Photography News Issue 39

Photography News | Issue 39 | absolutephoto.com

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shot, wait for a couple of seconds and then move on and shoot the next one.” He adds: “We agreed on a part of amovement that lookedoutstandingasastill imageand then it was simply a case of trying to hit that right moment. There is probably one hundredth of a second within the sequence that is the moment you have to take the shot. I was just totally focused on capturing that nanosecond and hoping that the camera and the lights would just work. I didn’t have toworry about it. They did.” Explains Steve: “I had so much to think about in terms of tracking Shaina’s movements and pressing the shutter at precisely the right time that I just couldn’t afford any distractions – like worrying about my equipment’s functionality. With previous monoblocs I was limited to 1/125sec flash sync with a quite long flash duration so any kind of movement, other than very slow walking, was always going to start getting motion blurred. So being able to freeze motion like this with the new XMS is just fantastic.” Offering the highest specification available from a single flash head, with faster recycling times and shorter flash durations than any previous Bowens models, Generation X providesuserswithfullydigital andcompletely accurate flash power and colour temperatures – enabling faster image processing times and more time for creative input. Says Steve: “This new system has definitely been engineered for speed, reliability and

cutting-edge aesthetics. The XMS looks great, works like a dream and is super-fast.” “Myolder lightshave thedial systemwhich was almost a case of suck it and see. You dial in what you think is going to be roughly right and then you hope it is pretty much there. If not, you just adjust it slightly. But now I have the ability to calibrate in tenths of a stop – and you just know every light is exactly the same because it’s 6.3 or 5.7, or whatever. When I looked at the results of the shoot everything seemed in sync: the colour accuracy, power and all the different elements of the shot were consistent throughout.” He notes: “That’s one of the great things I have discovered about Bowens over the years – everything just works. Their lights don’t have 500 different features. You just turn themon to the right power and start shooting. They just work right out of the box. And they will keep working for decades.” Steve loves the new XMSR radio remote control trigger too. “The amount of time I used to spend manipulating lights into position, then run over, take the whole stand down, adjust the power of the light, put the stand back up and then run back to shoot the next test shot, was ridiculous. It is so cool to nowbe able to adjust all that straight from the camera position. And the new ‘Sync Offset’ functionality means I can use any camera brand to shoot at high sync speeds up to 1/8000sec – and that is really, really useful. “The new easy-open and fast-lock adjustment latch also enables simple repositioning and fine tuning. The days of having to tighten up a wheel and thenmove it and then tighten it again are over,” he smiles. “Now it’s on or off – and you know it’s locked. And having the facility to just fold the stand

mount back into the light itself is excellent. One of the challenges I used to have with the old Gemini units was the large arm coming out of the side that then folds against the light. I tended to put my spill-kills over the heads of the lights and then fold the arm against them – so the reflectors all looked like they had been hammered out by dwarves. But this nicer, sleek shape on the Generation X heads is perfect.” Concludes Steve: “For me the three key things about these lights are: the truly amazing ability to freeze motion; the ability to adjust everything from the camera – and the sensational new recycling times are actually almost as fast as you can press the shutter. Generation X enables me to just shoot and shoot and shoot. I love it.”

stevebrowncreative.com

Bowens Generation X

The new system of Bowens Generation X monobloc flash heads comprises three XMS mains-powered units with outputs of 500W/s, 750W/s and 1000W/s and one battery-powered unit, the XMT500. They all offer the same sleek design and fast-lock adjustment system for fast, secure one- touch handling, and digital control means you get accurate output settings and constant colour temperature regardless of power setting. The Bowens Generation X system is available in-store now from £799.

bowens.co.uk