Photography News Issue 39

Photography News | Issue 39 | absolutephoto.com

13 Interview

Profile Paul Legg Flash gear has changed almost beyond all recognition in recent times, so we caught up with the boss of Profoto, a leading light in the lighting revolution

Many of our readers will have heard of Profoto but the brand might not be familiar to all, so would you mind introducing everyone to what the company offers please? Profoto is the Light Shaping Company. We design and develop light shaping tools that enable the world’s best and most ambitious image creators to be more creative, take better images and turn their ambition into reality. How is business in the lighting market from your perspective? Business is very good. Since start up, Profoto Ltd, the UK subsidiary, has averaged 20% growth year on year. 2015 was a great year with a 40% increase and 2016 is continuing in the same direction. Have you had to increase your prices as many distributors have due to the weak £ and Brexit vote? Profoto Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary and as such, unlike some lighting distributors in the UK, we have direct communication with our owners in Stockholm. Working together we have tried to absorb any cost increases so far. If we do have a price increase it tends to be once annually around January/February. The market for portable lighting has changed enormously and Profoto has played its part with the B1 and B2 off-camera lighting systems. The two systems take different approaches, one with on-board power one with separate battery. What do your customers favour most? Both are both extremely popular. The B2 250 Air TTL with its small compact head utilising both off- camera flash accessories or the standard Profoto light shapers without the need for adaptors or the cord free B1 500 Air TTL monobloc. They are used for multiple applications and some photographers use both. The real beauty is that the image creator can choose which is best for them on a particular shoot. It is worth noting that both the B1 and B2 are supported by a ‘try before you buy’ scheme through our retailers. Profoto equipment is also widely supported by rental dealers. Profoto’s traditional customer has been the pro photographer, but with the B1 and B2 are enthusiasts buying your products? The groundbreaking B1 allowed for a new style of photography thanks to its power, lack of cords, TTL and High Speed Sync (HSS).

How have the new products been received by customers? The D2 Air TTL monobloc has been really well received as it is such a significant step forward in monobloc design. It is a far more capable unit than anything on the market. Profoto market it under the ‘speed manifesto’ and it really is so easy and fast to use with its big LCD panel and Profoto open clasp light shaper fitting. It has a great balance of power and ultra short flash duration – 1/63,000sec in freeze mode. The D2 Air TTL also has a burst mode giving up to 20 frames-per- second capture rate. This allows the image creator to capture 20 versions of the same moment and often that is the difference between capturing a good or a great image. The reception from the market for the Pro-10 has been fantastic. It really does cement Profoto’s position at the pinnacle of flash lighting. Initially our focus with the Pro-10 is the rental market. As I write this we are delivering significant numbers of Pro-10 units to UK rental studios and outlets. What are your customers telling you about what they expect to see in future lighting devices? Image creators want technologically superior equipment but with uncomplicated user interfaces. They require future-proofed camera and computer connectivity and their lighting equipment to be sophisticated enough to more than cope with multiple disciplines. The future looks great for Profoto.

and doesn’t require an extra set of hands or any fighting to fit a softbox or reflector to a Profoto head, but also allows reflectors to be mounted in varying positions giving each reflector multiple light shaping possibilities putting creativity in the hands of the image creator. Your latest product launches, the D2 monobloc and the Pro-10 generator, offer incredibly brief flash durations in freeze mode of 1/63,000sec and 1/80,000 respectively. Why does Profoto feel such incredibly short flash durations are needed? And how have you achieved such flash durations? There are those amongst us who push the envelope. They say, good is the enemy of great. If there’s a limit – they step beyond it. If there’s a boundary – they cross it. This is our speed manifesto. For great image creators, challenges are there to be conquered. For them, speed is more than the ability to freeze a moment of action or matching the fastest camera shutter. It is about setting creativity free. Moving fast, delivering fast, capturing the seemingly impossible – fast. Taking light and shaping something remarkable with it. Setting the bar higher – and then doing it all over again. They redefine their craft every single day and so do we. This is speed redefined. As for how: flash-cutting TTL technology and superb Profoto Swedish design ethos. That’s all a creative photographer really needs to know. The Pro-10 Air TTL and D2 Air TTL just work beautifully, not just once but again and again.

This functionality has brought large numbers of customers to invest in Profoto. Professional photographers, prosumers and enthusiastsareseeingthelimitations in their existing equipment. With respect to TTL in the studio, some brands have stuck with manual only flash while Profoto has embraced it. Why is this and what do you feel the key benefits of TTL flash on studio type lighting units are? It really is the same conversation many people had when AF cameras and program autoexposure modes arrived. If the technology works, why not embrace it? Also, the B1 and B2 deliver significant improvement over speedlights on output power, recycling times and rapid bursts in the studio or on location, plus they are compatible with over 150 Profoto light shapers. Do not forget that with Profoto products the creative control is always the photographer’s decision. If they wish to shoot in TTL or manual they can and with the Profoto Air TTL hybrid mode they can shoot in TTL then switch to manual mode. In hybrid mode the first manual shot will be at the same flash settings as the last TTL shot. With the Canon, Nikon and Sony Air Remote TTL transceivers shooting TTL really is that simple. Looking at your product range, what is your favourite product and why? Wow! That’s a difficult question for me to answer but I would have to say that for its significance in the photographic lighting market, with its ground breaking design, full TTL and High Speed Sync functionality the Profoto B1 500 Air TTL monobloc is my favourite. We certainly have seen a huge increase in sales and a marked increase in awareness of the Profoto brand amongst photographers. Three years since launch the Profoto B1 500 Air TTL and OCF system of light shapers still does not have any competitors. What Profoto product feature are you personally most proud of and why? Even though Profoto constantly sets new standards in technology and design it is the simplicity of Profoto design and ease of use that is the real benefit for photographers. So for me it’s the open clasp 100mm reflector clamp mount on all Profoto heads. This not only makes fitting light shapers exceedingly simple

Biography

Full job title? Managing director Years in the photo industry? Oh this will hurt… 34 years – I started when I was 16! Current location? Stockholm Last picture taken? Southend-on-Sea pier When youwere younger, what did youwant to bewhen you grewup? I always wanted to be a lumberjack… no, as a child I dreamt of being a pilot Dogs or cats? Dogs Toast or cereal? Cereal Email or phone call? Phone call

For great image creators, challenges are

there to be conquered

profoto.com

Try before

you buy

Profoto has an extensive dealer and rental network so if you want to check out its products see its website for your nearest dealer. A Profoto dealer will have ‘try before you buy’ equipment available so you can borrow a B2, B1 or newly launched D2 mains Air TTL monobloc for a couple of days to experience Profoto equipment in a non pressured environment. Profoto will be at next year’s The Photography Show at the NEC too.