It’s hard to find good help these days.
Speedlights? Monolights? Powerpack setups? So many ways to go strobes, so little time. Let’s talk about options for flash photography on-location shooting band promos.
Hi Todd,
I really enjoy your website and all the info you provide other photographers. I do have a question though. I was asked recently to do a promo shot for a local band, and have been doing some research on some lighting. I’m trying to decide whether getting a set of Alien Bees or just some hotshoe flashes (Nikon SB-600s) would best suit what I’m trying to achieve.
Thanks!
Julie
Hi Julie, thanks for the question. There are a few different options for portable lighting when it comes to location shoots, and each have their own pros and cons. Let’s take a look at the main options for on-location lighting for band promos.
Speedlights
Speedlights (or Speedlites) are familiar to most photographers simply as hotshoe flashes, and offer a great entry into multi-light setups with high portability and low-cost.
While small external flashes have been around for decades, what sets the current generation apart is wireless flash triggering by IR, allowing the use of multiple remote flashes set and controlled by a commander unit. Better yet, the output can be controlled via TTL metering in up to three groups, which makes on-the-fly use dead simple.
Pros:
- Built-in TTL wireless control from major manufacturers
- Relatively cheap
- Small, ultra-portable
- No cables
- Powered by AA batteries
Cons:
- Powered by AA batteries
- Relatively low-power
- Longer recycling times, especially at full power
- Limited support for specialized light modifiers
- Limited flexibility/reliability with built-in wireless triggering system
- Limited number of flash groups via TTL control
Powerpack and Heads Flashes
Pack-and-head flash setups are a system of individual flash heads powered and controlled by a centralized battery unit, called a powerpack. The flash heads themselves are essentially just the flash units and a cooling fan, while flash output for the individual units is controlled manually on the powerpack itself, rather than each head. Elinchrom, Speedotron, and Dynalite are a few examples of common pack-and-head manufacturers.
Pros:
- Lots of power
- Abundant availability of light modifiers
- Centralized controls for flash output
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
- Lack of TTL support
- Requires tethered shooting via a sync-cable or wireless triggering
- Bulky and cabled powerpack system
Monoblocks
Monoblocks, or monolights, are similar to a powerpack system, but possess some key differences. Unlike pack-and-head units, monoblocks are decentralized. Each flash unit is self-contained in that it can be plugged directly into AC without the need for an independent power source. Used on location, units are plugged into a battery pack, making them more similar to powerback systems in practice.
In addition, monoblocks feature independent power settings for flash output on the units themselves, rather than on a powerpack. Elinchrom, Alien Bees, White Lightning, and Bowens are popular example of monoblocks.
Pros:
- Lots of power
- Abundant availability of light modifiers
- Independent unit that can be plugged directly into AC
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
- Decentralized controls for flash output
- Lack of TTL support
- Requires tethered shooting via a sync-cable or wireless triggering
- Bulky and cabled battery system when used on-location
Deciding on a System
For many, the biggest distinction between using speedlights or packs/monoblocks is a tradeoff between power and simplicity.
Speedlights offer a great entry into location lighting due to their high level of portability and easy-to-use wireless controls, all at a relatively low price point. The biggest point against them, in my book, is their lack of power when stacked against dedicated studio strobe models.
Power vs Portability
Ultimately, the issue of power is going to limit the flexibility of your lights. While speedlights offer more than enough power for most indoor and nighttime shoots, while the sun is up, small battery-powered flashes may be underpowered for the job. This point is particularly true with the use of light modifiers; the softer and more diffuse the lighting, the less efficiently you’ll be using the flash output.
The relatively low power of speedlights can be overcome in part by using multiple flashes per effective lightsource, but of course this requires multiple units and starts to negate the low cost, simplicity, and portability of small flashes.
For larger strobe units like powerpack systems and monolights, you’re going to get a several-stop advantage in terms of being able to stop down and cut daylight over speedlights. This difference is going to mean more creative control over ambient light and/or the ability to stop down. The downside, as stated above, is a more complicated system that requires tethered shooting to the power supplies – one or more battery packs.
Light Modifiers
In addition, a very important distinction between speedlights and the dedicated strobe options is the availability of light modifiers. While this gap is slowly closing, the range of light modifiers for speedlights much more limited than the selection for the larger strobe units. This deficit is particularly true of more specialized accessories that are tailored to the size and power scale of small flashes. Beauty dishes and softboxes
Lighting and Music Photography
So, music photographers: What kind of lights do you use for location lighting, and why? What swayed you to one system or another, or do you mix and match?
In the second part of this Q&A, I’ll explain the system of flashes that I use and how they work for me in my portait work.
This entry was posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 11:36 pm and is filed under Letters, Photography Tutorials and tagged with flash, music, music photography, photographer, photography, promos, strobist. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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I use Nikon gear so I have a bank of SB800 and 600′s which I use all the time. In the rare case I am in the studio then I go for Bowens Gemini monoblocks, simply because that is what is there.
On-location shooting is best suited to the use of speedlights because of the portability, quite often you’re scrabbling around warehouses or industrial yards (well if you shoot the metal boys that’s all they ever want) and lugging a battery pack and monoblocks is totally impractical.
Hey Andy,
Thanks for the input. As the whole strobist movement shows, I think many would agree with you about the portability of speedlights going a long way. Myself, I love going wireless – with regard to power and triggering – with speedlights. Quick to setup, quick to tear down.
Why your pictures looks plastic?
