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Behind the scenes dance photoshoots Feat. the GODOX AD1200 pro I have received fun, weird messages and comments since my 1st review of a Godox flash. Stop asking me If I am switching, I am just curious, intrigued about this brand. Some of you are happy to actually see me create my images with these flashes because they can finally relate to my approach as they can afford the same equipment. It’s been a fun ride so far, and my thoughts on the brand have changed. The AD1200pro will be at the center of this video, but I will also share my thoughts and experience with all my GODOX strobes and their impact on my work over the past months. We all have our experiences, and the uniqueness of our journeys is what makes it fun to share them with the world. Have you had any horrible experiences with a brand? That doesn’t mean it will happen to all of us. I did a bit of research before receiving these and the main issues were related to the batteries (stopped charging or not all the way) Triggers not working properly, sometimes because of faulty batteries (some recommend not using rechargeable batteries), and the build quality, saying that even the pro series wasn’t tough enough for on location and frequent traveling. Some of these observations and experiences were confirmed by some of you on my channel and on IG. But the majority of you had a positive experience so far, and that is also my case. I am not paid by GODOX to say that, they did send these to test but never asked for any specific content in return so I am free to say whatever I want. So how did I work with these lately and what are my thoughts 5 months in? All the GODOX flashes worked flawlessly together. Even with the twin Pixapro Citi1200pro. The AD1200pro was the only light that day that didn't need to be recharged. It also never missed a shot when making a few burst shots. We were scouting for a location a few weeks back, with Maeva, and for these test images, we were almost at full power because I wanted to dramatically reduce the ambient light. And obviously, I used it in my tiny apartment, and it performed flawlessly! The battery unit has kind of a retro look and although it has a certain weight it wasn't an issue for me. I worked for a long time with the Combo Para 88 and Broncolor 1200L move and loved having that amount of power with me on location. Compared to a less powerful strobe, The AD1200pro can last an entire day of the shoot without the need to recharge. With its fast recycling time, you should never skip a beat. The option to think creatively in any situation is a big plus for me. I want to choose my depth of field, my aperture, my ISO, or even add filters for creative reasons... And for me, this amount of power offers me that freedom. I can see this paired nicely with their just-announced parabolic light modifier, because of how light the head is. I am never comfortable putting monoblocs on these kinds of modifiers. Now we all know by now how they managed to lower the cost of this unit. How can this be 5 times cheaper if not more than their direct competitors? The build quality is obviously not the same. I've said it in my review of the AD600pro and here I have the same feeling but for the head, only time will tell. You cannot plug a 2nd head, this could have been a welcome addition even if the power is split between the 2. I personally rarely used this option on the Broncolor move because you are limited to the length of your chords, remember both heads are plugged in the same unit. There are also a few differences in the specs, but in the end, it all comes down to what you actually need. Like always. Some love to compare the spec sheets and will settle for a higher-end product when in the end they will never use their strobe at their full potential. It's the same for cameras or any accessories. If you need 1200ws of power and don't mind some of the options and specs missing compared to other pricier alternatives, then this becomes an obvious choice. I believe again that GODOX should pursue its efforts to propose higher-end products. The AD series performs really well and at that price point is of great value... I tested my first GODOX flash a few months ago and thought I would stop using it the moment It wouldn’t serve my work. I am still using them today and had no issues so far. I will of course keep you updated on these if anything changes in the future. Am I switching? Because everybody seems to be interested in that question. No, I am just using the tools that feel right for now. This might change next year, who knows. May your holidays sparkle with joy and laughter.

