Creating light with Elinchrom flash systems

Elinchrom has been in the business of manufacturing portable studio flashes since 1962 and they’re still going strong; producing innovative and versatile photographic equipment for photographers from all walks of life.

Whether shooting outdoors in the harsh South African sunlight or photographing weddings, their wide range of flash and lighting gear will assist in creating beautifully lit photos that will add value to any photography business. As an official Elinchrom retailer, Outdoorphoto stocks a large variety of photographic lighting gear and accessories that include compact flash systems, remote controls, battery-powered flash systems and various light shaping tools such as diffusers, modifiers and reflectors.

Conveniently lightweight and portable, Elinchrom strobe lighting is ideal for the professional studio environment. Elinchrom monolights and flash heads have fast recycling times that streamline your workflow and are particularly useful for slowing down action.

Elinchrom’s D-Lite RX range offers unique features without compromising quality. With exceptional portability and quality, work suddenly becomes play when using the D-Lite RX 2/2 Umbrella to-go kit. This umbrella lighting kit is a great choice for entry-level photographers thanks to its integrated EL-Skyport for remote triggering with programmable options. It’s perfect for those who are interested in experimenting with creative light and shooting techniques and works flawlessly for others who are looking to shoot beautifully lit portraiture.

Are you finally starting your photography business? Then you’ll want this Elinchrom BRX 500/500 to-go kit by your side. It allows you to move around freely thanks to the built-in receiver for triggering and power control which, in turn, boosts your creativity and quality performance. And with its exceptionally short flash duration and fast recycling time, it’s the obvious choice for anyone with a demanding professional workflow. This kit includes a softbox for soft, even light distribution.

Elinchrom battery-powered units provide the next level in outdoor flash. The ELB 400 is the most complete and portable flash system designed for photographers who like to travel light but packing enough power to overpower the sun. Likewise, Quadra flash heads are built to be as portable as possible, putting the power of light in the palm of your hand. Strong and robust Skyport transmitters enable photographers to trigger and adjust flash at up to 200m away.

Don’t be fooled by this kit’s size. Designed to provide you with the ultimate mobility and compact power, the ELB 1200 HS to-go kit is a setup that allows you to use professional quality light on-location without needing an electrical outlet. This set is optimised to freeze motion, overpower the sun, darken backgrounds and use wider apertures with higher shutter speeds with the help of the optional Skyport transmitter Plus HS. These features made the ELB 1200 to-go kit ideal for photographer Michael Clark for his “Lighting The Spirit” project when he truly pushed Elinchrom to its limits using the ELB 1200 to freeze the action of whitewater kayaker Rafa Ortiz going down Spirit Falls, Washington.

Flash modifiers are generally straightforward, yet compared to a softbox understanding the differing effects of silver, translucent and reflective umbrellas can be quite confusing for those starting out with flash photography.

Softboxes create soft and flattering light. They also diffuse a light source or increase the size of a smaller light source. Softboxes can sometimes be a bit difficult and time-consuming to set up and tend to be a bit more bulky than umbrellas.

Umbrellas provide an even spread of light which is perfect for creating fill light, or evenly lit backdrops. Translucent umbrellas are used as a direct shoot through or indirect bounce light and provide a broad spread of soft light that creates a more pleasing quality of light compared to bare flashlight. The silver umbrella provides a crispy, directional reflected light with sharper contrast, perfect for use in beauty photography or on masculine subjects. Umbrellas are typically more lightweight and portable making them easy to work with.

To create a truly striking image there are a few aspects you need to cover and one is having good light.

Afterall, in the words of George Eastman: “light makes photography”.