Down-and-dirty high key with the Phottix Hydra 8

Down and Dirty High Key, taken with the new Phottix Hydra 8 Flash Accessory Kit

Shooting on white backgrounds looks great but presents a number of challenges. Have you tried it? It’s not as easy as it looks. You want to get your whites whiter.

After spending hours watching Zack Arias’ CreativeLive.com Studio Lighting Workshop I decided to put his tips to work. Using the soon-to-be-released Phottix Hydra 8  Flash Accessory Kit, I tried to do something similar. Zack uses two strobes or flashes against the backdrop – I wanted to try with one.

The Phottix studio space has lights – boy does it have lights. Hensel, Bowens, Aurora: An untold number of studio strobes were available. I’m more of a Strobist kind of guy. Dragging a 500W Hensel on location is a hassle. Why do it when something smaller will do the job?

A Nikon SB-900 with the Hydra 8 Globe Diffuser was placed behind the model. A Canon 580 EXII with the Hydra 8 Mini Diffuser (a small beauty dish) was placed on a boom over the model.

Zack’s has a ratio for white seamless shots – the background lights like must two stops higher than the key light. I cheated and used a Sekonic L-308 Light Meter instead of chimping (as I usually do).

It work very well (thanks, Zack), for a down-an-dirty high key shot. Easy set-up. Bada Bing! More photos taken with the Hydra 8 Flash Accessory Kit are posted on flickr. Details of the kit will be released next week.