Behind the scenes video feat. Arianna Pellini Hello, long time no see! I didn’t want to leave you hanging like that. So here is a new Behind-the-scenes video. Yes, this channel is still alive, I just gave up on fighting the algorithm of social media platforms. Also, following their guidelines is a pain, and delivering content every day even when I have nothing to show or say, is not really my cup of te This is why I am redesigning the blog, and will concentrate more on its content soon. I am still migrating the old one to the new (232 articles exactly) . This takes time… so I had to take 2 weeks off to actually do that and have it done as fast as I could. It is still the old blog you are seeing on www.hkvisuals.com. Don’t worry I will still post free content on the blog, behind-the-scenes, tutorials and more. But I will also produce exclusive content there, more in-depth articles, news about special projects and their development, and more educational content later down the road. You can add on top of that the content I cannot publish on YouTube, FB or Instagram because of the community guidelines. The way I will propose this content is still not defined, but you should be updated soon. I plan on releasing the new website in the 2nd week of March. Now that this is out of the way, let's go back to this session I had with contemporary dancer and circus performer Arianna, who stopped by for a couple of original portraits. Arianna Pellini (Toulouse - France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 50mm F3.5 R LM WR 1/125sec f/3.5 ISO 50 The majority of this session was done with 3 lights. Two strip boxes on the side and overhead a 105 Octabox. For the shapes and light effects, I used the Pixapro Optical snoot! Arianna Pellini (Toulouse - France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 50mm F3.5 R LM WR 1/125sec f/3.5 ISO 50 Arianna Pellini (Toulouse - France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 50mm F3.5 R LM WR 1/125sec f/3.5 ISO 50 I am still working with Godox flashes, for those of you who tried to help me out on that battery issue… guess what? There is a kind of protection with these high-capacity batteries. They go to sleep after a while for me it was after a month and a half and the only way to wake them up… drum roll…was to press that button! It is hard to notice, and nothing online or even in the manual talks about this security thing and button. I thought my batteries were dead, they were not charging, the flash didn’t want to turn on. I sent multiple emails, read multiple forums… And finally, this dude on Facebook had the same problem and he found that magic button! So false alert, they still work fine, I guess we’ll wait a bit before I complain again.Whatever happens in the future, I will keep you posted anyway. Please take care and until my next post, please, have a good one!

I kinda wish I had my one space now… You know, for my portrait work. I am getting old, and having to rent a studio or an entire apartment, moving all the gear, set everything up… I won’t be able to do this often much longer. I realized while updating my website how much I did this between 2016 and 2020. So many locations, and for some of these photo shoots I am spending much more time unpacking and setting up than actually taking pictures. But enough talking, I have learned so much the past 2 years, changing my workflow, my methods, the gear that I am using. Nobody has mentioned my choice of working with the GF 50mm f3.5. I assume that a lot of you forget that I am using the GFX100s which means that this lens would be a 39.5mm f/2.77 on a full-frame body. So let's round it off at 40mm. I still see a lot of portrait photographers use Full frame cameras with an 85mm lens or a 50mm. Mary Lou (Toulouse - France) Fujifilm GFX100s - RF 50mm f/1.2 1/125sec f/1.2 ISO 50 I forced myself to use that GF50mm for months because my eyes, my brain wasn't used to it. I had to shoot extensively with it to finally understand it and adapt it to my style and vision. I wasn't a huge fan a few years ago, now it is often the first lens I use on a shoot. I love using it for portraits in small spaces because it still gives me space to move, I can still get close to my subject without having strange body distortions or warping. For this session, 3 to 4 lights are used. Since I didn’t have a lot of questions about my lighting setup I decided not to make a more detailed breakdown of these sessions. The last portrait shot is a flash version of a setup I used to love. You just place 2 lights on either side of your camera directly facing your subject and an overhead light. Usually, I do this with continuous lights, but thought I would try with strobes. When looking at the pictures I would change 2 things. 1 I would shoot from a slightly lower angle, and 2 I would add 2 black panels on both sides for negative fill. I guess that this will be for a future session. What is your favorite portrait lens? Do you go wider than 50? Please tell us! I believe there is a new dance video on my 2nd channel, February is going to be a busy month so I might not post 2 videos per week, hopefully at least one. Follow me on IG, and please don’t be shy there, because with the new algorithm update that happen recently I can barely see the content of the people I follow, and my numbers have dramatically dropped. So I am not really looking for new followers, but if you are following me for a reason, you might as well see what I do. You’ll be posting loads of engaging content, so be sure to keep your blog organized with Categories that also allow visitors to explore more of what interests them.

