Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Product Reviews | Posted on 28-07-2010

We recently saw this article on the Bron Imaging Blog about power packs and wanted to share this with our readers:

A gas generator can get you power where you need it. While there there are plenty of battery packs available you might think that you don’t need to consider the extra hassle or weight of a gas generator.   Battery packs like the 2400 watt second broncolor Verso pack will work seamlessly between battery and AC power and give you more output than any Elinchrom or Profoto battery pack (Verso=2400 WS!).  And the 1200 ws broncolor Mobil a2r is small and easy to transport  and has 2 heads for about the same price as a single head Profoto 600b and only a few hundred $ more than an Elinchrom Ranger (yep broncolor quality at Elinchrom prices!).  But no battery pack will run all day with full power output and modeling lights cranked up all the way.

Sometimes you just need to be able to plug in your strobes, camera batteries, laptop, a few props, a makeup light , and whatever else you might have -  so you need a generator. Or maybe sometimes you just need to shoot all day (or all night) with the modeling lights on.  And you hate that anxiety about whether your batteries are really gonna make it through the whole shoot.   Running off a generator can get you those extra hours on your shoot using regular AC power packs.  But be careful!  Most packs are not designed for use with a gas generator and not all gas generators are created equally.

Broncolor Scoro packs work on any microprocessor controlled sine wave inverter style generator.  The 3200 watt second broncolor Scoro A4S requires a maximum of 15 AMPs at its fastest recycling setting. This is by far the lowest power consumption for any 2400+ watt second pack.  The Scoro works by using a gentle – but still insanely fast recycling charge system (faster than any other pack out there).    And then on top of that, the Scoro has a power control circuit that is a lot more intelligent, basically analyzing the power coming in and changing its own power control behavior before a spike has a chance to damage the circuitry.

Power pack manufacturers generally don’t publish their pack’s power consumption, but even if you don’t have a power meter, you can do a simple test to get a general sense of its consumption.  Just take any 2400 watt second pack and plug it into a regular 15 amp 110v plug and start banging away.  Some of them will blow your breaker if you fire 2-3 fps at half power for around 20 seconds.  That wil tell you that you are drawing more than 15 amps.  Go ahead give it  try with a non-broncolor pack (but don’t call me if your pack blows up).  Oh, and if your pack cant do 2-3 fps at around 1200ws you should take a look at the Scoro.  You’ll need the power consumption information when looking at taking a pack out in the field on a genny.  Remember that Watts =Volts x Amps (w = va) – therefore the genny you need will depend on how power hungry the devices attached to it.   A Scoro draws 15 AMPS at 110V which means it pulls around 1650 watts.  So you need a generator that is rated for at least that draw.  As an example, check out the Profoto 8a documentation.  Their user manual recommends a 6000 watt generator for a Profoto 8a 2400 ws power pack – more than twice what we recommend for the 3200 ws Scoro!

When calculating the total power requirements for your setup don’t forget to add in the modeling lights.  broncolor heads use a 300 watt modeling light when running at full output.  So for each head you run with modeling lights you need to add a approximately 3 AMPS to your setup.

So how to you select a generator? Not all of them are created equally.  We tend to recommend the Honda EU 3000.  The Honda EU inverter microprocessor controlled generators provide stable sine wave output as long as they are properly maintained.   If you have got a clean one then it can provide you with good clean power without any problems for your Scoro.  Of course there are larger and more powerful generators – I just walked past a Con Edison 40 foot Genny Truck running at full power on 40th street in NYC yesterday.  This thing was running backup power for an entire building – but for the sake of this article we are just talking about what you can fit in the back of a mini-van.

