With so many different products on the market, it’s easy to get lost in trying to pick the perfect one for you. So many brands, so many modifiers, and so much to learn. What if there was an almost perfect kit for beginners? Well, this might just be it.

It’s no secret that for as long as I have been shooting images, I have been using off-camera light in one form or another. Be it a torch for long-exposure photography or tens of thousands of dollars in flash equipment, I’ve experienced it all. This experience has always left me wondering, what would be the perfect kit for beginners to use? It shouldn’t be too expensive, but it also should be reliable and easy to use. While it would be great to give every flash photographer a Pro-11 pack and a bunch of kit to play with, realistically, it is impossible.

I am aware of a lot of the flash kit on the market, from the lower end to the top of the top. There are few lighting products I miss. This is both due to my obsession with lighting as well as a constant search for a better light, a more reliable light, and so on. That’s not to say that what I have now and recommend using is unreliable, but it can always be better, right? The kit I recommend is the kit I would personally go out and spend my own money on today if I were starting out in flash photography. In fact, this is almost the kit that I bought back when I was starting out.

Light

Profoto B2 250 AirTTL

More or less, this is the first big boy light that I bought. While you may be slightly surprised to see Profoto in a beginner-friendly kit, don’t let the name fool you. Profoto is far more beginner-friendly than any other brand. Why? It is just so darn simple to use. There are a few switches and buttons that control the main functions of the flash. It is easy to the point of my 11-year-old sister knowing how to control it.

On a serious note, buying this kit can be around $600. It will ship with two heads, two batteries, and probably an extension cord. As this is a battery-powered light, you will be able to take it with you wherever you go.

There are more powerful and cheaper battery-powered lights. However, the reason I advise many beginners to get into Profoto is that it is very much a buy-once product. Besides great build quality and reliability, you also get great performance. With 250W spread over two heads, you essentially get two lights for the price of basically one. Given that the light has both HSS and TTL, you can use it in auto mode without having to worry about power settings. Just make sure you have either an Air Remote or a Connect Pro. The first one can be found used for not more than $150, which is a fairly good price to pay for a remote that is the most reliable and easiest to use on the market. A more in-depth review of the Profoto B2 is in the works for anyone who is interested.

Modifiers

Profoto Umbrella Shallow M + Diffuser

Many photographers might say that the umbrella is something amateur and something to avoid. Indeed, it does not have the same oomph as a softbox does. But I assure you, not only will you get softer light with an umbrella, but you will also be able to travel with it much easier than with a softbox. A used umbrella will run you about $50 and will last you a good five years at least.

The reason I advise you to get a diffuser for it is to produce more even light. This is useful when lighting portraits and trying to create an even light spread on the subject. The diffuser is arguably more useful when using the silver umbrella, as it turns the specular light into diffused light, but even with a white umbrella, it makes a noticeable difference.

A used shallow umbrella will be about $50.

Profoto OCF Beauty Dish White

This modifier is also a highly recommended beginner classic, in my opinion. The OCF beauty dish is unlike many other beauty dishes as it can be used not only as a dish but also as a makeshift octabank. As the inner deflector plate is removable, this modifier is highly versatile. If you use it without the deflector and diffusers, you will get a light similar to sunlight; if you use it with the deflector, you will get classic beauty light. Use it with the plate and the diffuser, and you have a super soft light. In short, there are about ten more ways to use this modifier, making it a truly versatile tool that beginners can experiment with.

A used OCF beauty dish will run about $150 with the speedring.

The Reason To Go To Profoto

Perhaps one of the most common criticisms that I get from my readers is that I promote Profoto far too much in my work. This is fair enough, as there are plenty of other brands that make great lighting kits that deserve attention. However, Profoto is a brand that I personally believe in, same as Capture One and any other company that I personally use. I have not received heaps of gear from them to make me use them; I saved and bought their gear with my own cash.

Profoto provides some of the best and newest features on the market, as well as allowing you to constantly up your game in terms of performance. I am talking not only about their more pro-line lights such as the Pro-11, but also the forgotten Pro-7a or the D4. If you get to a point where you are shooting a lot in the studio, this might be an excellent purchase. The range of modifiers Profoto offers is also second to none, and their rental availability means that you are always able to get something you need in whatever city you are in. Broncolor would be in the same position in terms of availability, however, their features are not up to speed with whatever Profoto is up to.

