BLOG 2017

PROFOTO A1 PORTABLE STUDIO LIGHT REVIEW

22/12/2017
Recently Photography news magazines asked me to write an article on the lighting set up that I use, with the new A1 being released they were interested in how it has fitted in to my location set up. The A1 has only just been released so I have only had the chance to use it on a few photography jobs. A lot of people are saying its an expensive flashgun, for me its a compact studio light, the design is perfect for hand held use off camera, on camera it allows for a much more natural light then standard flashguns due to the dome attachment that fits on magnetically on to the flash, and with the Air remote it can work together with any amount of Profoto lights you want to use.

The big advantage for me is on automotive shots, its perfect for hiding in interiors or for those detailed wheel shots, sometimes the larger lights can be picked up i reflections easily, no such problem for the A1 on the Porsche 356 photo top of the montage. Power is just under 80 watts which is 1.5 times normal speed lights, I love the softness of the light with the diffuser, its also easy to work with for portraiture alongside the B1 and B2, or you can just use it on its own as it still packs plenty of punch.

The light itself comes in a fabric pouch that also houses the lighting desktop stand, this also screws on to a tripod/light stand thread and can easily fit in to a camera bag, a pair of these would be the perfect portable lighting set up for portraiture. Also using the A1 handheld makes those detailed interior photos much easier as it can fit anywhere with ease.