Just one sunset and one sunrise on the old Italian Presena Glacier. Unfortunately it’s another Alpine Glacier in a bad condition. But still alive due to the use of a big white tent in summer, as cover for what remains of the steepest glacier on the Alps.
With the Colmar brand, a simple and light production, we decided to shoot part of the outdoor collection in different conditions.
We decided to bring along a couple of professional models, that enjoy the outdoors in their free time, and shoot them on the suggestive rocks jutting out of the glacier. We shot some photos on the afternoon of the first day on the top of the old glacier, these were natural light and “trekking style” photos.
We decided to focus our shooting on the next day at dawn. We woke up at 4:30 am and were out of the hut by 5:00 am. We started shooting at around 5:30 am to play with the magic and amazing light a 3200m high glacier can offer at the beginning of summer.
What setup and lighting did you use to get the shot?
For this type of shoot a big set up can yield the best results if you have the time, space, people (assistant) and power, still you can “loose” precious few minutes moving around the subject and the spot. However, I have to say, during sunrise and sunset you have to be fast. It doesn’t mean to shoot randomly, it means you have to rely on your experience and your knowledge of gear and the mountain weather.
“The more you know, the less you need” should be the quote associated to this shoot. Be fast, bring good light and a capable assistant, these are the most important things.
I decided to use only one Siros 800 L, with a octabox for the still shots, and with a sport reflector for the action shots. As there were lot of rocks, Cri, the assistant, was in charge of holding the flash all the time.
During the shot
With the Siros 800 L a good amount of power is guaranteed. Usually, before the sun pops out from the mountain line, you don’t need a lot of power to balance the natural light. Winter or summer doesn’t change. But once the sun crests over the mountains, you need a very powerful unit to play with the light. At least to be able to decide.
With the RFS 2.2 you can shoot and sync easily at 1/8000s if you need it, and with the 800 J available from the Siros L, you can have the image framed perfectly without issues. The light from RFS 2.2 can be set remotely, thus the assistant does not need to touch the light during the shoot. On the mountain you can save lot of precious minutes if you don’t need to move around the light all the time.
During this sunrise we were lucky. Once the sun rose a big cloud bank started to move upwards from the bottom of the valley.
It was a warm summer for the Alps with a lot of humidity, and the temperature differential between day and night aided by the pressure gave to the clouds a mesmerizing movement. Every 5 minutes the light would change, and the RFS 2.2 was the key to the success of the shoot.
Every 5 minutes the backdrop changed from a big light bank to harsh light which meant that every 5 minutes we had to check the exposure.
Once the magic light was out, we decided to shoot some action. Here again, the fast sync played a fundamental role in the shoot. We switched from the box to the sport reflector without a hitch. On the mountain you have to be faster (if possible) than the weather, and with the Siros L now you can!
I have to say: thanks broncolor, you made it simple… and better!
About Alessandro Belluscio
Alessandro Belluscio, for most simply “Alo”, is an action and outdoor photographer but he also loves studios filled with lights. He spent the last few years moving around the mountains to shoot some of the best athletes in the world. His photos are published on the most prominent winter magazines.
Right now Alessandro Belluscio is a Swiss based photographer and is working with the VisualWorking crew on new projects, all around the World.