Behind the scenes video feat. Paolina Sambista This was the last outdoor photoshoot session I did in 2021. Because you know French people don’t like low temperatures. A personal session, no strings attached in a location I was waiting to shoot in for months… Let's see how it turned out. I love these types of sessions where we are just out there trying to create something without being accountable. I invited Pauline for this one… I had a little something planned out, but couldn’t really picture it without being on location. You might have already seen that place in my video where I reviewed the ECOflow power station. We watched a movie in the wild during the evening and this behind-the-scenes video was filmed the day after. We got up early that morning and the challenge was to do all our photos before 10h30 am. We brought the AD300pro and the AD600pro and I used the Bowens softboxes I had on hand at the time. We popped a few ENOLA Gaye smoke grenades for the occasion and Pauline brought some of her costumes. So if you look back a bit, I already made a few images with Pauline but inside the Chapelle des Carmélites in Toulouse. Our goal here was to explore unknown territories. I often do this to challenge myself and learn new tricks. I have never photographed these kinds of costumes before. I’ve seen other photographers do it, and I never was really convinced by their results with a few exceptions. So I decided to give it a try, and see for myself. Plus at the time I was still in my early Godox phase where I was trying to figure out if they were reliable. I also tried new methods for my smoke images, looking for a way to have more control over the final images I get. I still always do my best to capture everything on location and do less in post. We timed our session to see how long it would take us to make a session like that. And this one took us all morning! We were past eleven when it ended and it shows on some of the last images where the light is harsh. So this is yet another lesson for me, giving me an idea of how I can handle more ambitious projects like this one. One thing is for sure, I will need more people in my crew. So where am I going with this? I am not quite sure yet. I am still hoping to have access to some dope locations in 2022 or hopefully in 2023 again… Like back in the day before COVID. In the meantime, I am learning new techniques every day , changing my workflow for more efficiency, and testing new ideas, so that when the time comes, I will be ready, and able to raise the bar. My personal remedy to keep my creative juice flowing. So tell us how do you step up your game? Do you experiment, exercise, get out of your comfort zone? Tell us in the comments below.

You know how this works… this video means I posted a little film on my other channel… And you are about to watch it’s behind the scenes. Feat. The Kinefinity MAVO Edge 8k, this is the last video shot with it… Out of 3. If you haven’t watched the other ones, they should be easy to find. Now let’s dive into this final ride… A lot of night, low light, and indoor shots to push the MAVO edge a bit. I filmed a lot of sequences at the Native ISO of 2560 and even went slightly above. I didn’t have to denoise the footage and really liked the images I filmed… There were a lot of sequences we were unable to make because this was made during that time when we had to avoid crowded spaces because of COVID. This is why a lot of the street shots feel empty… this wasn’t intended. We also had a few motorcycle ideas that I wanted to make city center… but for safety reasons, we had to simplify the whole narrative. Nonetheless, I was able to test the camera. Giving me a better understanding of what I need, and now I know how I can bring to life some of the ideas I have in mind. I shot both handheld and on a tripod and operated everything myself. Again this was filmed in 4K for a 4K delivery, a few scenes were filmed in 8k to give me the option to crop in in post to save us some time. We used all 3 MAVO prime lenses on this one, t he 25mm T2.1 Prime, the 35mm T2.0, and the 75mm T2.0. I used a few Zacuto accessories on my rig to make it work for me. I really do not know if I will have again the opportunity to use this camera. Unfortunately, nobody in my area rents it, and buying it would not make any sense for me now. I know I have a few projects coming that would benefit from such a tool, and after using it for 10 days, I might seriously consider renting it… If I can get it shipped to Toulouse! We used all 3 MAVO prime lenses on this one, t he 25mm T2.1 Prime, the 35mm T2.0, and the 75mm T2.0. I used a few Zacuto accessories on my rig to make it work for me. Learn more about the MAVO edge, with my review. This was a really fun ride, let’s hope that this is only the beginning. Down below is the final video, enjoy!

