Red Bull Illume recently caught up with photographer Tim Lüdin to discuss his recent lifestyle shoot with sports driver Rahel Frey and the Audi DTM team. Tim needed to move fast, have mobile gear and shoot quickly due to time limitations.
Tell us a bit about the shoot…
It was a training day for the drivers, so the cars were always on the track or in the pit for maintenance. We were there for a whole day and we were on a constant hold. ‘Run and gun’ was the motto for the whole shoot! Sometimes we had 30 minutes on a certain location, sometimes only 10. Space in the pit lane is very limited. You can't just walk around and put your lights where you want them. There are rules for everything and you have to watch out for cables that no car or person will run or trip over. It was very loud there and you have to work very fast.
Did you prepare much for the shoot?
Not much. I just loaded my car till it almost burst and off I went.
I knew that it would be more like a run and gun day so I just brought enough stuff with me that in case anything broke I could swap stuff!
Any tips on how to manage shoots like this?
I was very lucky to be the first beta tester of broncolor’s new light generator, the Move. This new power pack rocks, period. It helped me a lot during this shoot and is perfect for this kind of environment. It's very light, totally asymmetrical. It has lots of power (1200J) and it's very fast. It's almost as you would shoot with a real studio pack but right outside.
Of course I also brought my other big guns but in the end I only used the Move because I could work much faster than with the studio packs. In this kind of location you have to be able to move around very quickly so using a plug is not the best option speed and security wise.The Move gives you that speed and freedom to go wherever you want within a second.
What equipment did you use (camera and lighting)?
I used my Canon 1Ds3 with Canon L glass – the new Canon 24-70mm Mark 2: it’s an unbelievable lens. Also, I had the broncolor Move 1200 L with the new MobiLED lamps, a broncolor beauty-dish and a normal reflector.
Do you have any tips on how to help athletes relax?
If you stay relaxed, the athlete or the model will too. This girl is really easy to work with. She is used to driving a sports car that goes almost 300kmh. So a photographer won't bother her much! Just talk to her, tell her what you are about to do. Make her part of the process. Ask if she has a cool idea, etc.
What was she like to work with?
Very easy as she was focused. She saw some of my Formula 1 pictures that I took for the Sauber Team. So she knew that she could trust me – that helped a lot.
Do you have any tips for young photographers heading out on lifestyle shoots?
Just know your stuff inside out. You gotta be able to work under pressure. Your equipment must be rock solid. Keep an open mind. You won't always get the picture you planned or hoped for. If you can plan everything in advance and if you have control over the shoot then yeah, only go for the best, but otherwise like in this case here, just go with the flow and be relaxed.
Run and Gun with broncolor shooter Tim Lüdin
Run and Gun with broncolor shooter Tim Lüdin

© Tim Lüdin