Godox has announced the V1Pro Flash with mini sub-flash, which will supersede the original V1, albeit at a higher price point.

The original $330 Godox V1 speed light turned a lot of heads when it was launched back in back in mid-2020, as it had a similar form to the excellent Profoto A10, but without the $1,700 price tag.

At that time in history, round-headed speedlights were all the rage, though the advantages of being round are slightly questionable in that the sensor we shoot to is rectangular.

The main advantage of a round flash-head is that the light’s reflection in the eye will be round (if you can actually work that out).

Also, the light spreads slightly more evenly if you are using a wide angle flash. It’s all very debatable as you can see in this video by Oma Ghomrawi where he tests the difference between Godox round VS rectangular heads. 

The original V1 features 76W output being powered by a 2600mAh lithium-ion battery that gives up to 480 full-power flashes. It has the ability for 40 consecutive full-power flashes with a recycling time of 1.5 seconds per flash.

It also features a built-in 2.4Ghz receiver that enables it to be triggered using the Godox X System transmitters. All in all, it was and still is, definitely a viable option to purchasing an OEM camera brand speedlight which are approximately $650+.

The new Godox V1Pro ups the ante by delivering 500 full-power flashes via its new but physically same-sized 7.2V/2980mAh battery. This allows 100 consecutive full power flashes with a recharge time of 1.5 seconds per flash.

Another bonus, battery wise, is the ability to connect it to the Godox PB960 power pack, which makes a nice addition for wedding and fashion photographers or paparazzi. 

Probably the most interesting addition is the detachable tiny External Flash SU-1. This gives you the ability to have a bounce and fill light in the one package.

No doubt this supplemental tiny flash is of fairly low power, but still enough to give a bit of catchlight / eyelight for the subject.

Another new inclusion is an inbuilt 2W LED light. Flash modelling lights are actually very useful for shooting ‘run and gun’ video grabs, super shallow depth of field / high ISO images at night, or even using it as a copy light for documents or macro photography.

It’s going to be interesting to see if the V1Pro is as successful as its predecessor, as the new price point could make prospective buyers now consider the OEM brands, even though they are still slightly more expensive.

With the V1 being only $330, it was always a bit of a no-brainer if you didn’t always need a speed light, or were on a limited budget.

TECHNICAL
Zoom Ratio: 28 to 105mm (auto)
Flash Duration: 1/300 to 1/20000s
Recycle time: Approx. 1.5s @ full power
Modelling Lamp: 2W (adjustable 10 steps)
High Speed Sync: up to 1/8000
Focus Assist Beam
Wireless 2.4G transmitter range: 100m

The V1Pro is available for pre-order for $550 and has compatible versions for Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm and OM-System.

You can read more about the V1Pro on the Godox website.

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Two small indigo rectangles mirror each other in Sophia Chai’s “Untitled” piece, the last of 13 photos curated for her exhibit, “Character Space.” The images are inspired by the phonetic sounds of the Korean alphabet, connecting verbal communication to shape.

“I think of the Korean alphabet like a pictorial diagram,” Chai said. “In my photographs, I try to reiterate the kind of visual space that I make when I make a sound (from the alphabet).”

Chai’s exhibit opened on Friday and will run until May 17 at Light Work, a nonprofit art facility that supports photographers through residencies and exhibitions on Syracuse University’s campus. Based out of Rochester, Minnesota, Chai currently works as an independent artist and as a MFA mentor for Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Throughout the exhibit, she uses Korean characters to discuss her own experience growing up in the United States as an immigrant.

In 1987, Chai immigrated to New York City from South Korea with her parents. She was 14 and did not speak any English. Her early years in America were filled with confusion, she said, adding that she lacked proper guidance.

“I didn’t feel like there was an adult figure who I could talk to to get help,” Chai said. “I felt kind of untethered. I didn’t have an internal compass.”

Chai’s parents often had to work many hours to provide for her family, a time she recalls as “extremely challenging.” With her English surpassing her parents’ abilities, she was forced into difficult situations having to speak for them. She had to “learn the language of adults as well,” she said.

With the language barrier, Chai often felt isolated from others around her. Those feelings inspired the pieces that now hang at Light Work.

“The work evokes her experiences as a South Korean woman who immigrated to the United States, as well as reinterpreting the Korean alphabet in a way for the audience to see contradictions between visual and verbal forms of communicating with one another,” said Cali M. Banks, Light Work’s communications coordinator.

Banks is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Film and Media Arts at Syracuse University. With her position with Light Work, Banks was in charge of marketing for “Character Space.”

