BICYCLING MAGAZINE COVER SHOOT: May/June 2013 Issue.
King’s Kloof MTB trail is not for pansies. (not talking ’bout the flower). The trails are part of a rough and rutted, scaldingly hot, overgrown wilderness.
And one of the best places to visit to escape one those riveting days at the office.
It took E-News Channel Africa presenter Gareth Edwards, me and my trusty Isuzu the better part of an hour to negotiate the jeep-track from the top gate to the stream i had in mind for this shoot. In many places, i edged forward at snails pace as Gareth cleared the thick brush with my machete. At one stage, we bumped into some policeman on patrol. They were called out to investigate gunshots in the area, and after some questioning, we were free to carry on with our own shooting.
(Thanks to Gareth for his commitment on the day. He didn’t hesitate to hit the stream and the slippery rocks hidden in its waters – more times than you’ll believe – all to ensure the best possible shot)
HERE ARE THE STATS:
• Two Elinchrom Ranger Power Portable Battery Pack Units with S heads
• PocketWizard TT1 and TT5’s
• AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED on a Nikon D3x
• 2000th/sec flash sync at f6.3
• ISO 200.
As is SOP when working in bright sunny conditions, i shot using Elinchrom Rangers at 2000th/sec flash sync to bring down the sky and freeze the action. In brushed aluminium finish, Gareth’s new PYGA 29’er bike complemented the effect generated by thousands of water droplets – perfectly frozen by the Elinchrom Rangers. I have a renewed respect for this kit every time i use it. It “over-powers” flat mid-day sun and creates dramatic light that allows subjects to stand out or “pop” from their backgrounds.
MORE EXAMPLES OF RANGERS IN ACTION
In the shot below of Hayden Brown, the Rangers supplied enough light to light up a very dark forest (Van Gaalen trail) and freeze the action. When shooting in this kind of dark location, the Elinchrom Ranger RX A-heads are king, as they have super short flash durations that work better when you need to shoot at standard camera flash sync speeds or below in order to expose for background detail, yet freeze action crisply – especially when you don’t have the luxury of placing flashes very close to the subject!
If some of you don’t have access to the Elinchrom catalogue, go to the bottom of this blog or link to: Elinchrom Ranger RX A and S head flash durations for the necessary details and other related specs.
Last shot for now. One Ranger to left front of Hayden. Sun provided backlight. Ranger RX with S head. 1600th/sec flash sync. Bright sky nicely underexposed.
ELINCHROM RANGER RX A & S HEAD FLASH DURATION:
