Book Post 2 -Light Blaster
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Learn about my new book - Post 2
Chapter 6 - Body Contouring
and Gobos and the Light Blaster
buy the book on Amazon here
In my new book "Lighting Design for Commercial Portrait Photography", I cover a little about using Gobos and the amazing Light Blaster "strobe-based projector" system.
This is another fantastic item that you can use with your speedlights. They also have a new adaptor to use with strobes. I can't wait to try it out!
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Pictured here is the "star pattern" slide-gobo from the "Pro-Gobo Kit1STR"
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This is what the Light blaster looks like. It is the unit in the middle of what you see in this photo. You put your own lens on the front and your speedlight on the back. Inside the Light Blaster there is a place to put a slide-like gobo (you can even use an actual slide).
Here is the set-up for the nudes I decided to try with the Light Blaster. The only other source of light I had was a strip-light to help fill in the face of the model.
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They have some fantastic patterns to play with and I love the fact that you can use slides or even make your own. The Light Blaster is basically a projector, but instead of having to plug something in to an electrical outlet, it is fully portable and takes no power. It is very light weight, maybe 8oz.
As you can see below, depending on how you position the model and the Light Blaster, the pattern can take on a very different feel. I used a 28-105 lens and zoomed to a place where the pattern of stars fit on the model's body like a canvas. Then focused the lens to it's sharpest point so the pattern was sharp. It's basically painting with still flashes of light. AMAZING!
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Below I used one of the backdrop gobo slides from the Creative Backdrop Kit. These can be use as portable backdrops behind a subject too. I again choose to use it on the body of my model like a painting. This was an orange and yellow scene of planets in space, (Image artwork by Phyllis Wirick)
There are endless gobo patterns to use. Below is one that mimics a very Film Noir look of light coming through blinds. And one like tree branches. Both just beautiful. Both from the Pro Kit. You can learn more about how to light with Gobos in my book in Chapter 6.
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