Magmod Professional Strobe Kit XL (English)

Photo shoot with the Magmod Professional Strobe Kit XL as light shaper

“Finally available, a Magmod with Bowens mount!”

Magmod's light shapers are part of (many) photographers' daily setup. These universal add-ons are suitable for universal flash units for both rectangular and round flash heads (Magmod 2).

The success of these light shapers are mainly due to the ability to quickly install / remove accessories such as a grid, a diffuse, sphere or snoot by means of magnets. Many wedding photographers always have them with them.

A product engineer at the Magmod company must have thought of making an XL version with Bowen's mount. It is now available. Other mounts such as for Profoto can be ordered separately.

The Dutch importer Disnet sent me a copy of the Magmod Professional strobe kit XL a few weeks ago and asked me to test the product. As a portrait and fashion photographer, I use various light modifiers in my daily work. So I was very curious in which circumstances I could best use the Magmod Professional strobe kit XL.

Contents of the XL Kit

In a beautiful printed cardboard box you will find a sturdy cylindrical carrying case with the following parts.

• A collapsible XL reflector

• A magsphere (a soft white sphere in soft white transparant rubber)

• Two rubber grids. (angle of 40° and 20°)

• 3 CTO gels (1/1, 1/2 and 1/4). (no CTB gels)

Each part feels very sturdy and professional. It is therefore not surprising that this product is aimed at both professional and amateur photographers.

The carrying case has a clickable strap at the back so you can attach it for example to a tripod. However, there is no handle, but you could attach a carrying strap (not included).

The collapsible reflector has a silver coating.

A 20° and 40° rubber grid are part of the package.

The 3 CTO gels fit together. You will find a 1/1, 1/2 and 1/4 gel in the box.

Dimensions:

All parts together (with the collapsed reflector) measure approximately 21 cm high and fit perfectly in the supplied cylindrical bag.

With the reflector unfolded, we measure approximately 28 cm

The three supplied CTO gels in hard plastic fit perfectly in the folded reflector.

The CTO gel placed (here a 1/1) in the reflector

The grids (made of rubber) are easy to apply magnetically

You can magnetically attach the Magsphere on top of the grid.

Light output:

The basic part, the XL reflector, is made of plastic and has a silver coating on the inside. At first glance, this seems to reflect a little less compared to a standard metal reflector. I was therefore curious about the light output of this light shaper. Mounted on a Godox AD600 Pro, I measured the light output of the standard supplied reflector of the Godox AD600 Pro as well as that of the Magmod XL with a Sekonic L-858D. I also compared the light output with a Godox RFT-19 with ribbed silver interior.

Here are the values I measured:

•          Standard AD600 Pro head: f/22

•          MagMod: f/22 (same)

•          Godox RFT19: f/32.2 (1 & 2/10 of a stop more light)

•          MagMod with full CTO: f/11.2 (Almost 2 full stops less light)

•          MagMod with 1/2 CTO: f/11.8 (1 stop and 2/10 less in light)

•          MagMod with 1/4 CTO: f/16.1 (Nearly 1 stop less of light)

•          MagMod with Magsphere: f/16 (1 stop less of light)

•          MagMod with 40° grid: f/11.8 (1 stop less of light)

•          MagMod with 20° grid: f/16.1 (1 stop + 1/3 less in light)

Certainly not bad values. It is completely normal that the light output decreases with every addition of an accessory.

You can stack accessories. For example, you can first place a grid. On top of that you attach the Magsphere (although you probably won't use it much in practice).

The supplied three CTO gels are made of a hard plastic and slide into each other. The very first time you have to pull them apart with a little force. After that it goes a lot smoother.

Weight & Build Quality:

The collapsible reflector weighs 420 grams. That is about twice as much as a standard metal reflector.

Comparison:

• MagMod XL: 420 grams

• AD600 Pro standard reflector: 202 grams

• Godox RFT19: 161 grams

The whole set together weighs 1690 grams.

Because the majority of the kit consists of plastic and rubber, they can take a beating. It is no problem, for example, to play Frisbee with the supplied grid.

The Magmod in practice:

I tested the MagMod XL during a shoot in the heart of Prague. My model was the beautiful and lovely Kedist Deltour (Miss Belgium 2021).

For these kind of photo shoots I like to work with a lightweight and compact setup. No arsenal of primes, but three zooms: Sony G 24-105 f/4, Sony GM2 70-200 f/2.8 and a Tamron 17-28 f/2.8. All photos were taken with a Sony A1 in RAW format. White balance was set to manual and focus was set to continuous focus with eye detection.

In the end it turned out that I took all the photos with the Sony G 24-105 f/4 . The background for this shoot had to be quite recognizable so I took all photos with an aperture of f/4.

I brought a lightweight carbon camera tripod that served as a tripod for the AD600 Pro that I equipped with an extension head. The AD600 Pro was in a Godox carrying bag and served as a counterweight. (see photo below)

The Magmod reflector is easy and quick to apply. I was pleasantly surprised with the result of the first photos. The light was softer than I expected. A reflector remains a small light source and that means in general hard light.

The photos underwent minimal post-processing with Capture One Pro that consisted primarily of dodging and burning, adjusting contrast, and sharpening the photo.

The advantage of working with a smaller light shaper such as this Magmod reflector is in general the light is a bit harder and therefore richer in contrast. This allows you to place your tripod a little further and there may be quite a bit of wind, your tripod will not fall over quickly.