Closing Thoughts 

Here we have it. This is the kit you should use as a beginner photographer. While it appears to be pricey, it really isn’t much more when you buy it used. The catch is that these are buy-once products that will last you well into your professional days. If it doesn’t work out, this kit holds value incredibly well.

Shortly before trial, Prince agreed to compensate two photographers whose images he had used in an installation.

GRAND ARMY PLAZA — Brooklyn Public Library currently presents “It Happened in New York”, an exhibition of photographs by Sylvia Plachy. Between 1974 and 2004, Plachy was a staff photographer for the Village Voice. The exhibition is an ode to New York and Plachy’s immense power of observation.

Plachy, who was also a contributing photographer at the New Yorker and a columnist for Metropolis magazine, captures New York’s writers, musicians, artists, and public icons alongside the sidewalk characters who personify the city. Plachy is also the mother of noted actor Adrien Brody.

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The exhibition is comprised of nearly 40 photographs along with clippings from the Village Voice and Metropolis as well as the artist’s books. We meet the bold countenance of a woman named Monet, commanding a pack of Great Danes in front of a Lower East Side building covered in graffiti. In another, Tom Waits poses as a toreador. Margaret Atwood poses in a cape evoking “The Handmaiden’s Tale,” three years before it was written. Break dancers torque their bodies on the boardwalk.

Plachy will walk through the exhibition and talk about her photographs on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. starting in the grand lobby of Central Library. The program is free, but reservations are recommended.

Sylvia Plachy, born in Budapest, lives in New York. She has had one-person shows at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Whitney Museum at Philip Morris in New York, the Queens Museum, The Radvila Palace Museum of Art in Vilnius, Photo España, Madrid, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, and in galleries in Homer, Budapest, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, New York, Manchester, Arles, Perpingnon and Pingyau.

For thirty years (1974-2004) she was a photographer at The Village Voice, where she had a weekly column, “Unguided Tour,” and where she became staff photographer, reporting nationally and internationally.  She also had a column for several years in Metropolis magazine (“Signs and Relics”) and was a contributing photographer at the New Yorker. Her photographs have appeared in the New York Times, Fortune, ArtForum, Granta, Grand Street, New York Magazine and in many other magazines. She is a Guggenheim fellow and the recipient of Lucie Award. Her photographs are held in collections including the MoMA, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the San Francisco Museum, and the High Museum.

Ms. Plachy has had six books published: “Signs And Relics,” 2000; “Red Light,” 1996; “Unguided Tour,” 1990, winner of the Infinity Award for best publication; “Self Portrait With Cows Going Home,” 2004, winner of the Golden Light Award for best book; “De Reojo/Out Of The Corner Of My Eye,” 2007; and “Goings On About Town,” 2007, a collection from photographs in the New Yorker column.

Ms. Plachy was a legacy photographer at the Look3 Festival in the summer of 2009 in Charlottesville. On Feb. 6, 2010, Sylvia Plachy was given the Dr. Erich Salomon award by the German Society for Photography (DGPh). This prestigious prize is given for “lifetime achievement” in photojournalism.

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About Brooklyn Public Library

Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. As a leader in developing modern 21st-century libraries, we provide resources to support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.7 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators — from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.

“I think print is more important now than ever,” says photographer Lenny Gerard (he/him) to the Phoblographer in an interview. “A printed photograph encapsulates the essence of a work, bearing immense significance and enduring permanence. It embodies the truest form of photography — something to be displayed, cherished, and preserved eternally.” You wouldn’t assume so about Lenny, but he’s disabled and teaches at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. Many people don’t believe I’m legally blind by my work. Lenny represents those among us who rise to the top against what society deems incredible odds due to its structure. Would you believe that Lenny has done work for Netflix, H&M, Viacom, CBS, Paramount, DEF JAM, Out, Pride, Snapchat, Burt’s Bees, and so much more? Truly, Lenny’s story is one that’s bound to inspire any photographer who feels like they’re in a dark place and don’t know how to make their own light.

All images by Lenny Gerard. Used with permission. Please check out his website and follow him on Instagram at @lenny__gerard for more.

