"Extreme" flash photography

[Benny Profane]

Sorry about that extreme thing, but, they used it in this blog. Still, pretty cool, and difficult conditions to drag a pro setup into. Nice results. Check out the photographer's website.

http://www.profoto.com/blog/sports-p...ichael-muller/

[Hott Butt Mud]

I like that style. Seems somewhat HDR'ish as well.

[hafilax]

It's so surreal that it looks like it was done with a green screen.

[grskier]

It's so surreal that it looks like it was done with a green screen.

Or that they are some other image, not a 'photo'

[single]

That looks like a lot of effort

[time2clmb]

i think they look great. Most definately "photos", probably better than what alot of detractors can pull off.

[sklar]

kind of cool, good results, but it's really not anything new

[time2clmb]

^yeah reminds me of those stock athlete shots you see standing on a sports field with some what dark back grounds and clouds with them totally popping off the shot from the flash.

[Gunder]

I dont see anything ground breaking there that has not already been done for years at this point.

[single]

Yeah, I think this strobist thing is going to be not so cool in a few years. Feel selective color/hdr to me. But a lot of people love that stuff.

This is great product photography I think, but I don't like it.

[Hugh Conway]

This is great product photography I think, but I don't like it.

That about sums it up. As well as the rest of the fake light movement. It's the Ed Hardy of lens work. Really popular... for no reason.

[Benny Profane]

"Fake light movement"???

Um, "fake" has been around since electric bulbs. Strobes since the fifties.

I was impressed with the setting. It's not everyday a photog shoots on a windy snow covered high altitude slope with strobes and models. Not easy.

[systemoverblow'd]

It's not everyday a photog shoots on a windy snow covered high altitude slope with strobes and models. Not easy.

Actually, it does happen pretty much every day.

[single]

"Fake light movement"???

Um, "fake" has been around since electric bulbs. Strobes since the fifties.

I was impressed with the setting. It's not everyday a photog shoots on a windy snow covered high altitude slope with strobes and models. Not easy.

First off, I totally agree that this guy is putting a shit ton of work into these images, and that is definitely interesting to see. I like the behind the scenes shots more than I like the finished product actually.

I think that by "fake light movement" Hugh doesn't mean fill flash or journalistic use of a flash bulb, but the strobist style of using artificial light. Or essentially creating hyper realistic lighting conditions in a normal (non studio) environment. If you search the strobist tag on flickr, there is a ton of this stuff. Usually with a series of 580ex's and alien bees showcasing some indie hardcore band in a field next to an old truck, or some clapped out import tuner in the basement of a parking garage.

It's basically creating a lighting condition that doesn't exist in real life, i.e. the photos above.

In my opinion, if you can tell that artificial lighting is being used (especially for work like this), you are doing it wrong. The exception to that would be in journalistic applications where you have no choice but to add light on the fly to a scene that you otherwise couldn't shoot.

I think I started realizing this when I saw this technique applied to wedding/engagement photography. I think that if wedding photogs are doing it, you know it's over (and was a bad idea in the first place). Selective color, tilt shifting images in post, now excessive strobes. My cousin had her engagement shoot done at Disneyland in full on 1pm light. The guy had so many flashes, you can't see a shadow in the image. They loved it, but in twenty years it's gonna look ridiculous.

But my opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it.

[buildakicker]

I dig this stuff.

Sending it from NorCal

[kidwoo]

That about sums it up. As well as the rest of the fake light movement. It's the Ed Hardy of lens work. Really popular... for no reason.

HDR man ass and chicks in rando gaiters.

What's not to like?

[Hugh Conway]

HDR man ass and chicks in rando gaiters.

What's not to like?

You forgot shooting right next to lifts but using camera angles to suggest it's wild mountaints

[kidwoo]

haha! totally missed that.


Maybe that's the extreme part. They left the groomer. You can tell by the lack of eyewear, it's nasty out there.