A reflector behaves like a reflector. It provides focused light, but at the same time the light beam is sufficiently wide. I usually place the light source between 2 and 3 meters from the model.

I generally place the flash towards the sun. You can see this by the double shadows in the next photo. The direction of the flash light comes from the left (+ 3 meters) while the sunlight came from the right side. I opted for a black and white edit. The AD600 Pro flashed at full flash power. Camera settings: 24mm, f/4, 1/200, ISO50

The flash light gives extra "punch" to your photos.

Also for the next photo I was pleasantly surprised by the light quality. You just have to try to find the balance between ambient and strobe light. When you place the light source at the right distance, height and direction, very little can go wrong.

CTO gels:

Time to try out the CTO gels (Color Temperature Orange) although I only used the 1/1 (Full) CTO gel in this test. Just place the gel in the reflector, and that is an easy task. To remove it, lightly press the CTO gel together. Despite the fact that it is a hard material, removal is easy because of the recesses.

CTO gels are mainly used as color correction when you combine flash light with the available sunlight. Especially in the golden hour they are very useful because the ambient light is very warm. The color temperature of a flash is approximately 5500 Kelvin and that is white light. Depending on the time of day, you place a ¼, ½ or 1/1 gel.

But first we went looking for a more suitable spot to continue our shooting. A beautiful monument made out of metal as a backdrop turned out to be an excellent choice.

To make everything more blue and to give it an artistic touch I set my camera to 4000 Kelvin. That is a difference of 1500 K. This choice is purely a matter of taste. Usually, using a Full CTO gel, a white balance of 3200 K is chosen when shooting in daylight.

Here I placed the flash at a distance of about 2 to 3 meters aimed frontally at Kedist (see shadow on the ground). The flash was fired at almost full flash power with the following camera settings: 1/400, ISO50 and f/4 (1/400 on the Sony A1 is the maximum flash sync speed, so HSS was not used)

You can like it or not but as you can see the result is much different compared to using only natural light.

In post processing I replaced the background using AI in Photoshop. The wall in the background is digitally created. You can see the real environment in the photo below.

Gels and black and white editing:

When working using contrasting colors, it is also easier to make adjustments afterwards when you convert the photo to black and white. For example, you can lighten or darken the skin by adjusting the value of red and/or yellow. If we want to adjust the rest of the photo (everything that is blue) it is just as simple. Another advantage of working with gels.

Photo of “behind the scenes” is a snapshot from a smartphone video recording.

Hopefully Magmod will bring other color gels on the market. Personally I would opt for magnetic gels.

I cut different gels myself with a cutting plotter and with 4 small magnets I can quickly apply and remove these self made gels. A magnetic outer ring adhered to the gel would even be a better solution.

This blue color gel with magnets is not part of the kit!

The Magsphere:

I placed the 1/1 CTO gel together with the magsphere to see if the light would become softer, but as soon as you place the light source too far from the model, using any diffuser makes little sense. The light becomes omni-directional and is therefore much more wide (unless you really want this).

With the magsphere, the light became a bit softer, but also wider. just place the flash close enough to the model. Don't expect miracles. It remains a small light source.

For this photo I removed the CTO gel and I added the Magsphere back on. That's the power of this setup. The swap is very fast and that makes this product so interesting.

Using a Magmodsphere is certainly also useful indoors. You place the flash head with the sphere towards the ceiling and the light will spread nicely in the room.

However, if you want bundled light, then use grids. They are fantastic. You can literally use them as a frisnbee because they are made of rubber. The intention was to do a short shoot in the hotel, but that did not happen (due to lack of time). I prefer to use grids indoors rather than outdoors.

Conclusion:

The Magmod Professional Strobekit XL is a very interesting kit and costs just under 300 Euro. That is a significant amount but it is worth every euro. There is certainly no lack of quality (and light quality). It seems like it was made to never break.

You get in a cylindrical case, a reflector, the magsphere, two grids and CTO gels. This way you can quickly change the quality of the flash light. Of course, the magsphere cannot replace a large light shaper with double diffuse, but that is not the intention. You can easily use the set on location and in the open air, but also in your own studio.

Without the supplied cylindrical case, the kit fits easily in a travel case. If Magmod were to market an extension that turns this magmod reflector into a sports reflector (long reflector), I can finally take a long reflector in a travel case for my photo shoots (A metal sports reflector does not fit in a travel case). No manufacturer currently offers this.

I'm curious which accessories Magmod will bring to the market. A larger white transparant rubber sphere with a silver coating for even softer light is certainly one of the options. I would gladly communicate with Magmod about what I think would be very useful. 😊

If you want more light output with the same flash power, there are other light shapers available on the market, but then you miss the flexibility of the XL. You can place a grid in no time and if you want softer light with the magsphere, you can do this at 1,2,3.

Can I recommend this kit? Absolutely. I am using it already.

Photos copyright: Joeri Peeters

Magmod Professional Strobe Kit XL (Dutch)

Praktijktest met de Magmod Professional Strobe Kit XL

“Nu eindelijk ook een Magmod met Bowensvatting!“

De  lichtvormers van Magmod maken bij (heel wat) fotografen onderdeel uit van hun dagelijkse setup. Deze universele add-ons zijn geschikt voor universele reportageflitsers met zowel rechthoekige als ronde flitskoppen(Magmod 2).