Behind the scenes photoshoot and review! Power, how much do you actually need? Having powerful lights in your hands used to be a huge step to make. It is a little less now with the PIXAPRO Citi 1200pro. For all you power-hungry photographers, this might be the one for you! You may not know this but Pixapro’s line of flashes and accessories and GODOX’s products seem to come from the same factory, which means they are all compatible. You can mix these flashes and trigger them with the same remotes. I did this recently, you may have seen the stories on my Instagram . I used the same setup for my swim athlete's photoshoot. I used both 1200 pro's for my rim lights but replaced the AD300 pro overhead light later on with the AD1200 pro because I didn’t have enough batteries. Now do I need that much power? In the studio, the answer would be yes and no. Yes, if you freeze movement and if you are more into action photography the AD1200 pro will help. If you often use burst shots and shoot extensively on location. This is my case, during these sessions I only had one battery for the 1200pro and it lasted all day. I had to charge the AD300 and AD600 pro in between sessions to work all day. Of course, if you only do portraits, in a fairly dim environment or in a fully controlled studio, 1200 watts of power is overkill. Now let's go outdoors, with this quick session I did recently. This is in preparation for a photoshoot that unfortunately will only happen in early 2022. I brought the 1200pro with me because I knew I would work outdoors. And this is where that much power can be crucial for your work. It is the middle of the day and you want to knock down that ambient light for a more dramatic look. For the very first image you saw, depending on the model, I was almost at full power. A result that would have been impossible without 1200pro. I could have made something similar with a less powerful light, but not with these settings. So I’ve said this already in the past. It all depends on you, your work, your workflow. I personally need that power. I often work on location, I can last all day with this flash without worrying about running out of juice. I know I won’t use it at full power most of the time, but this means faster recycling time so I won’t miss a shot. WIth this strobe I know Artistically I can now almost do whatever I want, power won’t be an issue. This flash is really well built. I love the look and overall feel of the battery unit. The chord cable that attaches to the head is long enough and feels sturdy. The flash head itself is super light, in fact maybe too light. Overall it’s very light plastic, cool in terms of weight, I am not so sure in terms of robustness in the long run. It comes with a nice roller bag and a battery charger. And there is an independent case for the battery that I use as a weight on the light stand. My main concern with the AD300 and AD600 pro was the ability to find spare parts, and accessories anywhere. What if I have a problem with a photoshoot in France, in Europe in the UK? I know that I can find a fix now knowing the compatibility with GODOX products. Why am I concerned about that? Because it happened to me so many times. There are great brands out there that propose amazing tools, but they are hard to find in some parts of the world and when that’s the case they usually also have non-existent customer service. There is a shortage in everything electronics these days so now you have an additional option if you are heavily invested in Godox products. The Citi 1200 pro made it in my top 5 of my favorite photography and filmmaking tools of 2021. We’ll see later down the road how it holds up, but so far I really enjoy working with it. You will probably see it again and again in future Behind the scenes videos so I will most certainly keep you updated.

For this last post of 2018, I am going to share with you a little more of my adventures with the Canon EOS R and the kit lens. If you haven't seen my previous posts where I share my thoughts on the camera and lens, please check them out: The EOS R my thoughts on Canon’s Mirrorless camera! The RF 24 – 105mm and the CANON EOS R, the kit that does it all? I love working in inspiring, unusual, original places... Monuments, museums, churches, hôtels... and working indoors can sometimes be a challenge, working with the available light when there is any, working in tight places... I love it because I can learn a lot, find options, solving problems.. basically, it pushes me to be creative! These 2 photoshoots were perfect to test this camera and to see what it is actually capable of. 2 talented dancers, Miss Allegra Bird and Ballerina Hélène Bernadou, a Unique location, the Château Pape Clément, I couldn't ask for more... Huge thanks to the Château Pape Clément for Welcoming us, Thank you Charlotte and Damien for helping me out on these 2 sessions. Allegra Bird (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24 - 105mm f4L IS 1/160s f4 ISO 800 at 105mm Allegra Bird (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24 - 105mm f4L IS 1/125s f4 ISO 800 at 24mm Allegra Bird (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24 - 105mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 800 at 67mm Allegra Bird (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24 - 105mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 640 at 67mm Allegra Bird (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24 - 105mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 400 at 35mm Allegra Bird (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24 - 105mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 400 at 92mm Allegra Bird (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24 - 105mm f4L IS 1/100s f4 ISO 500 at 35mm Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & EF 16 -35 mm f2.8L 1/160s f2.8 ISO 800 at 16mm Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & EF 16 -35 mm f2.8L 1/200s f2.8 ISO 400 at 20mm Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24-105 mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 400 at 33mm Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24-105 mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 400 at 29mm Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24-105 mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 400 at 24mm Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24-105 mm f4L IS 1/1000s f4 ISO 200 at 24mm Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24-105 mm f4L IS 1/200s f4 ISO 400 at 24mm Let me wish you all a fantastic end of the year... Put your camera aside for a few days and spend some quality time with your friends and family... Rendez-vous next year, but until then, let there be love all around you... Hélène Bernadou (Bordeaux/ Pessac - Château Pape Clément) CANON EOS R & RF 24-105 mm f4L IS 1/100s f4 ISO 640 at 29mm