“Chai is imagining how the sounds of words come out of one’s mouth —even if the meaning of what is being said isn’t fully understood yet— and translates that into shapes, lines and gaps we see in the photographs,” Banks said.

Chai was first inspired to pursue art at the Guggenheim Museum‘s former satellite location in SoHo, New York. She was amazed by the work of Robert Rauschenberg, a mid-20th century painter, sculptor and graphic artist. The color and design instantly drew her in, she said.

After turning her studio space into a camera obscura, a dark room with one small hole, Chai was inspired to learn more about analog photography. For “Character Space,” Chai used an analog camera and 4×5 sheets of film to capture photographs inspired by the Korean alphabet.

Chai’s exhibit features a number of alphabet-inspired pieces. “Study of Shapes” features a set of rectangles. With a larger and smaller rectangle next to one another, a separate platform serves as a reflection of both shapes.

The photos all connect to each other in different ways, Chai said. She meticulously captures each photo while imagining the “layerings of time captured” within the snapshot.

“Being inside a camera obscura just got me to ask questions about what is photography. And what are these expectations we have built around what a picture is,” she said. “What is photography? What is seeing?”

Whitney Hubbs, the associate director of Light Work, conducts studio visits and helps curate exhibitions. While familiar with Chai’s work, Hubbs was still inspired by the intellect behind it.

“(Chai)’s referencing Korean written characters and enacting three key ideas of language, optics, and photography,” Hubbs said. “The photographs in this exhibition feel familiar and particular.”

Chai wants viewers to question what photography, seeing and knowing truly are. She believes that photography is often “contradictory” and does not always have a clear answer.

“Interest lies in the rift between how we see through the camera lens and how we experience space with our bodies,” Chai said.

The Pikes Peak Library District’s newest gallery tells the story of those in the community who are often overlooked.

“We Have a Story: Homeless in Colorado Springs” is a photo exhibit completed by youth experiencing homelessness and people who work with the homeless, providing a glimpse into the lives of teenagers who don’t have a home.

Guided by professional photographer Brian Tryon, participants met every week for a month last summer to receive artistic guidance and talk about their work. For the past three years, the library has used the project to explore and document homelessness across the city.

“This is the first time that the focus has been primarily on homeless youth,” said John Jarrell, the library’s program coordinator for regional history and genealogy.

“I think that, especially with homeless youth, they get talked about a lot, both good things and bad things. And this is an opportunity for them to tell part of that story for themselves.”

Community members gathered at the East Library for the exhibit’s opening reception Saturday morning — a chance to view the collection of pictures and speak with the individuals behind the cameras.

Karen Henschel, an inpatient therapist working with youth at Cedar Springs Hospital, has been involved with the project for the past two years.

“The year before, I wasn’t really involved,” Henschel said, explaining that she felt there was a lack of follow-through with the youth population in years past.

In 2023, she decided to work alongside the participants.

“This past year, I did it with them. It just made more sense that we went together, and we worked together,” Henschel said.

Tae and Nette, the two teens whose photos are featured in this year’s installation, were unable to attend Saturday.

Henschel spoke of the two fondly, praising Nette’s powerful self-portrait titled, “Just another person,” with the caption, “Nothing to see here, just another person living her life just like everybody else.”

“To see them realize how creative they were, that was the joy for me,” Henshel said.

“I think the fact that other people are interested in what they have to say really boosted their self-esteem and self-worth. It was an opportunity for them to feel good about themselves.”

Previously working at The Place, a youth homeless shelter in Colorado Springs, Henschel has over six years of experience working with homeless youth and mental health issues.

She said she hopes the exhibit sparks empathy and allows the community to see past the negative stigmatization of the homeless population.

“Our state has a crisis in terms of placement (for the homeless) and teenagers seem to be the last ones that really get attention in regards to being housed or being moved out of an unsafe environment,” Henschel said.

“It’s important to realize that there are unhoused youth, and how can we as the community help them out. I think they can feel invisible at times and that they aren’t seen. And so accepting them for who they are and helping as much as we can is very important.”

Henschel’s photo titled “Carting it around” received a great amount of attention from viewers. 

The image, featuring two shopping carts filled  with blankets, clothing and toys, put into perspective a powerful reality of someone’s private possessions being tarnished by a rainstorm.

“It’s so wild to me that someone’s whole life can be pushed into something so small,” viewer Patrice Schnierle said.

“For me, if I left my purse somewhere it’d be no big deal. I’d replace my belongings and move on. But seeing all of someone’s possessions left outside and destroyed in that cart, (that’s) someone’s livelihood, that’s their whole life in that cart.” 

