by Rolando Gomez
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About four or five years ago, my friend Andy Pearlman, a successful and highly published photographer, introduced me to the California Sunbouce system for outdoor shooting--and until my recent trip to Cozumel, I thought the system was for outdoor use only, boy was I wrong.
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| Model, Noelia, Camera, Olympus E-1 Digital SLR and an Olympus, Zuiko Digital 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 lens, 1/30s @ F/4. One Dyna-Lite Uni400Jr, fill light form the California Sunbounce Mini, silver fabric. Photo by a trained professional, please do not attempt this without necessary precautions |
I thought I my trip was ruined when on the first shooting day we were faced with storm clouds, thunder and rain throughout, though we still managed to get one beautiful sunset in, the image above, and thanks to the California Sunbounce Mini with a silver fabric, we limited the danger in the shoot to one light, as we used the Mini as a fill source from the flash unit--this image included all the necessary precations, so please don't attempt this unless you have proper training.
Since my trip was short and sweet, I was traveling “lite” with the California Sunbouce Pro, the Mini, the Sun-Swatter, and an 8-foot by 8-foot overhead California Sunbounce scrim. I also brought along my Dyna-Lite Uni400Jr portable light system, just incase, just one head.
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As I reconnoitered the location, I tried to previsualize how I could recreate the sun, but most important, the golden hour color for my subject's skin. I wasn't too worried about the background, as without the sun, the ocean photographs like any other ocean, not the normal exotic tropical blues and greens that the water and the reefs normally reflect from the bright sun. Besides, when using longer lenses, the background compresses nicely. My main focus, especially so I wouldn't experience a wasted trip, was a well-lit model with pleasing skin tones.
Faced with a wasted day, I acted systematically and I broke out the only portable flash system I was carrying, a Dyna-Lite Uni400Jr with a Jackrabbit battery pack. I put it up, took a shot of the model, verified it on the LCD screen of my Olympus E-1, then told myself the image needed "life." So I asked the assistant to put the California Sunbounce Pro, my 6-foot version, together--it took him about three minutes.
I basically set the California Sunbounce Pro about 15 feet from the model, with the zebra side toward the model, and pointed my Dyna-Lite flash head straight in the middle of the reflector, about four feet from the taunt fabric, with a 30-degree upward angle. The flash instantly became my sun, the California Sunbounce became my main light source (modifier) and the zebra fabric gave me that much needed warm tone that I've learned to appreciate.
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| Photograph of Noelia with Olympus E-1 Digital SLR and an Olympus, Zuiko Digital 50mm lens and an Olympus 1.4x convertor. One Dyna-Lite Uni400Jr w/Jackrabbitpak battery with a 40-degree grid, 7-inch refelctor pointed at a California Sunbounce Pro, zebra gold/silver fabric. Location is Cozumel. |
While most creatives, including cinema industry folks in Hollywood use California Sunbounce products on location outdoors, I like it both ways--indoors and outdoors. Why not? The fabrics incorporated in the California Sunbounce system are interchangeable, from zebra, white, gold, silver and more, and you can even take their translucent material from their Sun-Swatter or scrims and shoot your light through them like a soft box. All products are super durable and machine-washable under low-temperature--just don't' use laundry detergent, you'll find the best fabrics are “seasoned” over time just like coffee pots and gridles.
Like all California Sunbounce products, the Pro is German-engineered--in other words, well built, even better than a Mercedes, but never overbuilt where a photographer can't handle it himself. The 6-foot pro, my favorite in a zebra fabric (gold with silver, zebra striped), has three cross-bars that will keep your reflector firm, stable and wobble-free, yet feather-like in weight. In fact, you can take the California Sunbounce Pro, or just about any products they make, and if securely fastened to a vessel, they can power a trimaran sailboat with ease across the choppy waters of the Mediterranean Sea, just add wind.
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| Photograph of Noelia with Olympus E-1 Digital SLR and an Olympus, Zuiko Digital Zuiko Digital 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 lens. One California Sunbounce Pro, zebra gold/silver fabric and one 8-foot by 8-foot overhead scrim with translucent material. Location is Cozumel. |
That's another quality item that sets California Sunbounce apart from their competitors-they use quality fabrics, more durable than denim, but as fine as the world's greatest silks--heck, those silk worms I'd be willing to bet are envious of the California Sunbounce fabrics. My buddy Andy Pearlman has used his system for over five years, without one tear or fray of the fabric--still going strong and he photographs so much work with his Sunbounce gear, he practically sleeps with it.
Add to all the pluses, when's the last time you photographed someone that was shaped like a circle? Normally when my models are standing tall, I want a reflector, especially when shooting fashion or glamour photography, that lights them evenly and proportionately. You get this with a rectangle, even the smaller California Sunbounce Mini, or 4-foot rectangles, but try that with a small circle-in fact, the California Sunbounce system's rectangular shape allows you to get close, thus reducing harsh shadows often found with specular and round light sources--especially since photographers with circle reflectors have to movev further back to get the same amount of coverage--toss the circle, go rectangle! Feel the quality of the light, experience a true reflected light source versus one that tries to fill a hole.
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| Photograph of Isabel with Olympus E-1 Digital SLR and an Olympus, Zuiko Digital Zuiko Digital 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 lens. One California Sunbounce Pro, zebra gold/silver fabric and a Dyna-Lite Uni400Jr. Location is Cozumel. |
To really appreciate the quality of light the California Sunbounce system brings you, along with its durability and usability, you must first understand its origins. Owned, operated and created by Wolfgang-Peter Geller says it all. Gellar comes from an advertising and fashion background--as a top-notched photographer Gellar was awarded the most internationally-coveted WORLD PRESS PHOTO AWARD in 1972, that alone should say it all. Geller not only knows what a photographer needs and want in their products, but he uses the California Sunbounce products himself and will accept nothing less than top-quality products with top-quality results.
While Gellar comes from a successful photography background, I'm sure there are many photographer's assistants, including mine, that are tickled pink about the system's compactness, practically weightless and durable features, not to mention you can put one together and tear it down in a couple of minutes, practically blindfolded.
While it's been a long-time since I've personally watched Andy Pearlman on a shoot, I can assure you, like me, he takes California Sunbounce products with him on every outdoor shoot--it's not only Andy's way of shooting, it's the California Sunbounce way to shoot--first-class.
©2004 Rolando Gomez
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