Het succes van deze lichtvormer is vooral te danken aan de mogelijkheid om snel accessoires zoals een grid, een diffuus, bol of snoot, te kunnen aanbrengen/verwijderen door middel van magneten. Vele huwelijksfotografen hebben ze dan ook altijd bij.

Een productingenieur bij de firma Magmod moet gedacht hebben om een XL-versie te maken met Bowens vatting. Die is nu verkrijgbaar. Andere mounts zoals voor Profoto zijn apart te bestellen.

De Nederlandse importeur Disnet bezorgde me enkele weken geleden een exemplaar van de Magmod Professional strobe kit XL en vroeg me om het product te testen. Als portret- en fashionfotograaf gebruik ik in mijn dagelijks werk diverse lichtvormers. Ik was dus heel benieuwd in welke omstandigheden ik de  Magmod Professional strobe kit XL best zou kunnen inzetten.

Inhoud van de XL Kit

In een mooie bedrukte kartonnen doos vindt je een stevige cilindervormige draagtas met volgende onderdelen.

• Een inklapbare XL reflector

• Een magsphere (een zachte witte bol in kunststof)

• Twee rubberen grids. (hoek van 40° en 20°)

• 3 CTO gels (1/1, 1/2 and 1/4). (geen CTB gels)

Elk onderdeel voelt heel stevig en professioneel aan. Het is dan ook niet verwonderlijk dat dit product gericht is naar zowel professionele- als amateurfotografen.

De draagtas heeft een klikbare band aan de achterzijde zodat je deze bijvoorbeeld aan een statief kan bevestigen. Er is echter geen handvat maar je zou welk een draagriem kunnen bevestigen (niet bijgeleverd)

De inklapbare reflector is voorzien van een zilveren coating.

Een 20° en 40° rubberen grid maken onderdeel uit van het pakket.

De 3 CTO gels passen in elkaar. Je vindt een 1/1,1/2 en 1/4 gel in de box terug.

Afmetingen:

Alle onderdelen samen (met de ingeklapte reflector) meten ongeveer 21 cm hoog en passen perfect in de bijgeleverde cilindervormige tas.

 Met uitgeklapte reflector meten we ongeveer 28cm

De drie bijgeleverde CTO gels in hard kunststof passen perfect in de ingeklapte reflector.

De CTO gel  (hier een 1/1) plaats je omgekeerd in de reflector

De grids (gemaakt uit rubber) laten zich gemakkelijk magnetisch aanbrengen

Je kan de Magsphere bovenop de grid magnetisch aanbrengen.

Lichtopbrengst:

Het basisonderdeel, de XL reflector, vervaardigd in kunststof, heeft aan de binnenkant een zilveren coating. Deze lijkt op het eerste gezicht iets minder te reflecteren als een standaard metalen reflector. Ik was dan ook benieuwd naar de lichtopbrengst van deze lichtvormer. Bevestigd op een Godox AD600 Pro mat ik met een Sekonic L-858D de lichtopbrengst van de standaard bijgeleverde reflector van de Godox AD600 Pro als ook die van de Magmod XL. Ik vergeleek ook de lichtopbrengst met een Godox RFT-19 met geribbelde zilveren binnenkant.

Dit zijn de waarden die ik mat:

·         Standaard AD600 Pro head: f/22

·         MagMod: f/22 (hetzelfde)

·         Godox RFT19: f/32.2 (1 & 2/10 van een stop meer licht)

·         MagMod met full CTO: f/11.2 (Bijna 2 full stops minder aan licht)

·         MagMod met 1/2 CTO: f/11.8 (1 stop en 2/10 minder aan licht)

·         MagMod met 1/4 CTO: f/16.1 (Bijna 1 stop minder aan licht)

·         MagMod met Magsphere: f/16 (1 stop minder aan licht)

·         MagMod met 40° grid: f/11.8 (1 stop minder aan licht)

·         MagMod met 20° grid: f/16.1 (1 stop + 1/3 minder aan licht)

Op zich zeker geen slechte waarden. Het is volstrekt normaal dat bij elke toevoeging van een accessoire de lichtopbrengst afneemt.

Je kan accessoires stapelen. Zo kan je bijvoorbeeld eerst een grid plaatsen. Daarbovenop bevestig je dan de Magsphere (al ga je dit waarschijnlijk in de praktijk niet snel gebruiken).

De bijgeleverde drie CTO gels zijn vervaardigd in een harde kunststof en schuiven in elkaar. De allereerste keer moet je ze met een beetje kracht uit elkaar halen. Daarna gaat het een stuk vlotter.

Gewicht & bouwkwaliteit:

Op 1 gram na weegt de inklapbare reflector 420 gram. Dat is ongeveer het dubbele van een standaard reflector uit metaal.

Vergelijking:

• MagMod XL: 420 gram

• AD600 Pro standaard reflector: 202 gram

• Godox RFT19: 161 gram

De hele set samen weegt 1690 gram.

Omdat het merendeel van de kit bestaat uit kunststof en rubber kunnen ze tegen een stootje. Het is geen probleem om bijvoorbeeld te frisbeeën met een bijgeleverde grid.

De Magmod in de praktijk:

Ik testte de MagMod XL tijdens een shoot uit in hartje Praag. Als model kon beschikken over de mooie en supersympathieke Kedist Deltour (Miss België 2021).