Are you using denoise software alot? I mean, i really like your pics, but the plastic look is awful.
Hi Adrian,
You can read about what I do – and don’t do – with regard to processing for noise here. More than anything, what you’re seeing is probably due to resizing.
Hi Todd,
I always use a single SB-800 fired by a PocketWizard through a reflective white umbrella or directly (Example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/konzertfoto-faq/3301217025/). Not really rocket science but lightweight and quickly set up. Saving time is the most important thing for me, since the artists often do not have much time. Shooting in 3mins is normal, so i want to have set up the lighting in 3mins, too.
Greets,
Peter.
Hey Peter,
Thanks for your thoughts here, I appreciate it. (Nice shot of Jason Mraz, too!) With shooting times that quick, speedlights definitely seem like the perfect fit for a simple, lightweight setup.
Speedlights, monoblocks, and powerpack systems, oh my. Q&A on different types of flash units for band promos, pros/cons: http://is.gd/wOmy
This is a really great breakdown, Todd. Another cool resource of gear that I think it really difficult to understand at first.
I am all about speedlights due to their ease of use. A few light stands, a couple of flashes in your backpack, and there you have a pretty basic setup for shooting with Nikons CLS system…
Hey Keith, thanks for adding to the discussion. It’s hard to argue with the simplicity of speedlights, that’s for sure.
Great article Todd.
I think like everything else in life it all depends on the situation, and your available resources.
Ideally you would be able to have at your disposal both systems (speedlites or powerpack/mono) depending on the given subject/time frame. Most of us however aren’t fortunate enough to be able to afford both types of systems, so it really is a matter of what is your budget and/or what do I shoot the most of?
Obviously if you shoot a ton of shows, and very little portraiture the speedlite setup is probably going to server you well.
If on the other hand you shoot a ton of staged portraiture/fashion/commercial, then investing in a mono/powerpack setup is probably a good idea (this is of course not to say you can’t get good results using speedlites…we all know that is not the case). That setup would probably give you the most control, and options.
Great discussion topic! Keep it up.
Hey Kevin,
Awesome input, I think your breakdown is very accurate – it really does depend on the situation, both of the photographer and the shoot. Ultimately, there’s no arguing with the last point you bring up: mono/powerpacks will give one the most control and options. And if photography is all about light, that’s really key.
I shoot a speedlight setup now, but I am considering going to a dual setup sometime in the future.
I use both, SB800/900 and AlienBees. A lot of times I would use the Bees as key and SBs as background/separation. On thing that is a concern of mine is that ABs need that power pack. Sometimes it’s not very reliable, especially in cold weather. AA batteries for SBs are easier to come across where ever you shoot. I do tend to shoot more during evenings, night, and indoors.
Hey Mike,
Thanks for sharing your setup. Good point about the reliability of batteries in cold weather, though AAs aren’t immune to this, either. They are, however, easier to stick in your pocket to warm up.
Are you triggering the AB/speedlight setup through radio triggers?
Great post Todd, been off for a bit shooting the bread and butter folks so I have no stopped in in a bit.
I am more of a Zack Arias 1 light follower, I tend to enjoy the simplicity of that approach myself even for other forms of photography.
I use speedlights mostly, although now I am considering an Alien Bee/Vagabond approach.
Can’t ever have too much light I suppose.
Great post :)
Hey Rene,
Great to hear from you, thanks for taking time to join in the discussion. I haven’t gotten too much into the one-light approach, but I’ve heard great things about that workshop/DVD. I’ll have to check it out more in depth – Zack does fantastic work.
Todd,
I usually trigger one of the lights with a radio remote and the rest use the build in optical eye. Both AB and SB have them. When using only SBs, I use the build in IR triggers, but in manual mode. I don’t fully trust/understand TTL, one day perhaps. :)
Thanks for the follow up, Mike.
Your timing on this was perfect — I just got a portable power pack for my Alien Bees and about to take them outside for a promo shoot.
Do you go with the correct exposure for ambient lighting or underexpose a bit for bluer skies? I think someone once told me for the dramatic dark sky effect you underexpose the background two stops, but was curious about the brighter look you do.
I also experimented a bit last weekend with setting up a light in a local venue, but as my choice of set up was limited, had to settle for one light in the back corner of the stage. With somewhat mixed results…
Hey Diana,
With regard to exposure, you can achieve deeper skies through exposure. I generally go for one-stop under. The lead image shows something around a 1 to 1.5-stops underexposure for the ambient lighting.
For a brighter look, one-stop underexposure or less will do the trick. Also, the look of the sky will depend on which direction you’re shooting in relation to the sun. Shooting with the sun at your back will give deeper, bluer skies.
What flash system do you for location portrait shoots? Speedlights, monolights, or powerpack + heads? Have your say: http://is.gd/wOmy
Thanks for posting my question. This was really helpful. I’m looking forward to the second half.
Hey Julie, thanks for the good question. I’ll be detailing the flash gear I use in the next Q&A piece.
[...] lighting for this was a combination of speedlights and monoblocks: 1 Alien Bees AB800, 3 Nikon SB-600s, triggered by a Nikon SB-900 via CLS as well as a PC sync cord [...]
Hi. This info is really helpful. Where can I find the second part of this Q&A, where you explain the system of flashes that you use and how they work in portrait shots?
Thanks!
@theroccshow RT MrGates_NotBill: "jus passin thru if u c somethin u like speak up" lol> stewie !!! http://sig.es.st/dV1hX