PORTABLE STUDIO PORTRAITS in NAUXXl MAGAZINE with JEAN – YVES BLOT

I recently had the opportunity to photograph Jean Yives Blot, a french author and explorer of the seas. I created a mobile studio in Jean’s study; the location was very small and I had a little more then five minutes to get the shot, commissioned for Portuguese nautical lifestyle print magazine NAU21.
I kept it very simple: my backdrop had to be a solid black or grey backdrop and the briefing given to me by my editor was a studio type black and white portrait. It’s pretty straightforward so I used my portable Westcott 6×7 Blackwhite Collapsible Backdrop.

The advantages are many with this handy piece of gear:

• Two backdrops in one unique design;
• Collapses to 1/3 of its open size, making it perfect for on location shooting;
• Included travel case;
• Lifetime frame warranty.

I used a Profoto D1 Air 1000 for my main light source. I like the quality of light from the D1, plus they are quite compact and easy to travel with. I also used an adapter ring for Profoto, so that I could use the Westcott Pro 18″ x 42″ Bruce Dorn Asymmetrical Stripbank. This light shaping device is one of my kit favorites and here are a couple reasons why I like it so much:

• Gradual 3-stop fall, perfect for this type of portrait;
• The versatility to position vertically or horizontally;
• Can be used both as main & fill light;
• Great for working in tight spaces, which you can definitely see from my BTS iPhone pic.

I used my Canon 5D Mark II mounted with a 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens. My Tripod is Brian from the great folks at 3 Legged Thing, with an Air head. I love my 3LT gear; they are compact, lightweight and sturdy. Eeverything you want and need from a tripod.
Since this week I was not only limited for space but also for time, I decided to shoot directly to my Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB CF card, and downloading the files after via The ImageMate All-in-One USB 3.0 memory card reader. It offers the easiest, fastest USB connection to transfer data between your memory cards and your PC. An ideal accessory for professional photographers or just anyone who is frequently transferring multiple files to and from their mobile device. Compatible with a broad range of memory card formats, Supports MicroSD, SDHC™ and SDXC™ UHS-I performance, Designed for USB 3.0 interface and with transfer speeds up to 500MB/s.