Voor zulke foto shoots werk ik graag met een lichte en compacte setup. Geen arsenaal aan primelenzen maar drie zoomlenzen waarmee ik het grootste bereik kan afdekken: Sony G 24-105 f/4, Sony GM2 70-200 f/2.8 en een Tamron 17-28 f/2.8. Alle foto’s werden gemaakt met een Sony A1 in RAW formaat. De instelling van de witbalans stond op manueel en scherpstelling op continuous focus met oogdetectie.

Uiteindelijk bleek dat ik alle foto’s maakte met de Sony G 24-105 f/4 . De achtergrond voor deze shoot mocht best herkenbaar zijn dus nam ik alle foto’s met een diafragma van f/4.

Ik nam een lichtgewicht carbon camera statief mee dat diende als statief voor de AD600 Pro die ik uitrustte met een extensiehead. De AD600 Pro kon zo in een draagtas laten die dan weer diende als contragewicht. (zie foto verderop)

De Magmodreflector laat zich makkelijk en snel aanbrengen. Ik was aangenaam verast met het resultaat van de eerste foto’s. Het licht was zachter dan ik had verwacht. Een reflector blijft uiteindelijk een kleine lichtbron.

De foto’s ondergingen van een minimale nabewerking met Capture One Pro dat voornamelijk bestond uit tegenhouden en doordrukken, contrast regelen en de foto verscherpen.

Het voordeel van werken met een kleinere lichtvormer zoals deze Magmod is dat het licht wat harder en dus contrastrijker is. Je kan hierdoor je statief wat verder plaatsen en er mag dan ook aardig wat wind zijn, je statief zal niet snel omvallen.

Een reflector gedraagt zich als een reflector. Het geeft gericht licht maar tegelijkertijd is de lichtbundel voldoende breed. Ik plaats meestal de lichtbron tussen de 2 en 3 meter van het model.

Ik fotografeer algemeen met de flitser tegen de zon in. Je ziet dit trouwens aan de dubbele schaduwen op volgende foto. De richting van het flitslicht komt van links (+ 3 meter) terwijl het zonlicht van schuinrechts kwam. Ik koos voor een zwart wit bewerking. De AD600 Pro flitste aan volle flitskracht. Camera instellingen: 24mm, f/4, 1/200, ISO50

Het flitslicht geeft extra “punch” aan je foto’s.

Ook voor volgende foto was ik aangenaam verast van de lichtkwaliteit. Je moet enkel trachten het evenwicht te zoeken tussen aanwezig en flitslicht. Wanneer je de lichtbron op de juiste afstand, hoogte en richting plaatst kan er weinig mis gaan.

CTO gels:

Tijd om de CTO gels (Color Temperature Orange) uit te proberen al hield ik het bij deze test enkel bij de 1/1 (Full) CTO gel. Je plaatst hem in de reflector,  en dat gaat vrij gemakkelijk. Om deze terug te verwijderen druk je de CTO gel lichtjes samen. Ondanks dat het hard materiaal is gaat het verwijderen vlot vanwege de uitsparingen.

CTO gels worden voornamelijk gebruikt als kleurcorrectie wanneer je flitslicht met het aanwezige zonlicht gaat combineren. Ik denk dan vooral aan het gouden uur waar we te maken hebben met heel warm licht. De kleurentemperatuur van een flitser bedraagt ongeveer 5500 Kelvin en dat is dus wit licht. Afhankelijk van het moment van de dag plaats je een ¼, ½ of 1/1 gel.

Mar eerst gingen we op zoek naar een geschikter plekje. Een mooi metalen monument als achtergrond bleek een uitstekende keuze te zijn.

Om alles wat blauwer maar ook artistieker te maken zette ik mijn camera op 4000 Kelvin. Dat is een verschil van 1500 K. Deze keuze is puur een kwestie van smaak. Meestal kiest men voor een Full CTO gel een witbalans van 3200 K bij daglicht.

Hier plaatste ik de flitser op een afstand van ongeveer 2 a 3 meter frontaal op Kedist gericht (zie schaduw op de grond). Er werd geflitst met bijna volle flitskracht met volgende camera-instellingen: 1/400, ISO50 en f/4 (1/400 op de Sony A1 is de maximale flitssynchronisatiesnelheid dus HSS is niet gebruikt)

Je houdt ervan of niet maar geef toe, het resultaat is net iets anders als werken met enkel natuurlijk licht.

In de nabewerking verving ik de achtergrond door gebruik te maken van AI in Photoshop. De muur op de achtergrond staat er dus niet. (zie foto verderop)

Gels en zwart/wit bewerking:

Wanneer je met contrasterende kleuren werkt kan je nadien ook makkelijker aanpassingen maken wanneer je de foto omzet naar zwart/wit. Zo kan je bijvoorbeeld de huid oplichten of donkerder maken door de waarde van rood en/of geel aan te passen. Willen we het overige van de foto aangepast (alle wat blauw is) dan kan dit ook in een vingerknip. Nog een voordeel van werken met gels.

Foto van “behind the scenes” is een snapshot uit een smartphone-videoopname.

Hopelijk brengt de firma Magmod nog andere gels op de markt. Persoonlijk zou ik dan opteren voor magnetische gels.

