Light shows: “Special Light” DVD by Krolop and Gerst

The somewhat cryptic title “Special Light” refers to the approach of using very inexpensive light sources to achieve a special illumination of people. This ranges from neon tubes to simple flashes and rarely costs more than 100 €. “It is not about the equipment, it is about how you use it.” That’s what it says on the back of the DVD. The creators Martin Krolop and Marc Gerst are professional photographers specializing in fashion and commercial photography, and they run a photography blog worth reading with lots of information and tips (and a corresponding YouTube channel). But can the DVD deliver what it promises?

The subjects: a look over the shoulders of professional photographers

What is interesting about the DVD is that you can literally observe the two photographers at work. First, they explain why they choose a particular light source and what needs to be considered, then you see them photographing the models. You feel a bit like an intern or apprentice looking over the master’s shoulder. There are also videos of the post-processing of the images. Very nice: the creators explain in detail why they chose a particular treatment to achieve a specific look. In the file section of the DVD, there is raw data of all the images discussed, so you can re-apply the edits.

I liked the fact that the light settings set low hurdles and made you want to try them out. In post-processing, it is also positive that there are numerous ideas that go beyond purely technical aspects and rather concern the selection and assessment of images, for example:

• tips for when you cannot decide between different images,
• the role of black and white in image assessment, or
• better assessment of the colors contained in the image by briefly adjusting the sliders.

And in general, I find it fascinating to understand the thoughts of a professional photographer when selecting images – you can learn a lot. If you want to get an impression of the style of the two, you can watch this video from another DVD:

Technical details: DVD players stay outside

There is one small drawback: the videos cannot be viewed on a DVD player because they are embedded in a website as Flash videos. However, they can be easily viewed on a computer – and without a computer, the raw data is of no use anyway. There are also digital versions of the videos, optimized for iPhone size. This can be very useful for quickly looking up an episode from a shoot.

What I also noticed: To see the videos, you have to click on the index.html, which is on the DVD. For people who regularly deal with websites, this is certainly not a problem – but I am not sure if inexperienced users will come up with this idea. A small explanation on the DVD case would certainly not be amiss.

The videos are divided into live videos and post-processing. I find it a little impractical that there are no direct links that would allow you to jump from a live video directly to the corresponding post-processing videos.

Conclusion: a great DVD with lots of learning material

All in all, I liked the DVD. It makes you want to try out the suggestions – and the financial risk is limited. The raw data makes it easy to follow the editing steps. And in general, it is nice when photographers allow a glimpse behind the scenes. The next time I photograph people, I will definitely try out some of the things I have learned. The DVD is currently still available for 30 € including shipping.