To Boom or Not To Boom - That is the Question.
I hate clutter! Having a clean studio helps me approach a shoot with a clear mind. The fewer light stands around me, the better. A telescoping boom arm allows me to work underneath my light and not have to work around it. And from a client’s perspective, they have a clear line of sight back to me. Many people are uncomfortable being photographed to begin with, and I find this open approach increases both comfort and communication.
But there are other reasons to “boom.” We all know lighting trends come and go: umbrella vs. soft box vs. light panel; high key vs. low key; hard light vs. soft. We like one style for a while, then tire of it and drift away, and back again. We’re supposed to, we’re quirky artists! Well, I’ve noticed another trend I have drifted away from and that is the standard key light / fill light approach to portraits.
I photograph a lot of business people, as well as models. Lately, I really prefer the punch I get from a small soft box or even a beauty dish. By putting the key light on a boom over my head, (as well as the subject’s), the boom also affords me a healthy shadow under the subject’s chin, which I quite like. And if you like “butterfly” lighting, this is the best way to achieve it. With my light on a boom, I can keep it on the same axis as the lens, or place it just left or right of center, and get a good key / fill ratio… much like that from a standard two-light combo, but with a smaller studio footprint. If I need a little help on the fill side, I bring in a fill card or reflector from opposite the key side.
A boom arm is also great for backlights. I like my backlight to illuminate evenly over the top of the hair and across both shoulders. To accomplish this effect with floor stands will probably require two backlights on two stands, and you still never get light on the crown of the head. Not so when booming. My backlight gives me the “throw” I need. By the way, I take this rig on location, too.. One light for a backlight - right where I need it. It's perfect for dark suits.
Outdoor Photography.
My approach is the same outdoors. I like the same sculptured chin shadow look when shooting outside. So here my weapon of choice is a Profoto monolight on a Matthews boom. I also like my backlight to carry over the entire subject, just as I do indoors. To accomplish this, I often shoot directly into the sun, letting mother nature be my backlight. But obviously, this can cause problems like extreme lens flare and lack of contrast in the lens. To combat this, I use a Matthews or Bogen Avenger C-Stand with a large Matthews gobo / flag placed low and directly over the lens on an arm. That’s right, it’s like a mini-boom.
It is these same C stands that I recommend using to support your boom arms. The beefier, the better. How much are these booms? I always stress you get what you pay for. Expect to pay $150.00 or a little better for a good one. Put it on a good stand with a sand bag counter balance and away you go. I do want to point out, however, that this rig can be a little cumbersome to move, so I rarely use one that isn’t on a roller stand, as I’m using here to support an Elinchrom 1200 RX and a Chimera soft box.
Always use a safety chain when using a boom! You can make you own with some wire and snaps from Home Depot. Happy shootin'