Zelf sneed ik verschillende gels met een snijplotter op grootte en met 4 kleine magneetjes kan ik zo snel deze gels aanbrengen en verwijderen. Een magnetische buitenring gekleefd op de gel zou nog een betere oplossing zijn.

Deze blauwe kleurengel met magneetjes maakt geen deel uit van de inhoud!

De magsphere:

Ik plaatste de 1/1 CTO gel samen met de magsphere om te kijken of het licht wat zachter zou worden maar van zodra je lichtbron te ver van het model plaatst heeft dit weinig zin. Het licht wordt omni-directioneel en is hierdoor veel meer verspreid (tenzij je dit echt wil).

Met de magsphere werd het licht iets zachter maar vooral ook breder. Plaats de flitser dicht genoeg bij het model. Verwacht echter geen wonderen. Het blijft een kleine lichtbron.

Voor deze foto verwijderde ik de CTO gel maar de Magsphere klikte ik er terug op. Dat is net de kracht van deze setup. Het wisselen gaat erg snel en dat maakt het product zo interessant.

Het gebruik van een Magmodsphere is zeker ook binnenhuis zinvol. Je plaats de flitskop met de sphere richting plafond en het licht zal zich mooi verspreiden in de kamer.

Wil je echter gebundeld licht dan zijn de grids fantastisch. Je kan er letterlijk mee gooien want ze zijn vervaardigd in rubber. De bedoeling was om nog een korte shoot te doen in het hotel maar dat is er (wegens tijdgebrek) niet van gekomen. Ik gebruik grids eerder binnen als in open lucht. (al kan het natuurlijk wel)

Conclusie:

De Magmod Professional Strobekit XL is een erg interessante kit en kost net geen 300 Euro. Dat is een aanzienlijk bedrag maar het is elke euro waard. Aan kwaliteit (en lichtkwaliteit) ontbreekt het zeker niet. Het lijkt wel of het gemaakt is om nooit stuk te mogen gaan.

Je krijgt in een cilindervormige koffer, een reflector, de magsphere, twee grids en CTO gels. Zo kan je snel de kwaliteit van het flitslicht veranderen. De magsphere kan natuurlijk geen grote lichtvormer met dubbel diffuus vervangen, maar dat is ook niet de bedoeling. Je kan de set makkelijk op locatie en in open lucht gebruiken maar ook zeker in je eigen studio.

Zonder de bijgeleverde cilindervormige koffer past de kit makkelijk in een reiskoffer. Als Magmod een verlengstuk op de markt zou brengen die van deze magmod reflector een sportreflector (long reflector) maakt kan ik eindelijk voor mijn foto shoots een lange reflector meenemen in een reiskoffer (Een metalen sportreflector past niet in een reiskoffer). Geen enkele fabrikant biedt dit momenteel aan.

Ik ben benieuwd welke accessoires Magmod nog op de markt zal brengen. Een grotere kunstofbol met een zilveren coating voor nog zachter licht behoort zeker tot de mogelijkheden. Magmod mag me altijd contacteren. 😊

Wil je meer lichtopbrengst met dezelfde flitskracht dan zijn er andere lichtvormers in de handel verkrijgbaar maar dan mis je de flexibiliteit van de XL. In een mum van tijd plaats je een grid en wil je zachter licht met de magsphere dan kan dit op 1,2,3.

Kan ik deze kit aanraden? Absoluut. Ik ga hem alvast gebruiken.

Foto’s copyright: Joeri Peeters

What is in my bag (my mini setup)

Every photographer wants to be mobile and does not like to carry lots of heavy gear. Sometimes it is mandatory to bring lots of gear to get an assignment done. When you need to take 1500 pictures a day and shoot rapidly I can really recommend a Godox flash like an AD1200 Pro but it’s heavy.

When I shoot TFP on a location outdoors I used to bring an AD600 Pro or an AD1200 Pro with me but in general this is overkill. The reason is you do not need so much power when you are shooting less photos and you have time to give the flash to breathe again.

Here is my goto list (this is not my general more extensive setup):

1. Think Tank Photocross 13 carbond Grey

   This is a very small sling bag but I really love it. It looks small but it can store a lot.

2. Sony A1

This is my main camera. I don’t bring a second body for a TFP shoot. If my camera fails (and it probably will not) it is not a huge deal.

3. Sony G 24-105 F/4

This is in my opinion the best overall lens for the Sony. It is F/4 but in most cases this is fine. It supports 30 fps and is also very sharp even at 50 MP. If I want bokeh I use another lens. I just love the 35 mm extra compared to a 24-70.

4. Sony GM2 70-200 F/2.8

For a F/2.8 it is not a heavy and big lens. This lens delivers. It is absolutely a fantastic and very sharp lens. I do love my 135mm F/1.8 but the 70-200 is just more versatile. I am think of buying the 2.0 extender in case I would need it.

5. Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD

It is certainly not the best lens out there but I don’t use it very often so at this moment there is no need to upgrade. I take it with me because it is lightweight.

6. Gobe 77mm ND4 & ND8 Filter

These filters are cheap and IMO very good. I use them when using flash so I don’t need to shoot in HSS. The 24-105 and 70-200 both have a 77mm thread.

7. SMALLRIG Folding Tool Set AAK2495

Just a multitool but sometimes it is very handy!

8. Giottos AA1900 airbomb

You should always have this in your bag.

9. Sekonic L-858D with Godox module

In most of my photography I use a light meter. It saves time, measures incident light and the first shot is always spot on.