I just read a great article in Pro Lights and Staging News about how generators work most efficiently and how to know if the load you are going to place on a genny is going to actually work.  Richard Cadena covers important issues like calculating load supply for a given generator.  Richard also touches on how to size your genny correctly.  He says that running a genny at around 80% of its load rating will give you the best result. Check out his complete article here:  PLSN.com That’s a Load of Watts

If you are shooting with 2 packs its best to get a Honda 6500 watt generator (or 2 3000 watt generators).  Keep in mind that as you go up in output that the generators get much heavier.  As an example a Honda EU2000 watt model weighs around 50 lbs; a EU 3000 watt weighs around 130 lbs; and a Honda EU 6000 weighs around 265 lbs.   One way around the extra generators is to change the recycle or “charge” speed.  If you set a power pack to recharge more slowly then the pack will pull current through the line at a much slower rate and thus enable the pack to work when less amperage is available.  Remember its always better to have a little more power than what you think you might need.  One of the biggest causes of blowing up a strobe power pack while using gas generators comes from using a generator that is not powerful enough.  Basically what happens is that after you fire your strobes, the pack tries like crazy to refill the capacitors with juice.  When the pack draws all that juice from the generator the power level in the generator drops.  But the generator tries to quickly compensate for the drop in power and drives up the output of current as fast as it can.  A good generator will control the compensation and thus the stabilize the amount of compensation, but a bad one will overcompensate and simply spike up the power to a level that will cause the power control circuit on most strobe power packs to explode – a costly repair.  The Scoro’s power control circuitry is designed to reduce the creation of the spikes in the first place as well as to adjust quickly to compensate for these spikes when they do happen – but any electronics will blow if the power spike is really big.  So while a Scoro gives you you flexibility and forgiveness than other power packs there are limits.  So use a microprocessor controlled generator and you can fire away without worry.

Key Requirements for Generator Selection:

* Electronically controlled (aka microprocessor controlled) sine wave inverter output
* Rated for at least 15amps at 110v (~2000watts or above)
* Look for something that is relatively quiet (but a genny will never be as quiet as a battery)
* Recommend Honda EU series 3000 watt and above

Benefits of Gas Generators Over Battery Strobe Packs:

* You can power other stuff (laptop, backup storage, fans, props, whatever)
* Go all day long (a little extra gas will keep most gennys running all day long)
* No stress about how fast your batteries are being consumed

Drawbacks of Generators:

* Fuel:  It burns explosively and can therefore be a pain in the butt to handle…especially near a city.  Check your local fire codes for rules about handling fuel and generators inside (or even near) buildings and public places.
* You can carry a ton of batteries for the same weight as a genny

For more info about using the broncolor Scoro on gas powered electrical generators see the instruction manual.  Go ask your favorite brand of power pack if you can use their pack on a genny…the answer is usually that it will void the warranty.  Not with Scoro.  The Scoro’s low power draw coupled with an advanced power control circuit will give you great results on a clean power generator like the Honda EU 3000.

In addition to gas powered generators we are also starting to work with some really cool battery packs from LibertyPak .  The Liberty Pak Products put out so much juice that they actually call them Little-Genny and Big-Genny.  These products provide serious battery power.  They are not like the little JackRabbit battery packs – the Little Genny is a serious power supply that can handle powering a 2400 ws power pack.  The Big Genny can actually power Kobold HMI lamps for about 45 minutes.  We will cover the Big Genny and Little Genny more in a future post.

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Foto Care Favorites | Posted on 25-07-2010

Our last post featured the work of photographer/artist Bill Diodato and a book signing for his book: Care of Ward 81. We now examine the commercial side of Mr. Diodato, with a slide show featuring the expressive and individual sense of beauty and style Bill has evolved into the prefert medium, as he explores the fine line between art and commercial photography. His images are the result of a refined aesthetic that captures the true essence of his subject. See for yourself:

After completing his studies in photography, the native New Englander moved to New York building a lucrative business as an award winning photographer with clients that include: Interview Magazine, Vogue, Nylon Magazine, Allure, Travel and Leisure, House Beautiful, Vibe and Black Book Magazine to name a few.

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Foto Care Workshops, Photography Workshops & Lectures | Posted on 22-07-2010

Foto Care is pleased to announce an exciting evening with New York photographer Daymion Mardel, as he shares his fascinating journey of becoming a photographer with his fortunate start as an intern for photo legend Richard Avedon, and his  path to establishing himself as a succesful, in-demand photographer today.

Daymion Mardel Lecture

Foto Care Retail
Tuesday, July 27th
6:00PM – 8:00PM

RSVP to reserve a seat

Below we have shared an interview with Daymion first published by Bron Imaging (via the bronimagingblog).

When did I know I was going to be a photographer? I guess the better question would be, when did I know I wanted to be an artist?

