Can anyone identify this video light?

[Todd Terry]

It’s really hard to tell because the shot is so fleeting/moving/blurry… but looks like it could be one of the little Frezzolini sun guns.

That certainly would be a wild choice for a wedding photographer (or any still photographer, really), but you sure can’t argue with his results… really beautiful images.

I wouldn’t get too obsessed with tracking down that exact same make/model of instrument. Any dimmable hard light source (open face, Fresnel, whatever) will give those same results.

It’s also interesting to see someone using hard light in a world where soft light is the king. Pretty pretty stuff.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Mike Thomas]

Thanks for the reply and the sun gun suggestion. I will look into those. Yes, that guy’s work is pretty amazing. He’s actually regarded as one of the best wedding photographers in the world. Someone else suggested Lowel lights which I’m looking into.

[Todd Terry]

Lowel tungsten lights are great… they will let you fry an egg almost anywhere (although Mark Suszko seems to be a huge Lowel fan).

I just don’t consider them very high-end instruments, and many models are a bit flimsy and do get very very hot.

Lowel does have a little hand-held LED instrument though. I haven’t seen it in person, but it looks cool.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Rick Wise]

Several things strike me about this guy’s photography that have little to do with a sun-gun:

–brilliant use of backgrounds and framing

–terrific ability to quickly pose/adjust subjects and at the same time get them to laugh or smile in convincing ways

–marvelous use of shallow depth of field

–superb post manipulation

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Todd Terry]

Totally agree. It ain’t the sun gun that’s making those pictures great.

I bet that guy could turn out equally brilliant stuff with a flashlight. Literally.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

I just now was able to view that video for the first time now end to end (just watched a couple of spots before).

I have never felt so inferior as a photographer in my life.

Besides using available light so brilliantly and posing and framing his subjects so beautifully, I think one of that photographer’s greatest skills is anticipating the exact millisecond when to snap. Even when his subjects make a “mistake” or can’t hold a pose, he knows when to click so that those become some of the most beautiful accidents you’ll want to see.

Pure genius.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Mike Thomas]

Yeah Todd, I wanted to kill myself the first time I saw his work. I’ve learned a lot from watching his videos. He actually teamed with Westcott and designed his own LED light called an Ice Light which is pretty sweet but pricey.

In response to Rick, I agree that the video light was not the most important element in the photo but on the other hand he would not have been able to make the photo quickly without the light. Although it was just a simple light setup it would have been much more difficult and time consuming to have done the same this using a flash unit. Thus my reason for wanting a video light!

[Rick Wise]

If you go all the way to the end of the video you are invited to go to his website, where he sells the “ice light” he designed and Westcott makes(available on both Amazon and B&H.) Very pricey: $500. Mostly rave reviews. Obviously he did not have one when making the shots in that video. I would imagine today that’s what he’d use since he designed the unit.

Also note the use of a flash for the very last photograph. After that, it’s hype.

You can also subscribe for a mere $300/year to his lessons. https://icesociety.com/plans

His page on gear is very, very interesting: https://icesociety.com/about/gear. Especially his story about why he abandoned Canon to go with Nikon (D3 then D4.)

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Mike Thomas]

I don’t think he would have used the Ice Light on that photo in question as that light puts off a much larger and softer light. They promote it as “having window light anywhere you go”. I’d like to have one but not for $500. I have a $25 Craftsman work light that’s of similar design that I plan to modify a bit to get similar results.

Not sure why you think his gear is interesting. It’s all pretty standard lens for wedding/portrait still photography. Thanks for the replies. I love this forum!

[Rick Wise]

About the gear: I did find it interesting that he bailed on Canon (which I own) for Nikon. As all photographers (film/video/still) will say, it’s not the camera, it’s the eye behind the camera. Having said that, there are cameras that make your work easier/more rewarding. For his reasons, it’s the latest Nikon. Given his remarkable photographs, I would respect that choice, though I would not rush out and buy his choice….

None of the pictures in his demo video appear to use the ice light. That came later and would appear to be a useful if expensive tool.

Your Craftsman version: an interesting possibility for the budget conscious. I cannot find anything about its photographic qualities. As is, it’s raw, but a bit of 215 or 216 or other diffusion would take care of that. There is always another and less expensive way, though sometimes it’s not quite so good. Much to be explored.

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com