Holga + Vivitar 285 = ?
May 07, 2008 11:00 AM Filed in: Photography | Cameras
By Robert LachmanWhen is simple better? This is an example of simple lighting with an inexpensive strobe. This portrait of actor Neil Patrick Harris was photographed by me the for the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. The lighting setup was simple: one Vivitar 285HV ($90) off camera on a stand with a light orange gel and a small snoot on the strobe to narrow the light beam. It's nice to focus the light into a smaller beam. I used a Holga, a $29 camera, shooting ISO 400 Kodak 120 film. What look like a second light is just the blue cast of the background fill from the shady balcony. I only shot every other frame on this film which gave me the dark edges left and right when I scanned the negative. The vignette is caused by the low tech quality of the Holga camera with the plastic lens. Ok I did use a a Pocket Wizard radio remote to set off the strobe. I could have use a sync cord. Just an example of old school mixing with the new school digital age.
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