I recently decided to buy myself a full size dummy to able to learn and experiment more with different lights. Yes, she has in fact a name. I call her Dolly :-) Being an amateur as I am it´s not always easy to find real models out there so working with a dummy gives fantastic opportunities to try out new ideas and also to get some practice. I can do it in my own pace and she never gets tired or bored :-) And, how I love working with my Profoto B1 kit! Actually, all these test shots were done with a mix of both B1s and D1s in manual mode using the Canon TTL Air Remote. Super-easy, super-fast and fully compatible. On location outdoor the B1s are my number one choise but I also find them fantastic to use indoor in manual mode as well since I get rid of all coords and cables and they integrate very easy with my D1s.

My idea of the day was to try different things just using my standard Zoom reflectors with grids. I really appreciate working with grids as I can control the light spill on the background much better. Especially since I don’t have a fancy spacious studio of my own. I also combined with the Spot Small gear to create some special effects and played with a few gobos and color gels. I was truly amazed how fast I could try different combinations and that the Zoom reflector could be such a versatile tool. E.g. I found that using a grid directed slightly off the subject would create a very even and nice fall-off shadow. See picture lower left.

Anyway, I could really recommend using a dummy to experiment with different lighting techniques to improve on your photography. I also find it very useful to really get acquainted with all my gears and cameras in a non stressful environment. So, from this first session I will definitely continue trying my other light shaping tools one by one as well as in combination. More to come ....

I’ve always been fascinated by graffiti. Here is an outdoor shot using my new Profoto B1 kit in TTl mode. Two simple lights for this setup. Next time I will acquire a grid for my Magnum reflector to be able to control the light spill a bit more. Can´t wait to try that!

The Slussen area in Stockholm is about to be completely torn down and rebuilt and the old architecture will disappear. So, I was compelled to make a photo session out there to preserve some of that old location. Here is a shot I really enjoyed making using my Profoto B1 kit and Magnum reflector. I found it very easy to balance the ambient light in a simple manner. I made this shot with my good old friend Thomas.

Just starting off with my new Stockholm project. Here is a shot of Johanneshovsbron with my dad in the foreground. I absolutely love working with my Profoto B1 kit for this. So easy to use and so quick in getting that first shot. The stone pier and my father was in complete shadow after balancing the ambient light in the setting sun I used my Magnum reflector to mimic the sun and a Zoom reflector to light the trees in order to get this shot.... more to come!

I made a test of the new Profoto equipment the other day. What a joy! Very simple to set up and mount. Also, excellent build quality of both monolights, reflectors and soft boxes. I’m really pleased with this equipment so there will definitely be more to come …