You frequently hear the old cliché, “It’s in the blood,” but for me, I really think it is.  My Mum and siblings are all artists of various forms.  All of us make a living doing what we love best.

I was born in England in 1973.  When I was almost 9 years old, my Mum and Dad pulled my brother, sister, and I out of school.  I know that may sound crazy to anyone else, but it was a decision that helped shape the rest of my life. Along with two of my siblings, we set off in a Volkswagon bus to tour Western Europe for almost a year (my older brother, already in college, joined us throughout various legs of the trip when he could).   We had lessons on the bus, and Mum required that we keep a journal of our experiences, along with scrapbooking ticket stubs, postcards, and our own sketches.

That was my introduction to the classics.  Moving from campground to rest area to campground, we hopped from museum to gallery to monument, learning about European art and architecture, and meeting several interesting characters along the way (probably why I see the NY subway as more of a social gathering place to make friends, rather than a claustrophobic nightmare of strangers).  Although I’m not sure I fully appreciated seeing my first Botticelli at such a young age, I can see now how it defined even my earliest notions of beauty, and has remained with me ever since.

After a year in a bus, we relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, where I was enrolled in public school.  Though we were initially the odd kids who talked funny and called rain boots “Wellies” and ate wobbly tarts for breakfast, I quickly found my niche in a tightly-knit group of friends who have remained some of my dearest ever since.  I may have dual citizenship and was born across the pond, but you can take one look at my collection of hats and know that I call Beantown my home.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a degree in family studies, I enrolled at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.

Following my third year at Brooks, I was accepted for a three-month internship in New York City with Richard Avedon.  Within the first week of the internship, Avedon asked if I would take a full-time position in his studio.  Without finishing at Brooks, I moved to New York with literally nothing to my name.  My suitcases were lost in the flight, and so my brother had to ship hand-me-downs to the cramped east village apartment I shared with eight other roommates, who’d been willing to squeeze me in to cut down the rent.

Within a few years, I became both first assistant and studio manager for Richard Avedon, an experience that could fill volumes and volumes of my own memoir.  Needless to say, it was an apprenticeship that impacted me in profound measures I cannot even yet fully assess.  Having lost my own father several years back, it was very much like losing a second father.  More than just an American icon to me, he was my mentor, and a very dear friend.  I was in San Antonio assisting him on the Democracy project for the New Yorker on October 1, 2004. Words still fail to express what a loss to the world was taken that day.

Though I was eager to help establish the Avedon Foundation in any way that I could to help maintain his legacy, I knew that it was time for me take the wealth of knowledge and inspiration with which I have been so graciously blessed, and begin to find my own voice in the world of photography.  After a brief freelance assisting job with the great acclaimed photographer, Henry Leutwyler, I transitioned into a full time freelance photographer.  I credit Leutwyler for a lot of things, but especially giving me the confidence to leave the assisting world and inspiring me to own my own broncolor lighting equipment.

The past five years as a photographer have been thrilling, sometimes terrifying, but continually affirming that I absolutely love doing what I do.  I may not yet own my own studio, and with freelancing there are few contracts to secure my income is guaranteed tomorrow.  But with editorial credits like American Vogue, and Advertising clients that include J.Crew, Coach, and Ann Taylor, etc. I certainly can’t complain.  In between my hectic schedule, I am continuing to pursue my own self assigned personal projects. I’ve been blessed to make a living doing what I love more than anything, and to do it with the most incredible lighting in the world; broncolor.

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Photography Event | Posted on 19-07-2010

Artist Bill Diodato

Care of Ward 81

Care of Ward 81.
Photographs and text by Bill Diodato. Foreword by Mary Ellen Mark.
Golden Section Publishing, 2010. 64 pp., 46 color and black & white illustrations., 10×6½”.

This is Bill’s first monograph. Care of Ward 81 is the first of two books on the subject. Located at the Oregon State Mental Hospital (the hospital where One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was filmed in 1976), Ward 81 was set up as a psychiatric ward to help women in need by providing them with medical attention and isolation.

During 2005, the entire site was being redeveloped… the Oregon State Legislature authorized Bill Diodato to photograph and thus document the cremated remains of some of 3,500 deceased patients of the “Asylum” which, in one final act of inhumanity, had been exhumed. During this very moving project – Warden Marvin Fickle also granted Bill access to the infamous closed-off Ward 81. Knowing that he would be the last person to document the ward, Bill felt a sense of responsibility to remember the women who inhabited this extraordinary place. The result is “c/o Ward 81”.

