellas, one shoot thru and one silver reflective, easily fit in the case. I also have several Honl modifiers, including three snoots, two grids, four barn door/flags, and four Velcro straps to attach the modifiers to my strobes. I find I use the short snoots most often. A large set of color correction gels and several sheets of black foil fit against the side walls of the case.

Off Camera Sync: The speedlights are all used in manual power mode. I started with the Canon ST-E2 wireless transmitter, which works using infrared signals. That unit functions most of the time indoors, but it doesn’t work well outside, or with flash units in different rooms. Now I am using the new Pocket Wizard TTL system, with a single TT1 transmitter and five TT5 transceivers. This lets me use all six speedlights, with one in the transmitter on top of the camera for on-axis fill light if desired.

Using the Kit
Most of the time I use these strobes in conjunction with the ambient light. I’ll set up a main light in an umbrella and use window light or daylight as fill or backlight. Sometimes I’ll set up a second strobe as a hair light or separation light, using a snoot, or rake it across the background to provide interesting light behind the subject. Three speedlights can shoot through one umbrella using the TriFlash adapter, providing more power to sync with the sun, or faster recycle times.

On larger shoots, I use the speedlights as accent or background lights, augmenting my bigger battery-powered Normans or my studio strobes. The speedlights are easily clamped to a bookshelf, a drop ceiling, or a chair, and hidden out of sight.

Limitations
The primary limitation is power. Speedlights are great when used close to the subject, or indoors in controlled situations, but they don’t push a lot of light through a large umbrella or softbox. Shooting outdoors using multiple lights in big boxes or far from the subject requires more powerful lights.

The 6.5-foot light stands are fairly short, and work well only when used close to the subject. Many situations require taller stands.

The Pocket Wizard TTL units had a tough introduction. They are currently available only for Canon flash, and radio frequency interference put out by the professional 580 EX II makes that unit almost unusable. However, the PW units work perfectly with the 430 EX II flashes, and recent firmware updates made the system much less flaky. When Pocket Wizard releases their remote power unit, I’ll be able to set manual power or TTL exposure compensation at each flash unit directly from the camera.

Available Light
Before I put this kit together, the Normans were my primary location lighting set. They fit nicely in a large rolling case, but their size and weight kept me from carrying them all the time. The speedlight kit is small enough that it can live in my car, easily available for every assignment. All the components are quick to assemble and put away, easy to use, controllable, and provide a nice quality of light.

Putting Together Your Own Kit
The kit can be put together from scratch for about $2000. Speedlights are the most expensive single item, but most photographers already own several. Using the new Radio Popper JrX radio slaves will save several hundred dollars, though they are limited to manual flash control only, not TTL. Nikon shooters can save even more by using the built-in CLS system, which gets good reviews and is usable in TTL mode as well as manual.

This speedlight kit won’t replace more powerful strobes for everything, but it has proven to be incredibly useful for many of the assignments I shoot.

Editor’s note: Printed with permission from the University Photographers Association of America’s quarterly journal, The Contact Sheet.

Okay folks, here is my formula, my blueprint to dealing with rain. First, let’s start with me. I like wearing khakis instead of jeans because they’re lighter and quicker to dry when they get wet. I also like wearing polyester athletic-type shirts for the same reason. They dry quickly. Even with good rain gear, between sweat and rain, you have to expect to get wet. It’s inevitable, just expect it! Besides, it’s not about keeping you dry. It’s all about keeping your camera equipment dry.

Next, I believe in the investment of good rain gear. My pants and jacket are North Face and are over $200 combined. I also just purchased a new pair of Gortex Timberlands a few days before Derby. They held up great. My socks were completely dry when I got home Saturday night. As far as head wear goes, I just wear a typical ball cap, mainly because I keep my hair cut short and it doesn’t bother me to have wet hair. Besides, wet hair makes me look less gray.

