For those of you who don't get around to reading the strobist you may not have seen these really amazing videos of several different photo shoots for the Wall Street Journal. All of them were done with nothing more than a strobe, shoot through umbrella, and a white wall.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

That's neat stuff, everyone should read strobist if they don't do so already; learning lighting from that site has probably been the single biggest contributor to my growth as a photographer the past year.

Those are awesome pictures, and I'm getting into Strobist now too.

But after watching the video, is that technically "one light"? Looks to me like at least two. Maybe three. There's the umbrella, and something making the white background light up, and then there's a flash. Does "one light" then refer to "only one light flashing"?

Cuz man, now I'm confused about how the whole thing works.

In those pictures, what's doing the flashing? Is it the umbrella flash? Does it have continuous light AND flash?

(I feel really stupid when I ask questions like this, but happy to know that you all are so helpful despite my stupidity.)

I'll have to watch it again, there's the flash firing through the umbrella (which has a modeling light)...nothing on the background the subjects are too close. I'm sure the background was cut out for the final placement in the ad. I didn't see a 2nd flash at all

Oh THAT'S what a modeling light is!!!!

Doh.

that's it

david hobby is actually referring to be able to replicate the shoot using strobist techniques like one hot shoe flash and shoot thru umbrella.

the real shoots were not done this way.

I guess a lot of us OSP'rs are Strobist readers! I posted this thread at almost the exact same time!

I totally agree - strobist is an amazing resource!

Thanks for posting that up Stephen...that is awesome. Very motivating for me. I love seeing stuff like that.

Yeah! Strobist is going to be my 'Workshop' I am attending this year. I am gathering a list of must-buys from his website but want to ask questions about using it first.

Most defiantly an "old school" shoot. One light, film in a Hasselblad. The Kenneth Cole shoot actually shows the Polaroid tests they shot.

I reminds me of my first 14 years is business.

I only wish I was half the portraitist that Platon is. I constantly look at his work for inspiration.

I wish I'd gone to that school.