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Archive 2015 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?

  
 
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


Is anyone using the Lowel GL-1 for first dances / exits specifically? This is one of the areas we struggle with in getting consistent and -interesting- light. So often the ambient light changes drastically for the first dance and we end up with better shots of the parents dancing than the couple because we're tweaking settings half of the dance.

It would be amazing if we could just have repeatable results, throw a light on a monopod and have WYSIWYG results. Even if I didn't use it for portraits or anything else, I feel like that would be worthwhile...

Anyone using it for those things and have some examples? Would love to see!



Apr 06, 2015 at 05:44 PM
mikethevilla
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


I know a few photographers who use one, but I'm not sure why to be honest.

I would so much rather use a flash. Just as repeatable, remotely adjustable, more options for lighting (power + modifiers), less conspicuous, able to use multiple at once, cheaper....

If you REALLY need to see your light, these new-fangled digital cameras let you take a photo and then instantly see it on your screen! But after shooting so many weddings (likely less than you), I've found that I'm almost always where I need to be lighting-wise after the first shot.

The only real use I can see for those constant lights would be to aid autofocus, but otherwise they don't really make much sense to me.

Perhaps someone can explain to me why these (rather pricey) hot lights are so rad?



Apr 06, 2015 at 05:52 PM
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


I think the issue I run into is that I don't like the way -safe- light looks generally. So I make things harder for myself and I struggle to find a good balance between ambient and flash where it's not over the top and it's not boring... Really I'd make things a lot easier on myself if I just went with a little safer lighting. And then I get it right but half the time one person's face is casting a shadow on the other person's face, etc and I hate that even more than I hate boring flat safe light.

Some venues are super easy and then some are a freaking nightmare.

Just curious people's experience with powerful hot lights. I did a 20's themed event late last year where I brought in a dozen really old fresnel lights 1000W and 2000W, four for the dance floor, some on the cakes, some outside on a red-carpet-experience sort of thing... And that was really easy to work with... but those were awfully heavy and required a cargo van to rent and a whole day prior to rig up.

Realistically I should just have my assistant stand behind me with a flash on a monopod up high, and have a couple of accent light flashes at a lower power, maybe with a little color added if appropriate... That's what I -should- probably do.



Apr 06, 2015 at 05:59 PM
IrishDino
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


Too much money for what it is. I ended up going with a LED light for 1/4 the price. I really only use it for details and outdoor portraits.


Apr 06, 2015 at 06:03 PM
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


I have also seen videographers just put a couple of small LED lights on small stands on the front corners of the dance floor... and that doesn't look bad either and lets you capture ambient light too...

Too many options to choose from lol



Apr 06, 2015 at 06:05 PM
Michael Beard
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


Good, I'm not the only person that sometimes ends up with parent dances looking better than the couple


Apr 06, 2015 at 08:54 PM
BigIronCruiser
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


I've used a GL-1 on a few occasions, both indoors and outdoors. It's pretty blinding, so best used in short spurts. If you're interested, you can see Andy Marcus using one at about 24 minutes into

" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">this video.



Apr 06, 2015 at 10:10 PM
rondphoto
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


I've used the GL1 for first dances. I've also lit the dancefloor with other Lowel hotlights for the first dance. I got a lot of shit on here for it and don't feel like redefending myself. If you want to FB msg me, I'll get into it more specifically.


Apr 07, 2015 at 09:36 AM
IrishDino
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


Well undeniable fact is that constant lights (and even flash sometimes) are very annoying as a guest during something intimate like a ceremony or first dance.


Apr 07, 2015 at 10:20 AM
rondphoto
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


ZachOly wrote:
Well undeniable fact is that constant lights (and even flash sometimes) are very annoying as a guest during something intimate like a ceremony or first dance.


And my response is always the same. What's even more annoying? The copious amounts of guests using their point and shoot cameras with flash during the ceremony or guests holding up their ipads for video.



