April 24, 2009 – I caught up with the guys of DragonForce for a quick portrait session on their Ultra Beatdown World Tour. 10 minutes start to finish: here are the shots.
Photographer's Notes:
For this shoot, I used four Nikon SB-600 flashes as remotes controlled by one Nikon SB-900 as the commander on-camera.
This was the first shoot that I used the Lastolite Softbox, a 15″ collapsible softbox designed to use with shoe-mounted flashes. I used this light modifier mounted on a monopod and boomed out over the guys. The down-light approach is most readily seen in the lead shot, with deep shadows and largely directional lighting.
In addition to the softbox, one SB-600 was used as a sidelight on subjects in these shots, while the other speedlight was fired into a 45″ reflective umbrella for fill.
End Notes:
Big thanks to Jeremy and Amy at Roadrunner for setting this up. Thanks to my assistants Dave and Susie as well, who made this quick shoot all that much easier.
Also, to anyone shooting portraits of DragonForce, let it be known: there's a moratorium on Guitar Hero controllers and metal claws. You've been warned.