For camera equipment, the best advice I can offer is stay small and stay simple. Rain day decisions are about as unique and personal to each photographer as a toothbrush. I lay in bed at night thinking about shit like this, especially during Derby Week. I like using a cheap backpack, like the ones my kids take to school, to carry all the stuff that I need to help stay dry. I pack it with a couple of hand towels, a can of air, plastic Wal-Mart bags and zip locks. I would never use one of my good Lowepro or Think Tank backpacks in the rain and mud. Also, a good idea is to pre-cut a drop-cloth-quality piece of plastic into three or four 4×4 squares, and roll them up individually with rubber bands. You can use these as staging areas on the ground for your cameras as well as a dry seat for you.

When it comes to my equipment, I try to use one body and a small zoom lens, like a 17-55. There is no reason to get several bodies out in the rain. That’s just that much more to stress over. Photography in the rain is definitely a time to be a minimalist. You can make “ghetto” rain covers out of Wal-Mart bags, or you can buy high priced ones. I like taking a thick bag, such as my Children’s Place bag, and using it to keep my camera and lens in. When I’m ready to shoot, I simply pull it out of the bag and shoot, and then put it back in the bag. With a good thick bag, I could endure a monsoon and my camera would be fine.

You can also go with a good backpackers poncho like I have on above, and run a fanny pack system from underneath because the sides are open. Having a hand towel to dry off your equipment is really important. I don’t mind to expose my camera to sprinkling rain, or even a hard rain, I just don’t want to expose it for very long without drying it back off. And lastly, when you get back home after a day in the rain, take your cameras apart and let them air out. I take off my vertical grip and even take out my memory card to let it all dry.

Chris Radcliffe is the University Photographer at Eastern Kentucky University. A 2003 graduate of EKU, Radcliffe has been in his current position for six years.

2009 EKU Women’s Soccer seniors photographed for the soccer poster. (Chris Radcliffe/Eastern Kentucky University)

VS: Talk about your background and how you got in to photography.

Radcliffe: “Photography has been (nearly) a lifelong interest. I tried to gain some formal training in high school but the photo teacher wouldn’t let me in the class because it would have conflicted with an advanced painting class… and she felt I was a better painter than I would be a photographer. Sup now Mrs. Lutz? I bought a SLR with my HS graduation money and started shooting everything. Went to college and serendipitously got a job with the university photographer. A few years later, when he decided to leave for a freelance career I was a couple months from graduating. I applied and got the job.”

VS: Did you ever consider newspapers as a career option when you were in college?

Radcliffe: “When I was younger I was a very non-invasive person (still am a little). I did not like getting into other people’s business and I was overly sensitive to idea of privacy. So, I thought being a photojournalist meant you were rude, intrusive and not well liked. I was dumb. Then I had ZERO interest working for a newspaper. As I get older (and less dumb) my interests and my personal convictions have evolved and would probably be better suited to newspaper work than even my current job.”

VS: Talk about your role as a university photographer.

Radcliffe: “My role as the university photographer is very diverse. In the same day I might block off two hours in the morning for departmental headshots in my office. Next, walk across campus to photograph a congressman presenting our chemistry dept with a check for new lab equipment. Then, off to a meeting to discuss ‘rich media’ and how we need 100 new facebook pages (turns out we do). After than I’m back in my office to grab my lights and my student worker then out to the football field to shoot the football poster.

When that’s over I race to daycare to pick up my son and teach him every bad thing I can think of just before I have to be at the university’s country club to shoot a dinner for a retiring professor. Later, I’m back at home throwing some clothes and a tooth brush in one of three camera/light bags and off to the airport to catch a red-eye to NYC to photograph an alumnus at her Brooklyn designer handbag studio the next morning. Then, the next day… I’m in my office editing and fulfilling stock photo requests. The day after that I try to stay outside and capture the Fall or Spring color. The variable speeds at which I work can be taxing but, I don’t think I’d like it any other way.”