The kit that does it all? I am a lazy photographer... and you are too. I am joking of course, but I am sure, you are at least a little bit. But what if I told you that you could use one and only one lens for all of your photoshoots? The ESO R has been available for some time now and the proposed kit lens is an interesting one! It's an L lens and can be considered as an all-purpose lens. The RF 24 - 105mm F4 lens, the one that does it all? The only way to find out is to actually use it, I tried to use this lens, and this lens only for all my shoots for 2 weeks... and I kind of failed. I've said it in my previous post, there are at least 2 key features that are missing for me with this lens. it's not fast enough (it stops at f4) I work a lot around 24mm and below... so sometimes I need that extra "wide" for some shots. Apart from that, it's a great overall lens that would please a lot of you guys out there. It feels solid, it has a bit of weight, but not too much... It isn't too slow when focusing and is quiet and responsive. I've noticed a little bit of vignetting when open at 24mm on my images but nothing too distracting... some chromatic aberration here and there especially at F4, but if you use Lightroom or Photoshop, this is not something you can't overcome. The overall sharpness is great, it is an L lens... Owning this lens will not be a mistake. If you plan on buying the EOS R, this kit is a solid one. One that can let you unleash your creativity and help you make almost all the pictures you want with great results... Christmas is around the corner... Maybe ask Santa for this kit! Maeva K (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/160sec f4 ISO 800 at 24mm Maeva K (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/200sec f4 ISO 800 at 50mm Maeva K (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/200sec f4 ISO 125 at 25mm Maeva K (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/200sec f4 ISO 250 at 45mm Alanna Baker (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/200sec f4 ISO 250 at 53mm Alanna Baker (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/200sec f4 ISO 250 at 24mm Alanna Baker (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/200sec f4 ISO 250 at 67mm Alanna Baker (La Halle de la Cartoucherie - Toulouse) Canon EOSR & RF 24 - 104mm f4L IS 1/200sec f4 ISO 250 at 24mm

Infos à retenir concernant l'exposition "InMotion" à Strasbourg : ☞Du 12 Septembre au 15 Novembre 2016 Lundi, mardi, jeudi, vendredi : 8h30 à 21h30 Mercredi : de 13h30 à 21h30 Samedi : de 8h30 à 16h30 CENTRE CHOREGRAPHIQUE 10 rue de Phalsbourg 67000 Strasbourg Rejoignez l'évènement facebook : https://www.facebook.com/events/844029479031989/ Evidemment, vous me connaissez un peu, dans les jours à venir je partagerai images, vidéos et impressions sur cette première un peu partout sur les réseaux sociaux ! Mon annonce facebook il ya quelques jours : Ainsi que sur Instagram : Je vous dis à très vite ! Haze

Scouting for new locations is still a nightmare for me. I've discussed this already in a previous article posted a year ago: Scouting for indoor locations . The problem remains, and still holds me back because it's an important element in my creating process. 4 months on the road traveling through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France and the problem is the same in each city I've visited so far. In Torino, only a few responded to my emails... and unfortunately, we ended up doing our photoshoot outside... again! We had luck with the weather this time so I won't complain. But I really hope we will have better opportunities next time. We met 4 wonderful artists, Julia, Elena, Axier, and Marco from the Balletto Teatro Di Torino. Working with contemporary dancers, was a bit new for us and me in particular. It took me a few minutes to get into the vibe, flow, and energy of the moment and improvise a bit more than usual. We were not disappointed by our first trip to Italy. We definitely are thinking about coming back there next year!