During our tour through Dubai, we tested our new HS Freeze 6s and 4s studio flashes in various locations. Among other things, we did a photoshoot at a lost place in the Dubai desert, where temperatures reached 42 degrees Celsius, and due to the lack of electricity, we were absolutely dependent on the flashes' powerful battery performance.
But the endurance test that the flashes had to withstand was still not over. Even the 42 degrees were extremely challenging for us humans, but it was going to get even more intense. For the grand finale, we had chosen two very special locations for the flashes.
One of them was "Lebanon Island," also simply called "The Island." The island is part of the truly impressive construction project "The World," where artificial islands have been created off the coast of Dubai to symbolize different countries of the world. These islands can be booked for events and are only accessible by plane or boat.
We had envisioned a photoshoot by the pool and at the harbor. There was only one tiny problem: such a photoshoot with a model in a bikini is very, very frowned upon in very Muslim Dubai and would likely have caused problems. Therefore, we rented the entire island for the shoot and had ourselves picked up at the marina.
On our way from the mainland to the island, we first had to show our passports. Controls in Dubai are generally very strict because they want to prevent immigration. As a result, every boat in the harbor is checked.
When we arrived on Lebanon Island at 6 AM, it was once again (as often naturally happens on this trip) extremely hot. However, the sea then took over the most strenuous part. Due to the high humidity, not even sweat could provide the much-needed cooling. So, the great heat was even more exhausting with humidity than without it.
To prevent our model from immediately having wet hair, we first took some regular photos with interesting architecture in the background. Unfortunately, the pool didn't look particularly appealing. Every now and then, we used a key light to minimally improve small shadows from the sun, while our new studio flashes performed fantastically even in the extremely high humidity.
In this case, we worked with an f/4 aperture and HSS, and flashed the model from the front.
Before we photographed at the pool, we pushed the test to the extreme. In the middle of the pool was a plateau where we placed the flash, allowing us to capture the model in a really great pose at the edge of the pool.
Felix Göbel from Rollei product management swam through the pool with the flash in his hand. Spray water was not a problem on the way, but if the flash had fallen into the water, both the flash unit and the product manager would have felt it painfully, as even these flashes are not waterproof. We also want to warn once again against working with flashes in the water – there is a risk to life! And yet: with a wired device or even a portable power pack, this would definitely not have been possible. In any case, we think the resulting pictures are excellent.
We used the flash from the right, working at full power and with the standard reflector. This way we lightened the shadow.
The second of the two exciting shoots took place the next morning on Mount Mleiha, which is why we had already gotten up at 3 AM to be able to see and photograph the sunrise at 5 AM.
You photograph with a flash (even or especially in sunny conditions) because the sun sometimes casts very strong, hard shadows that you want to balance out.
For this image, our photographer worked with a particularly wide angle because we wanted to capture the mountains in the shot. We added some light from behind and hard light from the side with the included reflector.
We also had to be there very early because the model had to prepare and we had to set up the equipment ourselves. As with all other shoots in Dubai, we photographed with both 6s and 4s flashes. And there, too, just like at the other locations, our tour guide once again proved to be extremely useful because he could tell us exactly where the sun would rise, which is precisely what happened.
In this case, we used a soft light (parabolic softbox) from behind. The Freeze 4s fired from the right side, and we emphasized the contours with the 6s using hard light (standard reflector).
It is important to adjust the exposure and aperture to the background so that the background still looks dramatic enough, which is absolutely what you want to achieve with a sunrise. So you take just enough light as you absolutely need to properly illuminate the model. Preparation on location is key. Because everything happens incredibly fast and conditions change dramatically in a very short time. Therefore, you must constantly keep an eye on the exposure, otherwise the photos can quickly be overexposed. And for the perfect photo, sometimes there is only one opportunity.
Another challenge: we (and especially the model and photographer) had to be extremely careful with the stones, as some of them were razor-sharp. So you had to know exactly where you were standing and where you could go. Because as a photographer, you sometimes step back a bit to get a different perspective. However, if you had stumbled there and fallen on one of these ancient and sharp-edged stones, it could have ended very, very badly. Accordingly, you should also place the equipment before the shoot.
Here we used a different focal length and generally wanted a different lighting mood, so the shutter speed was extended to 1/125.
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