In the most basic terms, I click a button to capture a split second in time. In a more complex way, I am a highly detail-oriented and technical photographer with a fanatical approach to composition, color, execution, and technique. Be it capturing the jumpers of Vanuatu Islands, a car shoot for Aston Martin Lagonda or the latest Nike Kobe shoes, I am relying on over 18 years of photography experience to creatively problem-solve real-time issues and meticulously execute the vision of the client in the highest resolution possible, on time and on budget. As an ambassador to Phase One cameras, I am creating my work on the world’s most advanced camera system, with 151 megapixels at my disposal to tell a story with each image produced.

When not on a client shoot, I can be found in my custom-built studio working on multiple projects in different stages of production and experimentation. Coming up with concepts for a shoot is one of my favorite and most rewarding things to do. Trying to envision something different, that maybe has not been done before, repeatedly testing it and finding solutions to complicated technical problems allows me to stay creatively sharp and continue to produce exclusively unique campaigns for my clients.

I live in Los Angeles with my wife Susan and our 2 cats - Foo and Smash. Covid 19 has certainly been many things. Tragic, emotionally draining and financially challenging. One unforeseen advantage (if you can even call it that) is that it allowed me the breathing room to rethink and focus on some shoot concepts that I never had the chance to even start. This Bacardi shoot was one such project where I wanted to play with the colorful design of the bottles and integrate the associated flavored fruit. I envisioned and sketched out a very fluid set of images where the water splashes, when coupled with the fruit mid-flow, would show a real sense of motion. I wanted one to feel the movement of each independent element and for the images in the series as a whole to feel unique from each other but still have a common thread.

The lighting needed to achieve this was crucial and being fortunate to have my own studio to test a multitude of setups was incredibly helpful in the planning stages. The lighting had to be consistent, easy to adjust on the go (as we had 2 separate setups) and with a very fast flash sync duration. I started off with lighting only the bottles individually, which required a 4-light setup. I used a Siros 800 S on low to mid-power pointing towards an acrylic sheet to get the glow coming through the bottles (where the label was not covering). I then had two Unilite 3200 J lamps individually attached to two 30x120cm Softboxes on low to mid-power and slightly offset from one another on the side of the bottles. This was used to provide a lovely length-wise glow on the side of the glass. They each had a waterfall of paper scrim in front to further diffuse and feather the light as needed. Lastly, to bring out the labels, I used a Picolite with the Projection attachment to control the light so only that section is illuminated.

Once all the bottles were shot in the same exact position and lighting setup, we turned our attention to the fruit and water splashes. Cue the giant inflatable kiddie pool which made its grand entrance in the studio. After many test shoot setups to figure out the best lighting positions, it was decided that the backside Siros 800 S was to remain in its initial position, one of the Unilite was moved to an overhead position, lighting barely bulbed thorough a scrim and the other Unilite was on the side with the same Softbox as before but angled to a 30-degree angle from camera and tilted slightly to help light the anticipated flight path of the thrown water. Once this was arranged, we placed the Scoro 3200 S power pack on the fastest flash sync setting and proceeded to repeat the throwing of water multiple times from a wide assortment of items to help produce different and unique water splash shapes.

The Picolite was vital to a shoot such as this specifically because of its unique design and functionality. As a result of its ability to allow one to use the internal masks & templates to precisely choose what section to illuminate without any unwanted light spill, it provides a tremendous amount of creative freedom. Especially for a shoot such as this one where I had a distinct drop-off where the label ended and where the glass started, it was imperative to not have any additional fight spill from the Picolite as it would negatively affect the light setup from the two Unilite lighting from the sides. This creative freedom allowed me to lift up the shadows of the label which as a result of the curvature of the bottle was getting no light. It is that subtle light source that makes a huge difference for posts to not have to artificially lift shadows. I am confident that without it, the shoot would have been massively delayed as my team and I would have had to jerry-rig something to emulate exactly what the Picolite was specifically designed to do. It is an indispensable piece of kit that will always be part of my setup.

The final part of the lighting setup was one that was just as crucial as the rest. I needed to light only the labels and this was a more complicated task than one thinks. The lighting has to be subtle, so the label does stand out but without it being fake, overblown and affecting the rest of the bottle. To achieve this, the only tool that allows me this kind of control is the Picolite with the projection attachment. With the Picolite being smaller in size, it allows me the flexibility to position it in tighter spaces around either my camera or my subject. When coupled with the Projection attachment, it allows me to use the internal masks & templates to control the exact space that I need lighting on. Shooting this with a regular light would have caused light spill around the labels thus rendering the other lights setup useless. This is a critical and unique tool that is a perfect fit for the minute adjustments needed to light a section of a subject. It is an indispensable light and attachment combination that is never too far away from me in my studio.

Website: www.andreiduman.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dumanphotography
Retouching: www.avenuesixty7.co.uk