I can't get enough of Elinchrom's ELB 400 HS to go kit. Today I decided to push what my light could do in full sunlight and what type of looks I could achieve in HS mode for a self-portrait.
It was a challenge timing the shots when the sun was out and in between the clouds because it really created a dynamic range of styles. I could invoke moodiness to the image when the sun hid behind the clouds or create something lighter with more fill when the sun was fully out. Overall it was an interesting learning experience.
My go-to settings were around ISO 100, f/4, 1/3200 sec. I wanted to expose with for the sky using the shutter, which is one unique benefit of HS mode. It's really different making proper exposures in this fashion versus using aperture to expose for the sky. I bumped up my light to almost full power (5.7 to 6.0) to compete against the sun. As you can clearly see from the photos, I included the ELB 400 and my light modifier in every shot in order for you to see how far away I was from my key light.
I used Elinchroms beauty dish with a white sleeve to soften the light. I could have used a softbox or a different light modifier but I wanted to use something that would feel more mobile and small for the test shoot (plus it was just convenient at the time). Normally I always place a weight down on my light stand but I was doing test shots and moving around a lot while keeping a close eye on it.
I was also keeping in mind that while I was shooting this, I wanted my settings to be somewhat set for adventure sports-based photography mixed with portraiture. I have idea's in mind for future shoots surrounding this sort of theme.
I felt like the outcome of the photos are really quite interesting.