From the Introduction by Bill Diodato:
“…. Entering Ward 81, I found each room vibrated with pastel colors, some walls even adorned with curiously upbeat art from the patients. All this beauty was contrasted with a dense chalky air, earthy odor and constant crackling of debris beneath my feet….In the end, I can’t say where exactly the many sleepless nights I spent pondering what happened to the women of Ward 81 have taken me. I simply do not know. If, by chance, it helps even just one woman and her family, I rest my head with a renewed sense of hope.”- Bill Diodato

From the Foreword by Mary Ellen Mark:
‘It’s painful for me to look at these pictures. They evoke feelings of life and death. I can hear the sounds of women running through hallways and someone shouting, “Meds, meds, come and get your meds.” I can hear the crying of a woman being locked down in restraints. I can hear the music of the jukebox at the once-a-week dance with the women of Ward 81. Bill’s book brings me back to the haunted cell in which I slept in a deserted ward right next to Ward 81. I swear I heard people walking above me all night. Bill’s images confirm the feeling that I always had—that Ward 81 was and still is inhabited by many ghosts. ‘-Mary Ellen Mark, 2010

From Timothy White’s Review in Resource Magazine
“The images in Ward 81 are at once as haunting as they are beautiful. One is drawn inside, as if by some ethereal being. Although I am troubled that this place exists, I am also attracted by its textured, desolate space. Bill Diodato’s photographs capture the stories imbedded in these walls. The empty rooms continue to narrate the stories of the women who once lived here. As uncomfortable as the reality of this place is, I cannot help but conjure its smells, feel the light, and sense the many people and the complex histories that crossed though these hallways and rooms.

Bill has touched a nerve. At first glance you only see the starkness and fear, but upon closer inspection you are taken into a soft, beautiful, pastel world. I truly enjoyed this book. I like Bill’s sense of investigation – I can feel him peering around corners and opening doors. There is an overall palette that is consistent, and that take us on an emotional ride though his experience. This is not a book to glance though. This is a book to study, to feel, and let your mind imagine.”

About the Limited Editions:

• Care of Ward 81 is available in a first edition of 1,000 copies and 200 are still available for $50.
• Care of Ward 81 is also available in a signed, numbered and slipcased edition of 100 with both the book and the slipcase bound in Japanese Saifu cloth. ($250)
• The deluxe edition of 50 comes with a print, and is also signed by Bill and Mary Ellen Mark, numbered, and slipcased with both the book and slipcase bound in Japanese Saifu cloth. The deluxe edition print of 50 included with the Deluxe Edition is a pigment print on the archival Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta paper. This image is printed with the finest archival inks available on the market today. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist. ($500)

About Bill Diodato

Artist Bill Diodato is an award winning American photographer who works in both commercial and fine art photography. Originally from New England and educated at the Hallmark Institute of Photography, Diodato pursued his career further by moving to New York City in 1990. Currently possessing a large and impressive client base. Diodato balances his distinguished commercial work with inspired personal projects much like his new book “Care of Ward 81”.

Be sure to check back in a few days, our next post will feature some of Bill Diodato’s provocative commercial photography.

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Photography Workshops & Lectures | Posted on 15-07-2010

Transform your photographs with the Foba Turna,

the ultimate turntable for 3-D photography!

Join Foto Care and Jim Reed of Bron Imaging at Hudson Studios to learn about the new Foba Turna and start transforming your photography. Perfect for creating 3D-visualization clips of all sorts of objects from shoes to electronic devices to people. Within minutes you will have a 3-dimensional image for multi-platform use.  Images are fully customizable through the integrated software so you can control timing, movement and the end product. With its extensive range of fittings you can customize your setup for almost any object giving you room to be creative.

Take some time to mingle, talk with the pros, and ask questions.

Hudson Studios
601 West 26th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY

Tuseday, July 20th
6:00PM – 8:00PM

RSVP

There will be hands-on demonstrations where you can try the product in person, and a wine and cheese reception following the demonstration.  We look forward to seeing you!