Fulham Businesses - The Pilates Room

I continue to add to my portfolio of photographs of Fulham Businesses, which I am planning to exhibit at an open air location off Fulham Broadway, once final details have been agreed with the council - watch this space for news!

This time I photographed my colleagues at "The Pilates Room" using my my new Fuji S5 Pro, an on camera Nikon SB600 flash with a Lightsphere II diffuser and my Quantum T5D flash linked wirelessly with Firewire units. What a great combination it turned out to be - highly controllable and so easily transportable.

It was a challenge and fun, working with so many people in the frame and getting them all to do something interesting and credible at the same time with no closed eyes or yawns!

I had to work quickly as this is a busy place with clients waiting for their treatments, so all this was done during a 45 minute lunch break.

My latest gadget! - the Lightsphere II

Having seen several of these items being used at a recent trade show and being impressed by the results, I plunked down my cash at BJM Imports website and bought a Lightsphere II, a light diffuser system which provides a large, soft source without creating flare on the front of your lens. I also bought an Amberdome to use when combining flashlight with tungsten light and as a warming feature.

I show below, my very first use of the Lightsphere II taking pictures of a stall holder in a local market on a gloomy day - today! I think the quality of the light is lovely, not at all like the usual "rabbit in the lights" look you get with on camera flash. I have still to assess what happens with varying levels of fill flash, rear curtain sync etc. and may post more examples in the future. I will still use my Elinchrom flash on location most of the time because it allows me much more control, but I think on many occasions the Lightsphere will give me studio like light straight out of the camera bag!


The Lightsphere was invented and produced by an American photographer called Gary Fong who is quite a character and has made lots of money from photography, the Lightsphere, a number of software and album products, vacation property rental and lecturing - it really shows what can be done by hard work, positive thinking and talent!