10. A Godox transmitter

Because I use a lightmeter I can use any Godox transmitter. The X1, X2, Xpro or Xpro II. For the 3 first you need to set in on APP mode and in the latest XPro II it is as L-858 in the menu selectable. I have used the XPro the most (because of the TCM function in case I need it) but the Mark II version now also has this wireless scanning function and tells you exactly what channels are free.

11. A Godox AD200 Pro

I have 1 Godox AD200 Pro and 6 AD200’s (the pro was not availabale at the time I bought them). I love this little flash as it is lightweight, powerful and the battery are small and powerfull. Most of the time I don’t take the standard fresnel head with me.

12. Godox AD-S2 - Mini reflector

You would be amazed what this little thing can do. In the studio I use it as vignet light but outdoors it is also used as my main light. This reflector bundles the light and strangely enough it creates rather soft light.

13. Godox AD-S7 Multifunctional Softbox 480mm

This 48mm softbox is foldable like an umbrella and gives you beautiful light. When used close to the model I put the outer diffuser on it. It also comes with a grid I don’t use outdoors and a metal plate you can fix in the middle. I don’t use this plate at all because I have noticed it creates a shadow in the middle. Godox should have used a white transparant plate. Maybe I will make one myself.

14.Manfrotto MS0490A Nanopole Lightstand

Trust me, these are the best. I also bought similar one from K&F and Fosoto. The K&F was broken after a few times use and to expand the Fostoto it takes more force because it is just not smooth at all. It also is not that high fully expanded.

15. Batteries for the A1 and Godox AD200

16. Microfiber (several)

This is my goto kit. It s very portable and I can carry this all day long. When I want to make a portrait I use the AD-S7 and the minireflector for shots where the flash is a few meters away from the model.

Sometimes I also take the an extension cable and pouch for the AD200 with me.

I rarely take extra SD cards with me because I use 128GB or 256GB cards. This means I can shoot +/- 2500 photos in compressed RAW on a 128Gb card. Cards are always mirrored in the camera. This means photos are written to both the card in slot 1 as slot 2 at the same time.

Shoot with Cecile

Cecile participated in the Miss Belgium 2023 contest and was a finalist and last Sunday she came to my studio.

She poses really well, is not scared to try things out and this results in beautiful photos.

Good posing is not standing still but to move and twist your body and arms to get these shots. I only asked for minor improvements like the position of hands and feet.

Thank you Cecile & Nancy Vrancken for the Make-up. It was a great day!

Wonderful pose by Cecile! I choose green to get the contrast I wanted.

Blue & Yellow. These colors just match.

I love grey as a background. You need to be careful when shooting grey, black and nearly white in one photo.

Too many times a part of these kind of photos are underexposed or overexposed like a white dress that just looks like a white huge spot in the photo.

Making the background as white as possible.

Shoot for Rana hair extensions in Antwerp.

On Monday I had a shoot in Antwerp for Rana Hair extensions until very late in the evening. I cannot share the result yet but I am very happy with the result.

For the indoor shots I used a Godox AD1200 Pro with a 180 cm silver reflector umbrella behind me.

To whiten the background I used two AD-B2’s (dual head with 2x a Godox AD200) with a standard reflector.

I did not have enough room to make the background pure white but I adjusted the flash power as much as possible without much reflection on the model.

All pictures were done using the Sony A1, Sony G 24-105 between f/8 and f/11 at a shutter speed of 1/200 and ISO 100.

For the pictures outside I used 2x a Godox AD1200 Pro, one with a SMDV 518 stripbox (double diffused) and on the other a Small-Rig Parabolic 85cm was attached that was also double diffused but wit a grid.

For the individual shots the SMDV was placed vertically and for the group shots it was in hortizontal position.

I used a low light cheap stand for this so I the softbox nearly reached the ground in vertical postion.

Here are some pictures of behind the scenes straight from the camera without any post processing.

Below is a close up at the end of the shoot.

Shoot with Emilie Vansteenkiste (Miss Belgium 2023)

(photos behind the scenes straight from the iphone without any modification like straightening the horizon)

For the third time in a row I did the traditional shoot with the new Miss Belgium 2023, Emilie Vansteenkiste on the beach of De Panne. The shoot always takes place the next day after the election and we all had very little sleep. It was in the news there was an attack planned against the Miss Belgium contest but due to the excellent work of police the attacker was caught beforehand.

I never felt unsafe and was happy the show could go on with an hour delay. We had a party afterwards and we slept at the wonderful Plopsa Hotel.

Thank you Darline Devos for asking me & Emilie Vansteenkiste for the wonderful afternoon.

First Emilie did the traditional shoot in bath for the press but that is not my thing. Too crowdy…

The new Miss Belgium 2023 and me but this time I am also the model and not the photograper:

Photo: Bjorn Vanryckeghem

My wife Nancy Vrancken did the make-up and kept it very natural. It was perfect for Emilie because she is already beautiful without make-up.

Below is a photo of Emilie when she was waiting for the make-over at the shoot I did for the 32 finalists in October 2022.

I thought Emilie looked cute that way and asked to take place for a quick photo because I was waiting for the next contestant. I only needed to press my shutter button once to get this shot. Personally I like this picture very much.

