The idea for this project was born five years ago while daydreaming in my studio. I questioned myself how could I bring national costumes from Montenegro closer to young population and especially to foreign people. The answer seemed so obvious – let’s shoot female costumes in a fashion manner. Totally different than it used to be shown.
Montenegro is very small country on south east Europe, with not more than 600 000 habitants, but very diverse. High mountains and beautiful mediterranean coast. It has mixed nationalities. This influenced the multiple cultural aspects of its history.
Process
First test shot was done five years ago. The first ideas and shots were very successful. I was aware of possible esthetic paths that I could follow. One of those was to do outdoor shots in different locations in Montenegro.
Also, I wanted to have full mobility and availability to darken the sky. With that idea on hold, broncolor produced in the meantime the power pack Move1200 L. It grabbed my attention immediately. Reading all possible reviews I realised, that this was the option, I was looking for. But, because of the low standard in our country, it took quite a lot of sacrifice to collect funds . Finally the day came, and I could buy a Move 1200 L pack, a Para 88, a Beauty dish, a P70 reflector and an Octabox 150 cm .
I was sure, I made the right decision. I was blown away by the broncolor light quality.
Then I decided to wait another 2 years. Why? I wanted to shoot with medium format, and with leaf shutter lenses. With a lot of patience and effort, Phase One became a new family member. It was a great combo to realize this project. It was the time for a real start.
It was very challenging, because it was shot during the high season, and all crew members were working a lot . Somehow we found ways and dates for everybody to be able to start shooting. On a mountain, in a landscape and at the sea. Everything Montenegro has to offer. As I expected, it was very hard, nerve wracking. But on all Shooting days, I knew it was something I would be proud of.
More about the gear:
I used all broncolor light shapers I had : Para 88, Beauty dish, P70 reflector and Octabox 150. Each has a specific purpose. For example, I used P70 reflector because it would mimic sun pretty good and I would get punchy image. The other reason is that it is light and I didn’t had to worry about wind.
Para 88 was used without focusing rod. Even It is my primary tool for beauty shots, I found it very very useful here outdoor. First, extremely easy to assemble. In a few seconds it is ready. Without focusing rod it would give me hard shadows but light itself looked kind of soft, but enhanced highlight. It is really hard to describe. You need to try it by yourself.
On the beach shot, with the model jumping I used the Beauty dish . It was very windy and it would be very tricky to use a Para 88. P70 was too narrow for the model jumping and I didn’t want to risk to lose her.
Freezing moment with Move 1200 L was spectacularly easy. Using leaf shutter lens, and 1/1600 exposure time, made everything even easier. I love to work with medium format, it’s more clame and it makes you think about the shot before you press the button.
Camera was PhaseOne 645DF with P65+ digital back and 80mm 2.8 LS lens.
Click on the link below to see the video of this photoshoot:
https://vimeo.com/227384042
Making Of’