Students graduating from the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology Program are given their fire helmets after they walk off the stage. The Fire Program is one the most distinguished in the country. (Chris Radcliffe, Eastern Kentucky University)

VS: What’s the best part about your job?  The worst?

Radcliffe: “I really enjoy working on a college campus. It’s a tremendously rewarding atmosphere. Oddly, I have quite a bit of flexibility in my schedule. Some things have to go down when the important people say so but, most of my schedule is determined by me. I get to shoot a bunch of sports and I get to play with the best gear. I’m able to develop relationships with a lot of interesting people and I genuinely like everyone I work with. I hope this doesn’t upset any of the people for whom I work but, I shoot A LOT of banquets and award ceremonies… they aren’t necessarily what photographers dream about shooting but it’s part of the game and the company is good. I do get a bunch of free dinners in October and April.

This is me being honest; After 8 years of covering these events it’s hard to stay motivated as the producer of the visual history of said events. The first few times I was super motivated…lying on my belly, standing on tables and chairs, hanging cameras… all to tell THE story.  Lately, it’s hard to keep that same attitude… sometimes everything seems the same and all I reeeeaaaally need is the grip and grin shot (because most of the time that’s all we send out to media). See where I’m going? I have to keep the motivation and the professional courtesy to photograph every event to the best of my ability. If I leave out the ’story’ of the event it could come back to haunt me down the road..”

VS: Does this job satisfy your passion as a visual story teller?

Radcliffe: “Not completely BUT, that’s largely my fault because of the reasons I mentioned a bit ago. The workload can be pretty intense and sometimes telling the story requires a significant investment of time. As I mature in this position I’ve learned how to allocate my energies fairly well. Still, I wish I had more time to tell the STORIES of our university rather than focus so much on the PR aspect. There are countless stories to be told and because of some big changes we are going through in our online presence I should be able to tell more of those. Budget cuts have been hard on some schools. There have been some university photographers that have lost their jobs (but, very few that I know of). I think the way that technology is going (especially at my school) the need for photography and video will be huge. So, like I said… I see more photo stories in my future. In fact, we already have a few cool ones planned.”

A promotional photo of a student studying for final exams in the campus Meditation Chapel. (Chris Radcliffe/Eastern Kentucky University)

VS: Talk about the significance of your photos as a historical record at EKU.

Radcliffe: “Other than the recruitment and retention of students, historical record is one of my main charges. I wont really see the fruits of my effort in this regard for a while. I do have to keep it in my mind when I’m shooting events that might seem insignificant at the time but could turn out to be a turning point for the university. This part of my job is very important to me.”

VS: Do you feel like you have freedom in your job to explore and grow in your own personal vision?

Radcliffe: “I certainly have the freedom to explore and develop as a photographer. The problem is I stay so busy and consumed by what I HAVE to do that it’s easy to say… “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Guess what happens “tomorrow?” My son has to stay home from daycare because of violent diarrhea and my Inbox gets ambushed by things I should have done three “tomorrows” ago. “Tomorrow” is easily lost. I think I strayed a bit from the point of this question. Personal vision is on ME. I have to get out there and learn the next best thing then go do it. The past couple years the big dawgs have really been letting me do my thing. I like it but, it puts even more pressure on me to do well.”

VS: Do you have time for freelance?  What kinds of photography do you pursue outside of work?

Radcliffe: “Ha! No… but, I do anyway because I gotta make that money. Actually, the summers as a university shooter are much slower and I try to pack in some weddings and a few corporate projects. I’ve been photographing adventure races in the summers for the last 5 years. This year I’ve made more of a push to become more prominent in that arena. I’ve started aportrait series of the racers to go along with the race action. Adventure races are extremely fulfilling for me creatively. Not extremely profitable right now but it really charges my batteries. Dig?”

Adventure Racer Bryce Reed of team Rotten Cheese Burgers just after completing the 2010 Odyssey Endorphin Fix. The Efix is regarded as the toughest two day race in the country. Efix is regarded as the toughest two day race in the country. At 200 miles and 50 hrs non-stop through some of West Virginia’s most rugged landscape, that opinion is hard to debate. (Chris Radcliffe)

A participant after completing the 2010 Odyssey Endorphin Fix. (Chris Radcliffe)

VS: Do you have a mentor? How did that person influence you?