Apr 07, 2015 at 10:37 AM
BSPhotog
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


rondphoto wrote:
And my response is always the same. What's even more annoying? The copious amounts of guests using their point and shoot cameras with flash during the ceremony or guests holding up their ipads for video.


I think the idea of hot lights are probably very different in practice than in theory for people like myself who haven't used them in a real live setting. It is a bit like my X100s--I thought that I'd only ever use the OVF and never the EVF or, god forbid, the LCD on the back. Yeah, that OVF is dumb in practice and almost never gets used. I don't understand the GL-1, but clearly you're getting some good stuff out of it.



Apr 07, 2015 at 10:43 AM
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


So I decided I should take my own advice. I picked up some Honl Photo Speed Straps, Grids and Gels so that I can better control my lights (I had the MagMods and sold them, too bulky for my taste and don't easily fit in my bags with that huge rubber mould sticking out on each side)...

Next wedding I'm going to have my assistant hold a speedlight a little to camera-left or camera-right and up high on a monopod and then I'm going to have an angled back light for a little rim... and maybe I'll use just a touch of fill flash. That should allow me to get repeatable results in any venue and with the right ratios should still give me some drama without the variable of undesirable shadows and without the complete boring look of on-camera flash alone.



Apr 07, 2015 at 12:51 PM
S-Man23
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


Out of curiosity what trigger system are you using Kurtis?


Apr 07, 2015 at 02:50 PM
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


PW Flex for Nikon SB-910s


Apr 07, 2015 at 02:50 PM
XPO239
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


The problem with continuous light for things like first dance, cake cutting, etc, is that Uncle Bob will have the same quality of light. I'd prefer strobes more because it gives you light that no one else would be able to get if they're trying to take pictures. You can also freeze the action better with strobes.

Are your profoto's not doing the job?



Apr 07, 2015 at 04:50 PM
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


XPO239 wrote:
The problem with continuous light for things like first dance, cake cutting, etc, is that Uncle Bob will have the same quality of light. I'd prefer strobes more because it gives you light that no one else would be able to get if they're trying to take pictures. You can also freeze the action better with strobes.

Are your profoto's not doing the job?


I don't use my Profoto lights for weddings. Too big, too heavy, too expensive to chance some idiot knocking over a stand and I don't feel like lugging C-Stands and sandbags into venues.

It's also big time overkill on power, unless you're shooting at f/8 and up maybe.



Apr 07, 2015 at 04:52 PM
XPO239
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


I'm using the sb-900 and it's been working great for me. Are you finding that it's not recycling fast enough? What are you finding that's not consistent with your 910?


Apr 07, 2015 at 06:05 PM
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


XPO239 wrote:
I'm using the sb-900 and it's been working great for me. Are you finding that it's not recycling fast enough? What are you finding that's not consistent with your 910?


I've had the 910s since my 900s were stolen along with a ton of other gear in my ThinkTank in the trunk during an engagement at a carnival - insurance replaced with the newer models.

The issue isn't the SB-900s not recycling fast enough, it's just that the way I've been setting them up it takes me too long to get the settings just where I like them because I make it more complicated than it needs to be and try to use off-axis OCF as my key, which leads to sometimes undesirable results.

Being a little more methodical and keeping the key on-axis should solve my problems, in theory.



Apr 07, 2015 at 06:27 PM
Steve Tinetti
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Lowel GL-1 for First Dances? Exit?


I've had the same problem and it seems we are not alone. I've finally gone to setting my camera for 1 stop under ambient with a shutter speed that will stop action. On-camera TTL and two OCF set on TTL -1 to match ambient. I try to keep them behind me, but sometimes shoot into the lights and for those I go manual flash and tweak as I go. Better than uncle bob, but safe enough to have something they will like. I also have my second shooter shoot safe on-camera bounce flash only.


Apr 08, 2015 at 10:22 AM





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