Volunteering her free time in client services at the Marian House, a local charity providing services and meals to the unhoused, Schnierle said the exhibit is a great opportunity for viewers to gather a new perspective on those experiencing homelessness.

“It (the exhibit) is a way to humanize them. So many of the people experiencing homelessness feel invisible. Just to be seen for what they create and not what they look like or their situation I think is very powerful,” Schnierle said.

The exhibit will be at the East Library for the rest of January. It will then travel to the Rockrimmon Library in February, and then to the Manitou Arts Center in Manitou Springs in March.

The digital exhibit and complete collection of “We Have a Story: Homeless in Colorado Springs” can be viewed through the library’s website by Clicking or Tapping Here.

Eden Prairie’s Gretchen Haynes captures the delicate beauty of frozen bubbles, blending art and science in the winter cold.
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Eden Prairie Local News photographer Gretchen Haynes captured striking images of frozen bubbles during the recent cold snap in Eden Prairie, offering a unique visual exploration that she encourages others to try.

“After three different attempts (and bubble mixtures), I finally had some success,” said the Eden Prairie resident. “I thought others might like to attempt this fun winter trick.”

According to Haynes, here are the essential details for anyone interested in freezing and photographing bubbles:

• Temperature matters: Effective bubble freezing requires temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit; lower temperatures enhance crystallization but also make the bubbles more fragile.
• Wind is the enemy: Any hint of a breeze can cause the bubbles to burst, so still air is a prerequisite.
• Sunshine is a must: To fully appreciate the designs on the bubbles, ample sunlight is essential.

For those willing to experiment, Haynes provided this Frozen Bubbles Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot tap water
• 2.5 tbsp corn syrup
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2.5 tbsp dish soap

Instructions:

1. Combine hot water and corn syrup in a container. Stir until the corn syrup is fully dissolved.
2. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves completely.
3. Gently mix in the dish soap until it’s well incorporated. Avoid over-stirring to prevent heat loss.
4. Refrigerate the mixture to chill for at least 30 minutes while setting up for the photoshoot.

Note: Use hot water from the tap; boiling water is not necessary.

Haynes documented her success on a day with a frigid 8-degree temperature, bright sunshine, and almost no wind.

To mitigate a slight breeze, she strategically placed black cardboard on her screened porch, creating a windbreak and ensuring a “clean background” for her photos.

“I also put some snow on a white plate to give the bubbles someplace to set when I took the photos,” she added.

She used a straw to gently blow the bubbles.

“It can take some practice to blow the bubbles and transfer them to the snow,” she stressed.

Haynes emphasized that patience is key in successfully creating frozen bubble art.

“I had some very frustrating attempts that were failures and one previous attempt that was just good enough to keep me going,” she said. “This was the third day of trying over the course of a week and the third bubble mixture I used where I would set everything up and then run back and forth into the house to blow bubbles and take photos. This one worked and was worth sharing!”

Photography, often associated with grand landscapes and exotic locations, holds a special charm when practiced close to home. This localized approach to photography not only offers convenience but also allows photographers to explore and capture the unique beauty of their immediate surroundings. 

Coming to you from Ian Worth, this inspiring video invites photographers to appreciate and explore the photographic potential of their local areas. Worth emphasizes that shooting locally is not a limitation, but an opportunity to discover unique and meaningful compositions. He counters the idea that familiar landscapes lack novelty, illustrating instead how a deeper understanding of one’s environment can lead to the discovery of new photographic subjects and themes that others might overlook. His approach encourages photographers to view their local environment with fresh eyes, seeking out hidden details and unique perspectives that often go unnoticed.

Worth further highlights the benefits of local photography through examples of his work. He demonstrates how understanding the nuances of one’s surroundings can lead to capturing extraordinary moments, like unique weather conditions or lighting. Worth’s approach underlines the importance of patience, observation, and revisiting locations to see them in different lights and seasons. This method fosters a deeper connection with the environment, which, in turn, enriches your work. His message resonates particularly with those who may feel constrained by their immediate surroundings, offering them a new lens through which to view their local area. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Worth. 

Wednesday’s (Jan. 17) snowstorm may have caused havoc on the streets and sidewalks, but it also made good fodder for those inspired by some of the more peaceful moments the chilly blanket created in White Rock.

Several brave souls ventured out into the wintry wonderland to take some eye-cataching photos, before the weather warmed and rained much of it away by Sunday (Jan. 21)).

READ ALSO: Schools and some businesses closed for a second day in Surrey

Environment Canada is forecasting more rain and well-above-freezing temperatures this week, with highs of 8 C to 11 C expected.

– with files from Tricia Weel