Outdoor Shoot with Godox and Westcott

Over the weekend I did two shoots in my studio. I'd been wanting to shoot outdoors though because it was sunny. I live in Chicago where winter seems forever. I also wanted to test my Godox AD360 outdoor.  So the weekend shoots was a perfect way to hit two birds with one stone. Today I will be sharing my experience on those two shoots. Take note: this is not about posing, hair, makeup, or retouching. Think of it as my personal journal.

Saturday

I started my weekend with a shoot with the talented Ashley Brielle of Modelogic Midwest. After shooting three looks in the studio, we went outside at around 3pm. I brought my Godox AD360 (version 1) and Westcott Halo, along with my Canon 6D. It was a bright afternoon. According to the TPE iPhone app, the sun's elevation is at 46 degrees at the time of my shoot. To give you a perspective, golden hour is about at 6 degrees elevation (probably around 6:40pm).

Figure 1: The TPE iPhone App

Below are some of the images I captured in this session with a comparison of off-camera flash and natural light:

Figure 2: Lighting comparison.
These photos are not retouched except for basic Lightroom adjustments.

Notice how bright the scene was. I had La'Yanna, the hair stylist, held the Westcott Halo, while my wife, the makeup artist, blocked the sun from hitting the model's face.

Figure 3: BTS from Saturday's shoot

 Thought Process

1. Take a photo of the scene without off-camera flash. I tested how much ambient light I should cut off. I chimped and settled for my camera's max sync speed of 1/4000 (I wish I could go higher though).
2. On my LCD I can tell the ambient light is too strong at 1/160. So I set my shutter speed at 1/2000 and still looks bright. I set my shutter speed to the max sync at 1/4000. It looks acceptable.
3. I turned on my Godox and placed the Westcott Halo as close as possible to my model.
4. I took a test shot. The model is barely noticeable because my light's power is at 1/4. I decided to increase the power to 1/1. Now I see my model.
5. I took more test shots without looking at my LCD.
6. I reviewed the photos I took. A lot of shots didn't fire my Godox. I forgot at 1/1 power the recycle time is SLOW (even with the power cable splitter). The recycle time can vary from 2.5 seconds to 4.5 seconds. I guess I'm shooting faster than a second.
7. I took a couple of shots again. I got some good ones but still missed a lot. Then I learned my battery is about to die. It was my mistake to start with an almost 25% batter power. 
8. After the battery died, I decided to end the shoot.

Lessons Learned

• Bring extra battery packs
• Shoot during the golden hour so the ambient light is more pleasing
• Use a more effective modifier to concentrate the light, so I don't need to shoot at 1/1 power. Probably a Colt 45 from CheetahStand will do the trick
• Shoot at a slower pace

Sunday

The following day I worked with Kara Quinlan, also from Modelogic Midwest. After doing four looks in the studio, we went outdoor for the finale. This time I was "supposed" to be more prepared. I brought two fully charged battery packs and shot near the golden hour where the sun's elevation is at around 10 degrees.

Here's a comparison shot I took:

Figure 4: Lighting comparison.

These photos are unretouched except for basic Lightroom adjustments.

I had Lupita, the wardrobe stylist, held the Westcott Halo, while Nini, the makeup artist held the white foam core (not sure if that thing helped the shot).

Figure 5: BTS from Sunday's shoot

The thought process is the same as before. However I still missed a lot of shots. This is because of the slow recycling time of my light at 1/1 power and I was clicking the shutter really fast.

Lessons Learned

• Shoot slower 
• Get another Godox, so I don't need to shoot at 1/1 power
• Use a more effective modifier to concentrate the light
• Use a more powerful strobe like Einstein but at the hassle of using ND filters.  It's not terribly bad though

Here's a photo I took last year with my Einstein and an 11" Long Throw Reflector. I had a 4x ND filter here. The Einstein was probably using 90 watts of power.

Figure 6: Bonus image

Credits

Saturday shoot
Photography by Mark Serrano
Model: Ashley Brielle
Makeup by Vanessa Serrano
Hair by La'Yanna Kai

Sunday shoot
Photography by Mark Serrano
Model: Kara Quinlan
Makeup by Nini Jenkins
Hair by Regina Borsilli-Brown
Wardrobe by Lupita Castaneda and CiCi Colbert-Rich

Steampunk shoot
Photography by Mark Serrano
Assistants: Jesus Zendejas and Jessica Campoverde 
Model: Marta Monica 
Makeup and hair by Mariefel Lagatuz Westa
Wardrobe Styling by Q Phia Sherry / Ugo Serrano / Crisiswear 
Event Organizer: Amie Hana

Check my portfolio to see more of my work at www.markserranophotography.com