Dell Computer featured a continuous light studio for BILD attendees to shoot under continuous light furnished by B&H’s Gradus Group. Dell supplied models and a dedicated makeup artist who worked where everyone could watch. After shooting, photographers could work on their images on Dell workstations or laptops. Their results became large color prints made with a Canon Image Prograf 2100 printer. Dell also committed more than half of the thirty-by-forty-foot space to the photography studio.
The photography industry came back to New York City’s Javits Center under the watchful eye of B&H Photo Video. Companies from the best-known camera and lens makers to providers of digital tools — software, hardware and storage — had their latest wares on display for photography enthusiasts who had suffered since the demise of Photo Plus in 2019.
New York and the Northeastern United States have suffered from a lack of trade shows for the photographic industry. Judging by the interest of the number of photographers and photo enthusiasts I saw at the event, lots of people wanted to bathe in the rain of a new expo along with classes to up their photo skills.
Shooting tethered
My job was to set up the studio, light it and encourage attendees to jump in with their cameras to shoot. I shot with my Canon R5 and a Sigma Art 24 to 105mm f/4.0 lens tethered to a Dell Precision 7680. My work was displayed on a pair of large monitors for attendees to see the images as I made them. I processed my 48 MB images directly on this powerful laptop and then handed them off to be printed.
Lighting and grip
Not only did B&H create the BILD Expo 2023, their team at the Gradus Group also supplied everything for the studio in the Dell booth. The concept was to make the models accessible to all of the attendees to photograph. That meant using continuous light.
Hot lights
In the past, continuous lighting meant using incandescent, tungsten or HMI lights that put out a lot of heat. Tungsten and HMI bulbs are costly, use a lot of power and generate a lot of heat. That’s where the name “hot light” comes from. It was very uncomfortable for models to sit under them for long periods. Still photography eventually moved to the much more powerful and a whole lot cooler electronic flash systems. The burst of flash is so short and bright that small apertures provide loads of depth of field became the standard for non-motion photography.
Still cameras that make movies
Today, cameras once used only to take still pictures have become high-quality motion picture cameras whose files can rival the ones coming out of Hollywood professional cameras. Continuous light has moved back into vogue. LED lights make it practical and affordable. Now, working with close to wide-open apertures offers still photographers abilities to separate the focus of the subject from having a super sharp background.
Working with ambient light in the hall
The Jacob Javits North Expo Hall is lit with high-powered close-to-daylight lamps in the ceiling. That provided the overall ambient illumination.
The LED lights used in the Dell Studio directed attention to the models and the background too.
Lastly, the main light was a Genaray Endeavor ML-33K Daylight monolight with an Impact 22? beauty dish placed about 3 feet from the model. It was on a turtle base light stand with an Impact Boom Arm to extend the dish directly in front of the model.
A Timpani2 LED provided fill on the shadow side. The Luxli Taiko 2×1 light added color to some of the shots.
The highlights on the opposite side of the model were created with a Genaray Endeavor ML-33K Daylight monolight in an Angler BoomBox strip softbox with a grid. This light put highlights on the model’s hair.
The background was an Impact Reversible Muslin Background (Stone Blue/Nickel, 10 x 24?) supported with a pair of Impact Link Air-Cushioned Light Stands with an Impact Heavy-Duty 9? Adjustable Background Crossbar (Black.)
I made this picture just after the show closed and the overhead lights were turned off. The only light is from the beauty dish. Meanwhile, the background light is a Luxli Cello² 10? On-Camera RGB LED Light Panel Kit (with 4-Leaf Barndoors) powered by an NP-style battery.
One of the Timpani2 LEDs provided light for the makeup artist preparing each model’s look. Bright light the same color as the light used to photograph the model is really important to the success of the look. I always have the MAU look at the initial pictures and make changes. Then the photography begins.
A complete list of the lighting and grip equipment is at the end of this post.
Opening photo notes
I lit the opening photo with the Luxli Taiko 2 by 1 foot RGB LED panel. This light and its little sibling the Timpani2, can make any color in the visible spectrum of colors. I chose the digital version of red on the Taiko. Since the ambient light was daylight, it mixed with the red to make a dark pink tone. My aperture was wide-open. The focus is on Aline’s hands. Her eyes are slightly soft. They add to the mystical feeling of her pose.
