External light sources, Grace and some balloons...

Ohh how I love clouds. They make portraiture so much easier. The diffused lighting is probably my favorite type of light (second to golden evening light you get from typical sunsets). This evening was one of those classic cloudy evenings in Malibu, where the light was even and the clouds glowed perfectly as sun rays dashed between them. It was a perfect opportunity to photograph Grace...and so I did. Along with some balloons.

Now I've always advocated shooting portraits with nothing but natural light, something I'm very loyal about doing. But most recently, I've been experimenting with external light sources and have grown quite fond of being able to directly control my light source.

The challenges of shooting in the field with an external light source (not flashes) makes photography much more fun for me. Of course, taking studio equipment into the field and finding electricity to fuel the lights is no longer a problem. Thanks to portable power sources. Thanks to the Vagabond Portable Power Units I can use a strobe anywhere in the field.

I've actually gotten quite creative with how I direct light. From bending umbrellas, to mounting a strobe on a monopod and having an assistant hold it up at precise locations, it's made photography much more fun.

For years, I've had studio lights but portable power has allowed me to expand my creative abilities.  Photographing Grace tonight I used an 800w AlienBee with Vagabond power, and of course some balloons.

Here are the results: