When it comes to photographing people, there might not be a better, and more used light modifier than the mighty beauty dish. But when the time comes to hitting the road, this bulky and fragile item is usually the first left behind. Photographer M.D. Welch compares Chimera’s Octa Beauty collapsible beauty dish to traditional metal beauty dishes and shows you that you don’t have to sacrifice perfect lighting for portability.
Photographers often have similar stories about discovering their love for taking pictures when they were young and received a camera from a family member or took a class in high school. Award winning photographer, educator and top selling author Roberto Valenzuela’s career began in high school but in a very different way than one would imagine. Click to read more!
Senior Photo Editor and lead photographer for the NFL, Ben Liebenberg gives us an amazing behind-the-scenes look at making press images for the NFL Honors.
As Assistant Chief Lighting Technician (Best Boy), Greg Reeves knows what’s going to happen next on Grey’s Anatomy but he’s not telling. In fact, he’s been privy to the secrets of this award-winning medical drama for more than a decade and has loved every minute of his tenure with the show.
“Any artist would benefit from learning other creative disciplines. We should all explore other arts and technologies, then combine them – what cognitive researchers call ‘unusual associations’. I think that’s a better strategy than just being a purist in one field.” – August Bradley
Photographer M.D. Welch discusses why he chooses Chimera lightbanks over the competition for his work.
Some photographers are lucky enough to say they had a parent inspire them to pick up a camera. For David Clifford, his father was a longtime Minolta shooter with a subscription to American Photo magazine. Clifford’s story is one that follows an interesting narrative of immersing yourself in what you love, realizing when you have to make the hard choices of following passions, and setting yourself up for success with investing in yourself.
A softbox can be a photographers best friend, giving you limitless possibilities with options like removable diffusioin, reseased faces and additional options like grids. But that friendship can turn ugly when trying to setup or teardown a softbox on set, or on location. Photographer and Filmmaker M.D. Welch, specializing in commercial and editorial work demonstrates with different subjects and locations. How he lights subjects and which Chimera Lighting tools he uses to get the job done.
Senior Photo Editor and lead photographer for the NFL, Ben Liebenberg on creating and curating images for the iconic sports league and the tools he uses.
Grids are one of the most powerful tools for Photographers. But when it comes to softboxes, grids can go from friend to foe in a matter of moments. Photographer and Filmmaker M.D. Welch, specializing in commercial and editorial work demonstrates with different subjects and locations. How he lights subjects and which Chimera Lighting tools he uses to get the job done.
From its inception in 1980, Chimera Lighting has gained a reputation for innovation and excellence in the photography and film industries for its exceptional lighting products. But, like many innovative companies, Chimera evolved from humble beginnings.
The biggest thing you’ll always hear over and over in tons of businesses is – location, location, location. Photography is no different but that mantra is not entirely as simple and direct as per se, the real estate industry. Simply put, people tell you that if you shoot a certain style of photography you should be in a big market for that said photography genre to make your business flourish. Dan McClanahan will tell you why thats not true.
Working with Actors: During the process of making a film, the cinematographer is setting up lights and devising camera shots, managing the crew and communicating with the sound department … and working with the director, amongst many other tasks. But when it comes time to roll camera, that moment is ultimately for the director and the actors.
I love the challenges and opportunities that come when working with natural light. There’s a certain beauty to existing light on locations, and I think it’s our job as cinematographers to take what’s best with the light and make it work for the scene.
Chimera Visionary Brook Aitken set out to capture one of the worlds biggest movie stars Samuel L Jackson for a Fox Sports NFC Championship pre-game spot between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. Brook packed his usual key light and modifier combination a Nila Boxer and Chimera Super Pro Boxer Edition (#1035N). This combination of Nila Boxer and Chimera provided a very soft wrap around light for Mr. Jackson’s interview. Watch the final spot and see the behind the scenes below.
I. Bob Carmichael, am a director/cameraman and still photographer that learned to light in the motion picture business. We wanted to keep Mike Boyd Drums very simple and dramatic. So when I outfitted my studio I went with K5600 HMI lights because I loved the look, power and knew how reliable the company and product was. I shoot most of my stills under these lights and my smaller film projects. I have two small Chimera soft boxes, 2 mediums, a large plus, and a Pancake. That covers me for a lot of projects. Greg Lowe and I go back some 40 years making adventure films and I’ve always admired his design brilliance. Chimera Lighting is simply family to me.
On a crisp December day DP Brook Aitken went to Denver to the headquarters of the Broncos. His task was to capture an interview two of the defensive stars of the NFL Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. talking about injuries and re-habbing together from identical knee surgeries. They also spoke about their aspirations of a Super Bowl title. With limited time and budget, the small crew set out to capture a unique look with a little planning and some trips to the local hardware store.
Shooting a low budget feature is a challenging task … and it can be a bit crazy too! There is so much to be learned throughout the process of shooting a feature film – especially for young DPs. As a long time proponent of lighting education, I believe that a thorough understanding of lighting can have an enormous impact on nearly every facet of the production process – from story telling and mood to scheduling and budget.
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- Please Send Delta dop B series HMI Software download Li...September 2, 2020 - 11:19 pm by Shumon
- Hi! I was wondering if you guys sell the diffusion cloth...May 5, 2020 - 1:39 pm by JuanCarlos
Blend and POP in
The talented duo team at Blend Studio have helped create a variety of content for Canon, CNBC, Intel, Ihop, 7Eleven, Fossil, Walmart and many others for over a decade. They share their thoughts here.