Just One Shot – Short and painless

What breathtaking photos there are! Time and time again, I see images that leave me speechless. When you’re a professional photographer, you inevitably look at pictures differently. It happens automatically, and you can’t stop it. This is a fact that earns some photos the greatest respect, while others only elicit a raised eyebrow. You could call it an “occupational hazard,” even if you’re in top form.

But let’s return to the first point and turn to “breathtaking photos.” More precisely, images from the field of “portrait photography.” Images that are technically superb. Images where the lighting is just as elaborate as in a food photograph. And yes, food photography is arguably the ultimate discipline when it comes to lighting. Even the most boring, low-contrast cauliflower in the third row can be made to look stunning. Perfectly lit, it certainly looks more appetizing on the packaging than after being prepared at home, once the spice mix or other additives have been added. Lighting food is an undertaking that can take days and still often results in the entire composition being ruined after the test shot. Anyone who had a full head of hair before food photography can still transform into Kojak, aka Telly Savalas, in the process—within a week! And the cauliflower didn’t even put up a fight!

Besides lighting and technique, the subject is, of course, crucial. Anything else would be distracting. But the subject isn’t what we’re talking about here. Perhaps more on that another time! This is about lighting and technique! And yes, maybe a little bit about the subject itself. Although even the technique itself becomes secondary here. As we all know, that’s a topic that can be endlessly debated, and that’s not my intention.

Besides lighting and technique, the subject is, of course, also crucial. Over the years, I’ve done countless photoshoots. An unbelievable number! With elaborate setups, right down to perfect lighting. Photos of people for various purposes: promotional images, productions for CDs, DVDs, and records, but also for journalistic work – magazines and other media outlets. I even did commissioned work for photo agencies. The common thread running through all these shoots? The headaches beforehand! Whether it was figuring out “how and where?” or knowing the subject had a tight schedule. The fact that you had to lug kilos of photo equipment across rough terrain was another headache. Ever tried photographing an artist at a festival? Unless you want the pictures to look like “XY in front of a chain-link fence in what felt like 52.6 degrees Celsius at midday,” it’s no easy task. Because – and this is something we all too easily forget – schedules are written precisely so they can’t be kept. We’ll disregard our own problems here to minimize complexity. Delays and last-minute cancellations are unfortunately just as normal with these kinds of appointments as the fact that, in the case of a shoot, you don’t want to bother the subject too much. In short: it should be quick, without looking “quick.” The quicker, the more “prominent” the subject. You don’t want to keep a world star too long, since, as they say, you always meet twice in life—usually on the way up and then again when things are going downhill fast. An “Oh, I know your face” is rarely meant positively.

For quite some time, my biggest question was how to reconcile time pressure with the fact that the photo still had to look decent. Protecting my back, avoiding cumbersome lighting setups, and still being able to spontaneously change locations were probably the three most important factors. Okay, and of course, the fact that the photo also had to find a buyer. What started with a portable flash system was optimized over time. Even two flash heads with their corresponding stands, reflectors, and the necessary battery pack add up to a few kilos. I won’t even mention the storage at a festival, as mentioned above. And that darned wind, which knocks every flash head over faster than you can grab the stand. Just the cost of the repairs over the years still brings tears to my eyes. But how to take a great picture using a minimal setup? The brilliant idea came to me during a discussion with a photographer friend. He was talking about how more and more people were buying ring flashes for their phones. The inflationary increase of so-called influencers is to blame for this – at least if you believe your friend. Be that as it may, the buzzword was “ring flash.” The fact that I’m always on the lookout for the truly authentic image fueled the idea of ​​acquiring one. Consequently, I could kill two birds with one stone: Firstly, I could deflate the “oh wow, that’s a great picture” comments whenever someone commented on a photo featuring a well-known person. No, this person was photographed with the simplest of means, and the resulting image could have been taken with anyone. A “hey, look closely. You only think the picture is so great because you know the artist, and you’re forgetting that it really wasn’t difficult to take” was exactly what I so often wanted to say to people when they commented on my photos. The second – and probably more important – reason was that I could directly implement my desire for a “lightweight setup.” A portable ring flash is designed to be screwed directly onto the camera and only requires a battery for operation. Essentially, this setup was so compact that even with the flash attached, you could still photograph a live act at a festival if the shoot had to be postponed.

The idea became a plan and was quickly put into action. I already had the camera and battery, so I ordered the ring flash, which arrived a few days later. But when it arrived, I was a little disappointed. As handy as it was, I lacked the spark of inspiration for how to create images that would be expressive without much effort. After a few experiments, I realized that subjects against a dark background had a certain aesthetic appeal. To maintain portability, I ordered some Molton fabric, which could be easily hung anywhere with gaffer tape. The idea for “Just One Shot” was born, and the first attempts followed. What initially started as a “side project” during photo shoots quickly evolved into an independent project. The inquiries went out, and the mere fact that all I needed was a camera bag with a camera and attached ring flash, a piece of molton fabric, and the battery brought a smile to my face. Over the years, several artists have used the ring flash. Admittedly, a “Just One Shot” isn’t really feasible, as a single image would be rather dangerous. After a few trials with friends and the revelation that a ring flash can practically blind the subject within a very short time, the current approach is to take a maximum of five photos. Five photos and no more. This is out of consideration for the temporary blindness, the resulting post-processing effort, and, of course, the artist’s schedule. After all, you never know when you might meet someone, and even after many years in the business, “I know your face” is still hardly a compliment.