Radcliffe: “I do have a mentor. Tim Webb. He was the university photographer I ‘replaced’ (cant really replace that guy) and the only person to ever give me any formal instruction at all. We still hang out almost weekly and we’ve started our own workshop series in Central KY. I am constantly looking at other photographers’ work and I guess in a way some of them have become mentors to me without having had a personal encounter. Because, I’m not ‘educated’ in photography I’ve had to learn much of what I know from either screwing up a lot or by observing the photography of others.”

VS: Do you consider yourself a mentor to any younger photographers?

Radcliffe: “I currently have a couple of student workers and have had others over the years. I really like it when they already know what the heck they are doing because I don’t have to worry about it when I send them out on an assignment. This is only because I stay so busy that if I have to monitor my students too closely… I might as well just do it myself. I don’t mean to sound cold, I’m not like that. Sometimes students come to me with little or no knowledge of photography and I am able to train them from the ground up. This scenario is what’s rewarding. I love to teach. But when it’s the middle of the semester and I have three events in one night I need photographers that know what they are doing.”

VS: Talk about the community of university photographers.

Radcliffe: “There is an awesome group of University Photographers. I belong to an organization called the University Photographers’ Association of America. We have members from as far away as Israel and Australia. Our annual symposium brings in some of the best photographers around, like Joe McNally. Also, held at the symposium are our annual Print and Publication Competitions.

Our very popular Monthly Image Competition is done completely online. The MIC is a GREAT way to see what others are up to and to showcase work that might otherwise go unseen. I really cannot say enough about this group of photographers. The listserv itself has saved me from disaster, provided a sounding board when I have a tough question and jokes to help pass the time. If you are involved with providing photography for your university or if you have an interest in university photography, student memberships are available for $25 and associate memberships for $35.”

VS: What advice do you have for students or other photographers who want to be university photographers?

Radcliffe: “Not all colleges and universities have fulltime photographers. If you are a student and your institution does, get in contact with that person or that office. If you have enough experience you might be put to work immediately. Many times this can count as a class credit if you are in the appropriate major. Even if your school does not have a fulltime shooter, get in touch with the marketing director, communications director, or the PR office. You might also try student life and housing. Those two areas usually have the budgets that might allow for some paid work. This also goes for the working freelancer. Another route would be your student government association as they always have things going on. Lastly, join UPAA and keep track of what we are up to. Oh, www.higheredjobs.com and create a profile to search for similar positions.”

EKU Offensive Lineman Andre Barbour demonstrates his pregame ritual for a feature article in the local newspaper, The Richmond Register. (Chris Radcliffe)

This is a photo that I did for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce at their newly renovated office in Frankfort. I had to photograph several members of their board of directors in a relatively small space. So, I brought out a 10-foot ladder to elevate my perspective. I used two White Lightnings with Pocket Wizard remotes and soft boxes on each side of the ladder. I dragged my shutter down to a 30th of a second, on 400 iso. I set my white balance to flash, just to warm it up a bit.

I scheduled this shoot about an hour and a half too soon because the sun was too much over head
and way too bright. So we hung out in the drive way for a while. Notice that my light was a
White Lightning 1600, with a big ole honkin’ beauty dish and a Vagabond battery to power it. I like leaving the
dish in my garage, because the dirtier and grimier that it gets the warmer the light is that comes from it.

I like using a fanny pack to hold an Ale-8 and a flash. Then I usually run two bodies. I hate having to
change lenses in the middle of a shoot.

I shot my first wedding that was solely with speed lights back in February. I’m pretty addicted to using my
White Lightnings, but I found that the speed lights, also known as on-camera flashes, were much
more convenient and light weight. They were especially nice for this outside shot that we did after the
ceremony in the dark. I over exposed the shot with my shutter speed so that the sky would burn in with
a pretty blue.