The Story of Lenny Gerard

From how Lenny tells his story, it seems like it was meant to be. At 8 years old, he inherited his grandfather’s camera collection. It took him a while to fall in love with photography; but what really helps here is that he had a great support system. His mom bought him the first digital Canon Rebel for his 13th birthday.

“I turned what became a hobby into a passion as I started taking pictures of my friends – dressing them up and using props to make each shoot a fashion photograph,” he shares with us. “I was very much inspired by Tyra Bank’s show ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ and often got my ideas for elaborate photoshoots from the TV show.’ Later, he used his fashion photography portfolio to get into a certificate program at UCSD at 16.

While gear undeniably plays a crucial role, I firmly believe that it’s the photographer’s eye that ultimately crafts a stunning photograph.

Lenny Gerard

From there, his work spread on Facebook, and more people hired him. It brought him to get a full-ride scholarship to Parsons School of Design in NYC. ” a pivotal moment that broadened my perspective on the vast and diverse world of photography. “At Parsons, I learned about my favorite photographers like Francesca Woodman and Man Ray,” says Lenny, calling this time a very pivotal point for him. “I even learned about some photographers that also went to Parsons who were making a name for themselves such as Ryan Mcginley, who inspired me greatly.”

These days, Lenny mostly uses a Canon EOS R5 and a 24-70mm f2.8 lens. This is all combined with speedlights, LED lights, stands, etc. “Strobe lights enable crisp, high-resolution images, while continuous lighting breathes life into motion shots and long exposures, enhancing the dynamics and bringing ambient light into every scene,” he tells us about the choice of using both.

But Lenny doesn’t limit himself. He uses everything — and that includes darkroom techniques, Photoshop and other pieces of software. “I’ve honed unique techniques, like utilizing glass, mirrors, and plexiglass to craft captivating reflections in jewelry or e-commerce shots and using Instant Film printers for both Polaroid and Instax Fujifilm to combine Photoshop renderings and photo-manipulation into analog formats,” he tells us. Indeed, we really don’t see this often.

Still, he says that these are just tools. Though they’re important, he attributes his success to masting composition, harnessing light, etc.

The Creative Process

Considering his creative background and breeding, Lenny doesn’t limit himself. “In my creative journey, the distinction between creating art in-camera and through post-processing fades into insignificance,” he tells us. “Both avenues provide an equal sense of accomplishment and joy, for each allows me to craft something meaningful from nothing. The medium doesn’t define the fulfillment; the act of creation itself is what brings satisfaction.” The whole process came from his darkroom and digital photography background.

This is part of how he’s embraced so many different processes combined with creative experimentation. While many photographers look at the world outside and try to create around that, Lenny focuses inward. He doesn’t hold himself against other trends the way that creators on Instagram do. Instead, he’s a photographer. At times, he does video work and still-motion capture work. This level of creative understanding is rarely seen and truly understood these days. Lenny doesn’t make images for an algorithm — he makes them out of genuine creative expression and doesn’t limit himself in any way — which is why his affinity for print is so important!

“Unlike the transient nature of digital images, print photography stands as a tangible manifestation of art, often framed and adorning walls with its captivating presence,” he tells us. While he makes prints and then outputs instant film prints, he also makes more traditional prints as well.

Thoughts on AI Imagery

Many photographers are worried about AI imagery. But Lenny sees it as a passing trend. And indeed, he’s got the work that stands out enough that an AI can’t mimic it. “AI-created content, while technically impressive, struggles to replicate the authenticity and depth inherent in human-made creations,” he shares. “It falls short, particularly in genres like street photography, where the human touch and true moments in time are irreplaceable. I believe the demand for genuine human-driven content remains strong, fueled by a growing awareness of the limitations and biases in AI-generated art.” All of this is said with a deeper understanding of photography as art — which I truly hope spreads to the masses in time.

Authenticity Statement

The Phoblographer works with human photographers to verify that they’ve actually created their work through shoots. These are done by providing us assets such as BTS captures, screenshots of post-production, extra photos from the shoot, etc. We do this to help our readers realize that this is authentically human work. Here’s what this photographer provided for us.

Randy and Shirley Cooper both held leadership roles at two credit unions in Richmond. Shirley recently retired, but Randy is embarking on a new initiative, 424 Vision Shared Legacy. The group’s objective is to close the financial wealth gap in their community.

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