Stunt Photography Techniques On Location

Photography Tips

Guess what the Vibe Israel Tour brought forth on the streets of Jerusalem this time? Photographer Benjamin Von Wong. On an invitation to shoot pictures in the old city, Von Wong shot extreme stunts against the backdrop of Israel’s thousand year old architectural icons:

No photo shoot is over without challenges. Every now and then problems crop up, and sometimes they need unorthodox solutions. Like piggybacking on your producer! To get the perfect angle Von Wong piggybacked on producer Tomer Jacobson to photographing a skater:

Extreme challenges need extreme solutions.

And in another shot, he hanged precariously from the walls of the ancient city trying to photograph a biker jumping from one wall to the other:

Risk taking is like an everyday cup of tea for stunt photographers!

Lighting Solutions for Extreme Action Shots

Vong Wong’s secret tools for the shoot included the Broncolor Move 1200L, which produced an enormous 1200 watts of light.

the Broncolor Para 133 reflector being setup

He also used a Broncolor Para 133 reflector kit—a giant contraption that allowed him to throw back enough light on his subjects to isolate them in the pictures. With amazing dexterity, he always seemed to find the right angles to shoot his pictures from as well as discover just enough room to hide his lights in seemingly impossible spaces.

Pro Photography is Not Just About the Gear

This photo was shot using high-speed flash sync with the broncolor flash kit.

The last shot in the video is a testimony to the fact that even with the best of equipment there is still no alternative to a bit of ingenuity. The lack of room on the old street meant the crew had to strip down the lights, expose them bare-bulb, and hide them just out of sight. The result is a beautiful light that isolated the biker against the background lit by ambient light.