The Kenny Perry assignment was a whirl-wind, 36-hour round trip. I hadn’t flown with my camera equipment
since before 911. But it wasn’t to bad. Roller bags have come a long way. You couldn’t pay me to carry an actual
camera bag these days.

Events like this, football games, The Kentucky Derby, etc., can sometimes be tough on the back because
you have to pack so much equipment around your waist and on your shoulders.

This was the only major event that I’ve worked where the Will Call window was off site. I got there that morning,
through on all of my gear, and started walking toward the course, when I saw a course official driving a golf cart.
I stopped him and asked where Will Call was. He looked at me kind of funny and said, “Oh! It’s not here,
it’s over at Universal.”

Kenny Perry was great. He was just as nice as everyone said he would be.

I’ve decided that I’m going to create the ISO 640 Fan Club. I’ve just recently discovered the beauty of
ISO 640. It’s the most versatile ISO. It’s low enough that you can still use a flash with it, but it’s also
high enough to pull in a lot of available light at the same time. You can also achieve this by dragging your shutter,
but the extra sensitivity with ISO 640 allows you to keep your shutter on or around 125 and still keep the background.

I used the ISO 640 method to document Saint Joseph Hospital moving the Moms
and Babies from Saint Joseph East to their new Women’s Hospital. It allowed me to
capture the movement and keep the background from going dark.

I truly believe that photographers have the greatest job in the world. But sometimes we get so caught
up in our work that we forget to have fun. This was part of the electrical linemen series that I did for the
electric co-ops. I climbed on the truck with this lineman from Licking Valley RECC in West Liberty. I used
one hand to hold on to the auger so that I could lean out over the truck for a nice wide angle. It was fun!

My good friend Kellie Carter assisted me down in Somerset with the South Kentucky RECC lineman. We
had a couple of soft boxes setup on each side. I always try to use the sun as a legitimate light
source any time I can. The sun not only made a great light source for this shot, it also created
a beautiful blue sky as a background.

Same approach here with Clark Energy in Winchester. Two soft boxes on each side as fill light,
letting the sun do the rest of the work.

An example of my soft box set up.

This was a cool shoot. I got to hang out with UK President Lee Todd as he participated in
UK’s Mini Medical School program, a one day simulation of what it’s like to be a med student. On shoots like these,
try to blend in and shoot as much available light as I feel comfortable with. The light on this shot came
solely from the X-Ray light box.

I was really proud of this shot on Easter Sunday because I shot it with a Canon G10 point and shoot. It goes
to show that you don’t have to have a $2,000 camera to get a great shot! Yes, I was on macro.

I couldn’t have asked for anything better on my World Equestrian shoot. The rider and horse were fabulous,
and the light and weather were as if I had ordered them up.

Reese Koffler-Stanfield and her champion dressage horse, Kasper.

My motto with available light has always been, if you have it and it’s
good, then use it. If you have it and it’s not good, you better have a damn good Plan B.
I used my White Lightnings some on this job but it was mostly available light.

I did use a strobe on this shot to fill in the left side of her face.

Well kiss my ass. That’s the end of this blog!

-30-

I thought I would answer Wes Browne’s Listserv question about doing portraits in server room, by showing an example of my own. I did this photo back in the fall at Gray Construction in Lexington. This particular shot was actually a test shot that turned out to be an accident, because one of my lights didn’t fire. Here was my set up. I had a two White Lightnings positioned to the extreme left and right of the photo, triggered with Pocket Wizard remotes, and I had a Nikon SB26 speed light positioned behind the middle monitor with a green gel attached to it. I used a Bogen Justin Clamp to attach the speed light to the shelf behind the computer monitor.

