Rangefinder Magazine
April 2006

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Rf Cookbook Claude Jodoin
Classical Bride

INGREDIENTS • Camera: Canon 5D • Lens: Canon 70–210mm f/2.8L • Media: SanDisk Ultra II 1 GB CF card • Meter: (2) Minolta Flashmeter Vs • White balance: Wallace Expo Disk • Lights: White Lightning X-2400 and (2) AlienBees 400s • Light Modifiers: (2) Westcott Strip Banks, silver and white Scrim Jims and Egg Crate Grid • Exposure: 1/125 at f/9

"Classical Bride" was done in the studio prior to the wedding ceremony. The image is an 8x10 crop from the very first shot directly from the fullframe Canon 5D digital camera set to a standard, large JPEG at the highest quality setting (no test images were taken).

The image was recorded on a SanDisk Ultra II 1GB CF card. The Canon 70–200mm f/2.8L lens was set at 70mm at f/9 for adequate depth of field in the sharpest aperture range. All meter readings were from twin Minolta Flashmeter Vs (mine and my assistant’s), custom calibrated to the 5D to ensure 0.1- stop accuracy in the readings.

If you refer to the red oval marking in the image below, the diffuse value of the bride’s face was based on this main light reading of f/8, which was a White Lightning X2400 mono flash with a 12x30-inch Westcott Strip Bank, diffused through a Westcott 8x8-foot Scrim Jim, with a 11/4 stop diffuser. The large scrim allows for positioning the main light anywhere along its surface and gives control over the size and gradation of the illumination better than anything I have tried. I positioned the main light on the far side of the scrim as a back/sidelight/main to draw most of the attention to her face and bouquet. This gives a dramatic rendering. Once the f/8.0 reading was established, I custom white-balanced the camera with an Expo Disk. I then positioned an AlienBees 400 with a second Westcott 12x30-inch Strip Bank, as an accent/rim light/secondary main light. It was fitted with a Westcott Light Tools Egg Crate Grid to keep the background dark, give better directional control, and to prevent lens flare. The power was adjusted until the combined reading of both lights at the bride’s face was f/8.0.3 on the meter, which set the target lens aperture of f/9. Another AlienBees 400 with Westcott 12x30-inch Strip Bank with Grid was positioned a little lower, aimed down slightly, to rim-light the back of the dress and veil. The power was adjusted to be about 1/2-stop less than the other one because it’s working on the shadow side.

The final ingredients were the Silver Scrim Jims used for fill from two angles. A 6x6- foot Scrim Jim hung on a Century stand opposite the main (the top of which is visible in the shot) and with a 42x72-inch Silver Scrim Jim used as additional fill for the back of the dress. I used two double clips to put two Scrim Jims together; one silver/white and one translucent 11/4-stop material, making this a fast, versatile, self-standing light modifier.