From the shoot of all Miss Belgium finalists Emilie quickly posed while she was waiting. I only needed to press the shutter button one time to get this shot. (only some minor dodge and burn was done)

For the picture above I used this setup:

- Godox AD1200 Pro with Godox Parabolic 128 with D1 diffuse to soften the light.

- Lasoltite triflector to brighten the shadows

- Godox AD200 with small round reflector on a manfrotto nanopole to create some vignet light on the back

- A hair blower

It was 8° Celsius in De Panne. I always have a warm blanket in the car. I know from experience that this is often forgotten and the model appreciates this very much.

The blancket comes in handy when the weather is cold. Always take care of your models.

Most of the time I use flash. The reason is simple and is explained in more detail during my lectures and workshops. Using flash I have full control over the light, can determine its quality and direction, and therefore have more options in comparison with natural light and/or reflectors. It is an extra parameter to reckon with out of the lightning triangle.

I will be giving a workshop at Cameranu in Antwerp on April 29 with Miss Belgium 2021, Kedist Deltour if you are interested in my working method from preparation to the finished product.

WORKSHOP AT CAMERANU

Although I am an avid user of the Godox Parabolic 128, it is not always possible to use it due to its size and weight. So I took a small parabola from the brand "Smallrig". This brand is mainly known for making housings for cameras and all kinds of accessories. I regularly use their L-Plate for my Sony A1.

The Smallrig L plate with Arca Swiss attached to my Sony A1. Easy to switch on a tripod between shooting horizontally or vertically.

The Smallrig RA-D55 parabolic softbox

There is also a larger RA-D85 version. Here shown with included grid (and double diffuse)

These softboxes come in a beautiful and sturdy bag and both inner and outer diffuse is included and you don’t need to buy the grid seperately as it is also included!

The softbox is easy to open and close. Numbers are provided where to start.

The inner diffuse is double layered in the middle so there is no hot spot. The light spreads more evenly. Good thinking Smallrig!

Don’t use the outer diffusion when using the flash outdoors and from a further distance. Too much light is lost. (Inverse square of law)

I will make a separate extensive review for the small rig RA-D55 and RA-D85. I can already say that the build quality is top and the light quality very good. You will quickly find other light shapers with this quality at this price.

I also used the newly released Godox Xpro II for Sony. It is the successor of the popular Xpro with some improvements. Especially the lock mechanism has improved, but I also think the menu structure is a welcome improvement. If you use a Sekonic L858D with godox module, there is now an L858D option that puts the trigger in dumb mode when you need it. In the previous trigger, this function was called "app". The separate TCM button disappeared. As soon as you switch from TTL to manual, the measured value is automatically converted.

I do not use the bluetooth function with which you can control the strength of the flash via the trigger. It makes no sense in my opinion as the Xpro II is very user friendly. I haven't fully went to all functions of the trigger yet, but there aren't many changes to make a detailed review. Still, I would choose the new version over the old one which is still a good trigger.

The RA-D55 is a small parabola with a diameter of 55 cm. You cannot compare this 55cm parabolic with a real parabola with a movable rod. Yet these small parabolas are very useful since the light can also bridge a greater distance. I only place the indoor diffuse because I place the lightmodifier at some distance from the model.

Here's a short video of the shoot recorded with a smartphone.

I attach my Godox AD600 Pro via a Manfrotto clamp on a standard light stand. The weight and low postion of the Godox AD600 Pro ensures that it cannot fall over that easily. You need the extension cable to make this possible. This setup is very practical. I can carry it myself or a helper can do it for you.

The Godox AD600Pro attached on a lightstand. I often use the SMDV 70cm speedbox but the smallrig RA-D55 is a great alternative. Good build quality & beautiful light.

Unfortunately it was very cloudy that day, so you have to deal with flat light. I absolutely don't like it. There are no shadows and this results in less vivid images. Still, the clothing will come to life and it makes sense to use flash.

I'm not allowed to post the result with the pink dress yet, but this photo with Caroline Biss's clothing is.

(update 20/02/2023): Pictures are posted on the MB Instagram page.

Bad weather, zero sunlight makes photos a bit flat.

Using flash I made her “pop”.

For this photo I placed my Godox AD600Pro at an angle from the model so I could simulate some sunlight. It's a technique I use regularly.

Miss Belgium 2023, Emilie Vansteenkiste. Use flash to simulate sunlight. The light quality of the RA-D55 is excellent! Build quality is on par with SMDV but the SMDV mechanism to open and close remains better.

Settings:

1/320

ISO 100

f/2.8

Flash with Smallrig RA-D55 with inner diffuse

A close up picture of Emilie where I used a faster shutterspeed to darken the surroundings.

Measure the light. 2.80 on my lightmeter is f/2.8 on my camera.

Just add the ISO and shutterspeed and set the power of the flash. It is as easy as that.

Here you can see that I measure the light to make sure that the light of all the images I take is consistent. The advantage is mainly that I save time. The first photo I take after the measurement and adjustment is therefore always good. In my workshops I also show the importance of a light meter in the digital age.

The new GODOX XPROII for SONY. An improved already good flash trigger.

Camera: Sony A1

Lens: Sony GM2 70-200

With the Legacy hotshoe function you can use a Nikon trigger on a Canon or Fuji and vica versa but without intelligence. HSS and TTL will not work!

The new improved locking mechanism. Sadly the foot of the sony version is still made of plastic.

The new Godox X pro II has a new scan button to check for interferences.