The accidental part came when I forgot to turn my remote on the light at camera-right. So it didn’t fire. But it was a good accident because it made the photo much more dramatic. The light at camera left had a spot grid on it. A spot grid looks like a honey comb that used to choke the light down so that you can pin point your light where you want it, instead of spilling everywhere in places where you don’t want it. So the light at camera left lit the model’s face and part of his body, and if you notice it also added some light to the red chair behind the model.

But to me, what made this photo work so well was the green gel on the speed light. It added a touch of color to a high-tech situation. I later tried the same set up with the second light on (at camera right), but it provided too much light and took all the drama away from the photo.

As many of you know, I’m a shutter-speed junkie. I love controlling the available light with my shutter speed. I used a somewhat higher shutter speed of 125 to eliminate most of the available light.

www.wesbrownphotography.com

Downtown Richmond at Sunset

When photography is your J.O.B. it can be hard to convince yourself to make photos “just cuz.” This evening, I did. I’d been shooting a band in the studio and out in the rain for most of the day. I just got home… Natalie and Connor left… I went upstairs and crashed in the bed. I woke up a few minutes a later to an orange glow that fought its way through the curtains and into my bedroom. Against the wishes of my weary mind I flew out of bed, down the stairs and out the front door with camera in hand. A few snaps toward the sky later I decided I needed a more worthwhile scene. With few minutes before the sun was gone I parked my car at salon at the top of a hill on Main Street. I made about 10 or 12 exposures from the middle of the road but this was the first.

I’m not trying to pass this photo as a masterpiece. It is a reminder of the personal fulfillment that shooting for yourself can offer. No one paid me to take this photo. I’ll probably never see a dime for it. But, I felt like I had done something in those few minutes that revived my passion for my craft. It’s easy to get bogged down with assigned work. Too much of that and you can lose the inspiration and drive that makes you profitable as a professional. People pay my to be creative and innovative. If I don’t shoot for myself I can’t grow as a photographer.

Make photos because you want to and not only because you have to. If you have aspirations to make money in photography… you need to develop YOUR style. It will be a long (lifelong) and sometimes frustrating journey. The only way to find your photographic talent is to shoot… anything and everything.

Photography is a funny thing, you never quite know what your going to end up with, but you never come away empty handed. Most of the time what you have in your mind rarely is captured in a photograph; you have to adapt to the situation and make the best of what you get. Even if you don’t get that one stellar photograph you always gain experience, both photographically and for yourself.

This past weekend some of my fellow photo buddies and myself had the intentions to find and photograph an elk herd that is hidden deep in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky.  After driving a couple hours we grabbed our gear and set out to get those prefect photos; you know the one with the bull elk with his head held high, breath crystallizing in the cold air, beautiful light shining down making him look absolutely regal! Instead what we found was only evidence of elk and a hand full of these.

Me shooting in the wildlife area. Photo: Walt Howington

Wild horses. So I adapted to the situation. I asked myself what’s the next best thing than elk, my mind raced with other wildlife that would be much better to take photos of and then one of the horses looked up at me, and I froze for a second, our eyes locked.  A little breeze blew her ratty mane, some water had frozen to her back, and the overcast day created a beautiful soft light, it was simply beautiful. I regained myself and a “click click click” of the shutter captured the moment and emotion. I knew that at this one particular time, nothing could be more perfect!

After watching and photographing the horses, the stallion of the herd took interest in what we were doing and approached to take a closer look at us. The horse was curious about the lens! Photo: Walt Howington

Apparently these horses were abandoned some time ago and have been through several generations in this area. They roam where they want with no fences in sight, the stallion that came to check us out had several scars on his body, and all of their hair was matted and tangled.

We took our last photos of them and left them to continue grazing and doing whatever it is wild horses do.

So in the end we came back without even a sighting of an elk but adapted to the situation and came out with some great shots, and some great memories. It is important to remember that no matter what you do in life to make the best of what you have, and if you keep the attitude and put forth the effort you will never be disappointed! I will leave you with what I think is a very funny photo of the stallion who decided to come check us out standing next to me almost trying to see what it was I was looking at.