NEW - Ken Gilbert

CHRISTINE BLACKBURNE, WWW.CHRISTINEBLACKBURNE.COM (ICE POPS)
Versatility is the
key for serious amateur
and beginning pro
shooters—versatility to explore
new forms of lighting across a
wider range of possible subjects,
from portraits to products (like
Christine Blackburne’s colorful
ice pops) and beyond. The upand-comer
could get a boost
from products such as…
nLIGHTS: F.J. WESTCOTT
TD3 ($420, street, with bulbs)
and TD5 ($650, street, with
bulbs) Spiderlite kits One of the
few lights that can actually be called
fun, the Westcott Spiderlites accept all
three popular light sources: tungsten,
compact fluorescent, and strobe. Not
the most precise option (the bulbs are
either on or they’re off) Spiderlites are
perfect for mixing and matching color
temperatures —exactly what we mean
by “versatility.” There’s even a battery
for off-grid location projects.
nMETER: GOSSEN
Digipro F flash and
ambient meter ($240,
street) offers a lot at this price
point. The industry’s only full-featured
meter that’s small enough to be stuffed
into a shirt pocket, it was designed
to be used single-handedly. It takes
incident or reflected readings of flash
or ambient light, with a digital and
analog readouts, ambient versus flash
analysis, programmable exposure
compensation, shadow versus
highlight latitude readouts, exposure
averaging, and cumulative multiflash
readings. A lot of meter for the money.
nREFLECTOR:
LASTOLITE TriGrip ($75,
READY WHEN YOU ARE: Lastolite’s
TriGrip reflector (A) is unusually
feature-packed. The Sunpak
DigitFlash 500 (B) provides a lotta light
in a thin package. Gossen’s Digipro F
meter (C) fits in a shirt pocket.
street) Like most nylon reflectors,
this collapses for easy transport.
Unlike most others, though, the
TriGrip offers a set of accessory
slip-on sleeves ($64, street),
and its built-in handle easily
enables single-handed use.
nCASE: TENBA’S
Roadie Rolling Grip
Case ($227, street)
A yard long, with built-in wheels
and a dual-mode rolling design,
this case can be pulled at ground
level on all four wheels or lifted for
rolling on two. It will accommodate
a tripod plus lightstands, with
pockets for smaller grip items.
nACCESSORIES:
lMANFROTTO AutoPole
2 kit ($380, street) Our favorite
background support can handle
up to three cored backdrops,
allowing you to raise and lower them
via color-coded pull chains—no
stepladder required.
lWESTCOTT’S
rentable backdrops
($49 per week, direct; www.
rentscenicbackgrounds.com)
They’re easy to hang from
your AutoPoles, or, less
expensively, on 3M adhesive
hooks via built-in grommets. With
over a hundred to choose from,
they range from realism to fantasy
to abstractions. If you develop a
special fondness for one, buy it
for between $120 and $150.
OPTIONS & UPGRADES:
lSUNPAK DigitFlash 500
($400, street) is a flat panel
flash well suited to working in small
spaces and is easy to pack up.
With a bright 500 Ws output and
proportional fluorescent modeling
light, the unit’s flash output can
be set from full to 1/32 power.
A relatively large light source, it
produces a very soft light
without the dimming effect
of a softbox.
FOR MIDLEVEL STUDIO SHOOTERS