We had a great time and another shoot is already planned at Rana Hair Extensions in March.

We went for a hot chocolate and scrolled through the pictures.

Miss Belgium 2023, Emilie Vansteenkiste, Me and president of Miss Belgium Comité Darline Devos.

Because of the ugly light we decided to postpone the shoot and we plan for another shoot in De Panne.

Shoot with Miss Belgium 2022 Chayenne Van Aarle

On October 22, 2023 I did the photoshoot for the official “portrait” photos for Miss Universe. I am writing “I” but it is always teamwork. The guideline by Miss Universe is to shoot on a flat grey or black background.

Most of the time I use a flash on the background to create a gradient (vignet) to separate the model from the background but this was not allowed. A way to separate a model from the background is to use back light and that is what I did.

My main light was the Godox Parabolic 128 with a D2 diffuser to soften the light even more powered by a Godox AD1200 pro mainly aimed downwards. By positioning the light this way the light does not reach the background. To brighten the shadows I used a tri reflector by Lasolite. To be honest I use this reflection screen not enough. It creates beautiful light and a nice catch light in the eyes.

As backlight I used 2 small jinbei (they are actually very good) 80cm stripbox double diffused with honeycomb grid to make sure the light does not spil in all directions. Both powered by 2 Godox AD200’s in a dual head.

As back hair light I used another AD200 and a Godox AD-S7 as soft box.

Chayenne was positioned about 2,60 meters from the background. I added a white vinyl marker on the ground to make sure photos were consistent. (check photo)

All lights were measured using a Sekonic L-858D.

Settings used:

Sony A1 with Sony G 90mm macro f/2.8

1/200

ISO 100

f/9

The result with this setup. Post processing was done in Capture One Pro & Photoshop. Mainly just dodging and burning and some color grading.

B&W photo from an old woman in Addis Abeba (Ethiopia)

As a portrait/fashion photographer I worl a lot with fashion models & extensive light setups. There are so many things to keep in mind from adjusting the lights, colors, poses, emotion, …

Not only the photography is extensive but you also post process the pictures to get that high quality standard customers expect like removing wrinckles from fabric like satin.

Once in a while you get the opportunity to make different kind of pictures of people just lit by ambient light. You check the compostion, the light & you take the shot. A lot of professional photographers photographing this kind of style use 50mm lenses as they get very close with the subject (persons). The reason is to get that expression you do not get when you shoot from a further distance but these candid shots are most of the time very good because you photograph these persons as they are, looking relaxed and very natural. Once they know you take a picture the photo looks much different.

This photo was taken in Addis Abeba at the cementery. An old Ethiopian woman walking towards the exit. I made sure she saw me and asked her if it was OK to take a quick shot.

Back home I post processed this photo in Capture One Pro 22. It only took a few minutes. I mainly added contrast & strcuture and used Lumi masks to Dodge & Burn.

Sony A1

Sony G 24-105 f/4 (at f/4)

1/200

ISO 100

Natural light.

Photo below, after en before.

Shoot in the Seychelles for KOKO swimwear.

Anicca , a good friend of mine who was second runner up Miss Belgium 2020 was born in the Seychelles and came to Belgium when she was 12 years old. After the Miss Belgium contest we decided to go to the Seychelles together with my wife and her mum on Holiday in May 2020. Everything was arranged and booked but in March that year we had the Corona lockdown. We had to wait until 2022 and used our vouchers.

Last year Anicca Van Hollebeke decided to launch her own swimwear: KOKO swim. I offered her a shoot in the Seychelles. Anicca booked two models and off we went.

I took some Godox gear with me but she asked me to shoot as much in the golden hour. It was one of the few times I decided not to use flash because it would take to much time. The reason I use flash outdoors is because most of the time I shoot towards the sun. The model is beautifully lit from behind and I combine the ambient light with the right amount of flash light.

We arranged two shoots. One on the Island “La Digue” and the other one on the main island “Mahé”.

The weather was very hot with little wind and humidity was high, even when the sun went down. I sweated a lot but is was worth it.

I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to shoot swimwear. Maybe Thailand comes very close but I am really impressed with the beauty of the Seychelles beaches and the Indian Ocean. It sounds strange but during the week you see very little tourists on the beaches (even in high season) so it is another reason why the Seychelles are a fantastic location for photoshoots.

We were even invited by the president himself when he heard about our shooting and he absolutely wanted to meet Anicca. He was a really nice person and the meeting took more than an hour. I was allowed to photograph the man himself, Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan

In the Seychelles you will find trees with the biggest seeds in the world. It takes 7 years for a “coco de mer” to grow. Hence the name KOKO swim. The coco de mer only grows in the Seychelles! You can buy one and it costs 350 Euro. (You have to buy one with certificate! They check the certificate and bill at the airport!)

Photo below is a “coco de mer” painted in gold.

I was allowed to photograph the president Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan in private for a few minutes.

The two models were experienced and I did not have to guide them at all. I just told them where to walk or pose and I made the shots. I put my Sony A1 in AF-C, 10 fps with fast shutter speeds. I only used one lens: The Sony G 24-105mm f/4. It would be crazy to shoot lower than f/4 with such a beautiful background.

Back in Belgium I selected the best photos and started post processing them. As requested by Anicca I color graded with accents of gold. I use a gradient layer in Photoshop to get this result.

Here are some pictures of the shooting cropped to Instagram format: