In this video, we take the B10 on a spin using the phone as our camera. Yes, you read that correctly, I am shooting on my iPhone and triggering my B10 using the new Profoto AirX an update to the Profoto App which allows you to synchronize external flash to a mobile device through the Profoto App. We’ve been sharing a bunch of smartphone-only photo recipes and ideas over on our TikTok and this new tool us about to level up our game. This proprietary technology allows professional photographers, for the first time in history, to use the full power of their flashes regardless of the capturing device. You can read the full press release here.
Watch the full tutorial below as part of our Slice of Pye IGTV series on the Profoto Instagram. Tune in to our next episode: July 22nd at 2PM EST!
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Gear Used for This Shot
Before we explain why we would even want to pair a B10 with a smartphone, let’s talk about the gear we are using today.
- Profoto B10
- Smartphone with Profoto App Installed: the app is still not available for Android users so for now, this only works with iOS devices.
- Manfrotto Tripod: any tripod will work as long as you can attach a smartphone mount to it
- iPhone Mount for Tripod
Now that we’ve talked gear, let’s dive into the tutorial and get our phone and strobe connected.
Enable Bluetooth & Connect Strobe
Enable Bluetooth on your smartphone and open the Profoto App, It will automatically detect your strobe and you’ll be ready to go. It’s honestly as simple as that. Before we start shooting, let’s answer the question of why we would even want to pair a light this powerful with our smartphone cameras? We know that Profoto is targeting a certain demographic by introducing the C1 to the market and creating an app able to connect to our flashes, but what is the reasoning? We carry our phones around with us more than our camera, whether it be vacationing or in our everyday life. Having the convenience of being able to connect our phones with Profoto’s compact lighting solutions opens up a world of creativity when it comes to smartphone imagery and the modern way we document our lives.
Dial-In Exposure and Decide Sync Speed
Since we were shooting outdoors. mid-day, I wanted to test out High-Speed Sync with the app. This required me to shoot at ISO 32, which is super simple to dial-in on the app, and 1/8000th of a second for our Shutter Speed. I wanted to also incorporate some smoke bombs, because why not, and we’re using the Red Enola Gaye ones for this shot. Take a test shot to ensure that they are synced up and start shooting! Here is the final image edited with our Crush Pack from Visual Flow Presets.
The rest of the tutorial is pretty self-explanatory but this truly does open up a whole new world of opportunities when it comes to getting creative with your smartphones. We’ll be sharing more on our TikTok to give you some easy recipes to try with just your smartphone. Download the Profoto App and start playing around with your strobes!
