Shooting with Constant Lights on Location

It’s that time of year again when the days are shorter and the nights are longer.

Autumn, for me, signifies a time to slow down and to work on projects that I want to work on. For the last couple of years, my favourite personal shoots have usually been shot September through to November but, when I first started in photography, I would dread this time of year. Most of my work was on location and so I was having to cram shoots into the few hours of daylight we had and just hoping that it didn’t rain.

More recently, however, I’ve made it my objective to learn more about using artificial lighting so that this dilemma isn’t so bad for me, and in today's shoot I’m heading out with long time collaborator, July 7, to test the new Nanlite Alien panel light.

I'll also be using Nanlite's Forza 60C, which is a light that I've been using for a long time now, and has long been one of my favourite lights to use.

The Alien 150c, one of there more recent releases, is particularly impressive to me. Not only is the light incredibly powerful but it also has a wide colour temperature range, including RGB and HSI options. It can be powered both through the mains and by battery (I'm using these NEEWER V Lock batteries to power it) which means you can shoot it inside the studio or in location, just like in this shoot. A bonus point, especially over this time of the year, is that the light is also weatherproof, making it a great option for on-location shooting regardless the time of the year.

We shot three different set-ups on this shoot. The first one was just before it got dark, making use of golden hour and the reflections on the water.

I decided to set the light to RGB and utilise a strong red to contrast the blues and yellows in the scene. We shot on a mixture of mediums, both digital and film, using the Sony a7iv for digital photography and the Pentax 67 loaded with some Cinestill 800T for the film shots.

I’m a particular fan of how the Cinestill 800T rendered the colours in these shots. The blues of the environment are more prominent because of the Cinestill characteristics, which makes the red look even more vibrant.

On a couple of the film shots, you can also see the halation around the reds, which adds an extra element of interest.

The real test for the Alien was when we moved onto our second set-up, once the sun had completely set. I placed the Alien behind a tree to backlight July, and the power of the light did not disappoint. Although we used the Forza 60C as a fill light to add some extra interest, the Alien was by far powerful enough for us to have used on its own. I love the way that the light hits the leaves on the tree and illuminates the grass, creating somewhat of an other worldly vibe.

For the final look, we headed to a bus stop where we would shoot a few stills as well as a short acoustic set. One of my favourite things about working with constant light is the ease to be able to switch between photo and video. For me, it makes it much more favourable than shooting with strobes.

Now that I've sat with this shoot for a little while, there are definitely things that I would do differently with some of the lighting set-ups and the way that we shot it, but that's one to trial in the new year.

If you're interested in more information about this shoot, including some of the behind the scenes footage, you can watch my full video here: