John Harrington - AssignmentConstruct - What We Use

Here is a video segment on the stands that we use. Below you will find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Here is a video segment on the stands that we use. Below you will find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we're going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. Next we are going to show you one of the equipment kits we use when we are traveling on assignment. Each kit is different and has a very specific purpose. So lets take a look.

Whatever lighting we travel with, we need stands and accessories. From a floor stand to other stands, to very small stands, super clamps, spring clamps, mini-tripods, Blackwrap. Everything that we need is here in this case. In addition to that, we also keep in here when we're traveling, our remotes kit. This is full of Pocket Wizards; we'll talk more about those in a little bit.

One of the nice things about these Bogen stands is that they 're interlocking, which means two stands are much more compact than if they were just stands that were strewed about. When you 're traveling, making sure that things stay together, stay tight is absolutely critical. These things pop together, and they connect back together, and they lock together. So we have the small version, and the large version.

We have another floor stand, this thing allows us to get a light down very near to the ground, springs all the way out and it's a low stand. Very similar to this one, this one just has a little bit more stability. All of it compacts up very nicely and neatly. This is another small stand that works really well on the backgrounds, behind the subject, if we are trying to put a light there. Also, our grid spots are right here.

These grid spots fit nicely and neatly into the various reflectors that we have depending on the density. The key is to make sure that when they're in the traveling case that they travel very carefully and very securely because it's really easy to damage the inner honeycomb of the grid.

There are separate kits, where we can store spring clamps. This is a scissor clamp, the great thing about a scissor clamp is it allows you to widen these out, put these up onto a suspended ceiling a drop ceiling in an office building, and then bring it together, bring it taught and spin it tight. And then it's not going to separate. And you can actually hang a light from a drop ceiling in an office building.

We have mini-clamps; these clamps work really well. They're Matthellini clamps. They clamp onto things and we can clip onto them with our lights. It's important on these spring clamps, wherever possible, that you use a safety wire. This safety wire makes sure that if the head were to drop off this for some reason, it wouldn't fall onto the subject.

Again, everything is compartmentalized and separated out op that we can grab just what we need, when we need it. We have a super clamp. It's all separated out here. We have some more spring clamps, some extra power, and some little adapters. We carry a Hollywood knuckle or Hollywood knuckle, call it knuckles but it's a Hollywood knuckle. Again it 's important that we have our name and contact information and the number on it.

In addition, there's a Bogen arm flex fill holder that lets us hold the Amvona reflector, or a light disk reflector, so that we can make the adjustments to it. It’s got a nice little pinch here, a little rubber grip that will grip on to the edge of that material and hold it. This mounts on the top of any of the stands we're using, and let 's us make a number of adjustments to it.

It 's important that you take advantage of things like this center clip here, the center strap because the center strap gives that inner case more rigidity. Because when it's sealed up, you don't want the case going anywhere it's not supposed to be going. And that's our stand case.

Here is a video segment on the stands that we use. Below you will find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we're going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. Next we are going to show you one of the equipment kits we use when we are traveling on assignment. Each kit is different and has a very specific purpose. So lets take a look.

Whatever lighting we travel with, we need stands and accessories. From a floor stand to other stands, to very small stands, super clamps, spring clamps, mini-tripods, Blackwrap. Everything that we need is here in this case. In addition to that, we also keep in here when we're traveling, our remotes kit. This is full of Pocket Wizards; we'll talk more about those in a little bit.

One of the nice things about these Bogen stands is that they 're interlocking, which means two stands are much more compact than if they were just stands that were strewed about. When you 're traveling, making sure that things stay together, stay tight is absolutely critical. These things pop together, and they connect back together, and they lock together. So we have the small version, and the large version.

We have another floor stand, this thing allows us to get a light down very near to the ground, springs all the way out and it's a low stand. Very similar to this one, this one just has a little bit more stability. All of it compacts up very nicely and neatly. This is another small stand that works really well on the backgrounds, behind the subject, if we are trying to put a light there. Also, our grid spots are right here.

These grid spots fit nicely and neatly into the various reflectors that we have depending on the density. The key is to make sure that when they're in the traveling case that they travel very carefully and very securely because it's really easy to damage the inner honeycomb of the grid.

There are separate kits, where we can store spring clamps. This is a scissor clamp, the great thing about a scissor clamp is it allows you to widen these out, put these up onto a suspended ceiling a drop ceiling in an office building, and then bring it together, bring it taught and spin it tight. And then it's not going to separate. And you can actually hang a light from a drop ceiling in an office building.

We have mini-clamps; these clamps work really well. They're Matthellini clamps. They clamp onto things and we can clip onto them with our lights. It's important on these spring clamps, wherever possible, that you use a safety wire. This safety wire makes sure that if the head were to drop off this for some reason, it wouldn't fall onto the subject.

Again, everything is compartmentalized and separated out op that we can grab just what we need, when we need it. We have a super clamp. It's all separated out here. We have some more spring clamps, some extra power, and some little adapters. We carry a Hollywood knuckle or Hollywood knuckle, call it knuckles but it's a Hollywood knuckle. Again it 's important that we have our name and contact information and the number on it.

In addition, there's a Bogen arm flex fill holder that lets us hold the Amvona reflector, or a light disk reflector, so that we can make the adjustments to it. It’s got a nice little pinch here, a little rubber grip that will grip on to the edge of that material and hold it. This mounts on the top of any of the stands we're using, and let 's us make a number of adjustments to it.

It 's important that you take advantage of things like this center clip here, the center strap because the center strap gives that inner case more rigidity. Because when it's sealed up, you don't want the case going anywhere it's not supposed to be going. And that's our stand case.

Here is a video segment on the light modifiers that we use. Below you will find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we're going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. Next we are going to show you one of the equipment kits we use when we are traveling on assignment. Each kit is different and has a very specific purpose. So lets take a look.

This is what we call our light modifier kit. It's in a Versa Flex case and it’s got everything we'd ever need in it.

We've got Road Rags. I'll tell you a little bit about the Road Rags . Road Rags are items that we can set up to flag the light. We have translucent, we have full black, and we have two degrees of light reduction that would cut down the sun. They are labeled with my name and phone number.

The great things about the Road Rags kit is that they are completely compact and set up into a frame, which is really nice. Then what we can do is slip on a translucent, so we slip on a translucent here, snap this like that. What's really nice is this will knock the sun down and turn the sun into a light soft box. What you'll notice and what's important is the road rags do not have a frame on this edge, so this edge here or this edge would cause a shadow. This edge does not cause a shadow, just a natural fall off from diffused light to hard light onto the subject.

The same holds true with the second one. Each of them is labeled Flag one and Flag two. So the nice thing about this and we use this on shoots a lot when we're working with our Porty's when we're out using a big soft box on our subject we'll use this to cut down the sun just so its not as harsh on our subjects. Again noticing there is no edge up here providing a natural fall off. Again, the sun will go through but it will cut the light down. The same holds true for a complete blackout and even an additional density.

So that's actually the small Road Rags kit. And see 18x24, everything on here is labeled and has a tag laminated with the item number so we know what belongs in here, contact information as well. The last thing I want to do is lose a light flag kit.

This is our larger Road Rags Kit. It is identical to the other one, it is just much larger. As you can see here the frames come out and it goes together almost by itself, but it is much wider. The Road Rags that we showed you, the 18x24 really works well for one person. If you have to use a two person flag where you are cutting the light down or making it translucent, this is the frame to use.

It has the full blackout color as well as the two diffusions. What's nice about this is they are color coded so if you're using green on this it's the same density on this as the other one, and you also have translucent. You also have two wire frames as a full Road Rags kit. They slip on very easily. Again, you'll notice the red density is much darker and much less translucent then the green.

So it just depends on how much light you are trying to cut of when using one of these. And you'll notice the difference in size, this one works really well for one person, this one works really well for two people.

Next up is our Plume Strip 100; a strip is a much narrower soft box. Its length is the same; in a Plume 100 the length is 38 inches, however instead of being 28 inches wide it's just 14 or half the distance. As I said we keep packed in the kit the Chimera quick release speed ring so we know we have the speed rings that we need when we're out on a shoot.

Also packed in here is the wafer that Plume talks about. This one has been gently used but still works just fine. In addition packed in here is the front diffusion panel. Again notice that it is much narrower but still the same length as a normal soft box. This is the back cowling; the cowling goes over the back of the soft box.

Here is a video segment on the light modifiers that we use. Below you will find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we're going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. Next we are going to show you one of the equipment kits we use when we are traveling on assignment. Each kit is different and has a very specific purpose. So lets take a look.

This is what we call our light modifier kit. It's in a Versa Flex case and it’s got everything we'd ever need in it.

We've got Road Rags. I'll tell you a little bit about the Road Rags . Road Rags are items that we can set up to flag the light. We have translucent, we have full black, and we have two degrees of light reduction that would cut down the sun. They are labeled with my name and phone number.

The great things about the Road Rags kit is that they are completely compact and set up into a frame, which is really nice. Then what we can do is slip on a translucent, so we slip on a translucent here, snap this like that. What's really nice is this will knock the sun down and turn the sun into a light soft box. What you'll notice and what's important is the road rags do not have a frame on this edge, so this edge here or this edge would cause a shadow. This edge does not cause a shadow, just a natural fall off from diffused light to hard light onto the subject.

The same holds true with the second one. Each of them is labeled Flag one and Flag two. So the nice thing about this and we use this on shoots a lot when we're working with our Porty's when we're out using a big soft box on our subject we'll use this to cut down the sun just so its not as harsh on our subjects. Again noticing there is no edge up here providing a natural fall off. Again, the sun will go through but it will cut the light down. The same holds true for a complete blackout and even an additional density.

So that's actually the small Road Rags kit. And see 18x24, everything on here is labeled and has a tag laminated with the item number so we know what belongs in here, contact information as well. The last thing I want to do is lose a light flag kit.

This is our larger Road Rags Kit. It is identical to the other one, it is just much larger. As you can see here the frames come out and it goes together almost by itself, but it is much wider. The Road Rags that we showed you, the 18x24 really works well for one person. If you have to use a two person flag where you are cutting the light down or making it translucent, this is the frame to use.

It has the full blackout color as well as the two diffusions. What's nice about this is they are color coded so if you're using green on this it's the same density on this as the other one, and you also have translucent. You also have two wire frames as a full Road Rags kit. They slip on very easily. Again, you'll notice the red density is much darker and much less translucent then the green.

So it just depends on how much light you are trying to cut of when using one of these. And you'll notice the difference in size, this one works really well for one person, this one works really well for two people.

Next up is our Plume Strip 100; a strip is a much narrower soft box. Its length is the same; in a Plume 100 the length is 38 inches, however instead of being 28 inches wide it's just 14 or half the distance. As I said we keep packed in the kit the Chimera quick release speed ring so we know we have the speed rings that we need when we're out on a shoot.

Also packed in here is the wafer that Plume talks about. This one has been gently used but still works just fine. In addition packed in here is the front diffusion panel. Again notice that it is much narrower but still the same length as a normal soft box. This is the back cowling; the cowling goes over the back of the soft box.

Here is a video segment introducing the WHAT WE USE video series. Below you'll find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we're going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. From traveling light through the capital, to air to ground work, to air to air work, from airports to clean rooms, from recording studios to inaugurations. You’ll get to see all of the equipment we use to make these images happen. We’re headquartered in the nation’s capital and it's our gateway to the world.

Before I pull out the gear I should probably tell you a little bit about me. I've been making images for about 20 years, from impeachment hearings and Supreme Court inaugurations to annual reports, to the white house, I've served as an official photographer to folks like the Rolling Stones and Liz Taylor. I've produced commercial and advertising work for the likes of Lockheed Martin to Coca Cola, from XM satellite radio to General Motors.

I've probably traveled to every state, among them Alaska, Arizona, and trips to Cuba and Prague for editorial assignments. Wherever we go, it’s the need for gear that means we're traveling on business. To that end, we make sure we have the right gear for the right job and that invariably changes. It's critical too that our gear get into the aircraft, make the connection, and it survives the luggage handlers… and that's a challenge.

So let's show you what we use, why we use it, and more importantly, how we keep it organized for the load and go day trip to the air cargo drop off. These video are just as much for our newly minted staff, insights and "how to's" for our new interns, and a response to other photographers who ask what we use and how we pack it.

Lastly on the occasion that a client asks why it costs so much to produce an image for a specific shoot, because "Its just one portrait" they say, we can share with them this video so they too can understand what it takes to make "Just one picture".

So here we go. Next up we'll go over the various lighting tools we use for assignments. From our portable, battery powered Hensel Porty's, to our Hensel Vela's and our Hensel Tria kits. To our Rololights and why we use each. One nice thing about being standardized to Hensel is we have one series of speed rings, grid spot connectors, and so forth.

Since every job is different, we want to have our gear segmented out and in their own cases, so we can bring what we need and just what we need. Further, every case is labeled with our contact information in case an absent minded assistant leaves something behind. Also, because gear can break down, every system is labeled with a number so we can know which unit it is. This way when something goes down, you know which one needs to be set aside. Each kit is different and serves a very specific purpose.

So let’s take a look.

Here is a video segment introducing the WHAT WE USE video series. Below you'll find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we're going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. From traveling light through the capital, to air to ground work, to air to air work, from airports to clean rooms, from recording studios to inaugurations. You’ll get to see all of the equipment we use to make these images happen. We’re headquartered in the nation’s capital and it's our gateway to the world.

Before I pull out the gear I should probably tell you a little bit about me. I've been making images for about 20 years, from impeachment hearings and Supreme Court inaugurations to annual reports, to the white house, I've served as an official photographer to folks like the Rolling Stones and Liz Taylor. I've produced commercial and advertising work for the likes of Lockheed Martin to Coca Cola, from XM satellite radio to General Motors.

I've probably traveled to every state, among them Alaska, Arizona, and trips to Cuba and Prague for editorial assignments. Wherever we go, it’s the need for gear that means we're traveling on business. To that end, we make sure we have the right gear for the right job and that invariably changes. It's critical too that our gear get into the aircraft, make the connection, and it survives the luggage handlers… and that's a challenge.

So let's show you what we use, why we use it, and more importantly, how we keep it organized for the load and go day trip to the air cargo drop off. These video are just as much for our newly minted staff, insights and "how to's" for our new interns, and a response to other photographers who ask what we use and how we pack it.

Lastly on the occasion that a client asks why it costs so much to produce an image for a specific shoot, because "Its just one portrait" they say, we can share with them this video so they too can understand what it takes to make "Just one picture".

So here we go. Next up we'll go over the various lighting tools we use for assignments. From our portable, battery powered Hensel Porty's, to our Hensel Vela's and our Hensel Tria kits. To our Rololights and why we use each. One nice thing about being standardized to Hensel is we have one series of speed rings, grid spot connectors, and so forth.

Since every job is different, we want to have our gear segmented out and in their own cases, so we can bring what we need and just what we need. Further, every case is labeled with our contact information in case an absent minded assistant leaves something behind. Also, because gear can break down, every system is labeled with a number so we can know which unit it is. This way when something goes down, you know which one needs to be set aside. Each kit is different and serves a very specific purpose.

So let’s take a look.

Here's a video segment on the White Lightning Kit that we use. Below you will find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we’re going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. Next we are going to show you one of the equipment kits we use when we are traveling on assignment. Each kit is different and has a very specific purpose. So lets take a look.

So this is our White Lightning kit. You see a little dust coming off of it because we haven’t used it in a long time because we use the Hensels.

We use this primarily as a backup solution when something were to go wrong with the Hensels, which to date hasn't really happened. We also use this kit to loan out to people if they really need to borrow a set of lights.

Its packed in a Pelican 1650 case. So in our White Lightning case we have a X3200 which is a 1600 Ws head, we have a X2400 which is a 2400 Ws head, we have a case with extra bulbs, power strip, we have another 2400 Ws head here, and one more 2400 Ws underneath it. We have a 25 foot retractable extension cord.

Over here we have some reflectors, light modifiers, a couple of snoots, various power and sync cords that we need. One of the nice things about the White Lightnings, and what attracted me originally, is that they are monolights. They don't require a pack, which sometimes can be really beneficial.

In addition, as you saw in the case down here in the lower right hand corner is a case that has back up modeling lights and flash tubes in it. So that's the White Lightning case.

Here's a video segment on the White Lightning Kit that we use. Below you will find the transcript of the Video.

Transcript:

Hi, I'm John Harrington and we’re going to break out and break down the wide variety of equipment we use to deliver images to our clients. Next we are going to show you one of the equipment kits we use when we are traveling on assignment. Each kit is different and has a very specific purpose. So lets take a look.

So this is our White Lightning kit. You see a little dust coming off of it because we haven’t used it in a long time because we use the Hensels.

We use this primarily as a backup solution when something were to go wrong with the Hensels, which to date hasn't really happened. We also use this kit to loan out to people if they really need to borrow a set of lights.

Its packed in a Pelican 1650 case. So in our White Lightning case we have a X3200 which is a 1600 Ws head, we have a X2400 which is a 2400 Ws head, we have a case with extra bulbs, power strip, we have another 2400 Ws head here, and one more 2400 Ws underneath it. We have a 25 foot retractable extension cord.

Over here we have some reflectors, light modifiers, a couple of snoots, various power and sync cords that we need. One of the nice things about the White Lightnings, and what attracted me originally, is that they are monolights. They don't require a pack, which sometimes can be really beneficial.

In addition, as you saw in the case down here in the lower right hand corner is a case that has back up modeling lights and flash tubes in it. So that's the White Lightning case.