New Toys...umm Tools

In the tech world, it’s called ‘gear lust’, but it pretty much applies to everything.  You know the thought process: if I just had a new X, I could do Y and Z. For photographers, it’s bad. Not only could you upgrade your camera every six months, there are new flashes, new lenses, new backdrops and a hundred other new doo-dads that have the potential to dramatically transform the images we take. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves. In truth, our time is probably better spent learning to maximize images with our current equipment.

However, there are times when a new tool can make a difference. For instance, those of you who have worked with us in the studio know that we shoot a lot of white backdrop. It’s a clean, classic look and, even in our limited space, offers us some flexibility - especially during the Photoshop stage. And Stacey is sick of it. Like seriously sick of white backgrounds. So, the other day, we decided not to use the white at all and broke out our large gray backdrop instead. It was like learning to shoot all over again. Lighting levels were different, shadows were more prominent and we had to be very careful with people placement - especially little kids on the floor. The different shooting conditions forced us to re-evaluate our techniques and was a gentle reminder not to get stuck in a backdrop rut again.

Our latest new toy - I mean tool - is a unique prototype lighting modifier. Modeled after the not-yet-available SaberStrip, it’s basically a mirrored tube with a slot for the light to come out. We just call ours ‘tubes’ for now. If you’ve been with us on an outdoor shoot in the past, you’ve watched us wrestle with umbrellas, diffuser panels and softboxes. These new tubes work great in the wind, blend well with ambient light and are set to be our primary location lighting from now on. We’ve used them on four shoots already and they’re amazing.

I guess the point here is that new tools don’t actually do anything to radically transform and elevate the craft. In fact, I’ve spent over 30 years upgrading tech gear and I can’t think of one item that completely changed everything - we tell ourselves that, but it never happens. In reality, it’s more of a progression. New stuff provides new opportunities and new challenges. It lets us stretch in new ways and often solves old problems. In the end, we’re the ones that adapt to the new tools and, in photography, there’s no shortage of new tools. In fact, I sure would like to try a couple of those new flashes I saw online the other day... and what if...