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American night look:Lightning workshop with Mario Dirks

American Night Look mit Mario Dirks

In the past flash workshops by photo professional Mario Dirks, the new flashes were able to HS Freeze 6s and 4s from Rollei demonstrate their full potential. Eight participants each tested the flashes extensively with two photo models on different setups.

Blitzworkshop mit Mario Dirks
ISO Exposure time cover
100 1/6400 2.8

In addition to classic lighting setups in the photo studio, flash was also used outdoors. The location for this was a specially rented outdoor parking garage deck where the American Night Look was to be implemented.e.

„With this type of flash, the ratio of available daylight to the flash light used plays a crucial role  - Mario Dirks professional photographer

This technique, also called Day for Night, originally comes from the film. To save money and time, film during the day. However, through targeted underexposure you get an effect as if the film had been shot in the evening or at night.n.

Blitzworkshop mit Mario Dirks

ISO Exposure time cover
100 1/6400 2.8

Rollei flashes are perfect for implementing this technique photographically. Due to their powerful lithium polymer battery, they are very flexible and can also be used mobile. The light output of 600 or 400 watt seconds is enough to maintain the special look even in bright sunshine. According to the manufacturer, up to 500 flashes can be fired in a row at full power. After the workshop, the battery display on our tested flashes showed even more than 90 percent!

Blitzworkshop mit Mario Dirks

ISO Exposure time cover
100 1/6400 2.8

Before the photo session, Mario Dirks set up two photo sets with the participants, in each of which two flashes were set up diagonally opposite each other as crosslights. The r Freeze 6s served as the main light from diagonally in front 4s as a contour light from diagonally behind. Strong contrasts and hard shadows support this image look, which is why normal reflectors were used as light shapers. Since the flashes have the very common and popular Bowens bayonet, a variety of light shapers can be used.

Rollei Freeze im Test

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100 1/125 14

One of the models slipped into an astronaut suit for the shoot, while the other model made herself comfortable on a chair as a cello player. Two groups of 4 participants were formed. A brief drizzle didn't affect the dust- and splash-proof flashes, so the shooting could begin under professional guidance. What was noticeable was the participants' enthusiasm about how easy it was to set the flashes using the radio remote control. The universal radio transmitter works with almost every manufacturer and also transmits important HSS & TTL data.

We had a lot of fun trying out the different flash modes: manual mode, TTL, HSS and the super-fast freeze mode, in which the flashes burn in an incredibly short time of just 1/19,000 of a second and can therefore capture even the fastest movement in sharp focus. Here the participants were able to answer specific technical questions Felix Goebel and Olav Brehmer aside, you are product managers at Rollei and were involved in the development of the flashes.

Blitzworkshop mit Mario Dirks

ISO Exposure time cover
100 1/100 16

The participants sometimes photographed quick sequences of images one after the other, and this was no problem for the flashes either. The recharge time of the freeze flashes is only 0.9 seconds at maximum power and just 0.2 seconds at lowest power.

So time flew by. Last but not least, the resulting images were analyzed and discussed together in Mario Dirks' photo studio, with the participants being absolutely positively surprised by the flashes and the resulting photos. To make the farewell a little easier, each participant received a 50 euro voucher from Rollei and then they went home with a heavy heart, but with creative input.

The photographer Mario Dirks has been working as a photo trainer and coach since 2007. In addition to seminars for companies, he also offers guided photography trips abroad. In recent years he has traveled with photography enthusiasts to Singapore, New York, Sydney, Paris, Florence, Iceland and even Antarctica. He writes articles for various photography magazines and produces educational videos on photographic topics. In 2012 he spent 50 weeks traveling around the world as a photographer.

Rollei Blitzworkshop mit Mario Dirks


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