"Its damn Sharp!"

Shooting Fashion Using a Phase One Digital 45mm f. 2.8 Lens

Performance

Fashion photography for Bo Egestrøm is about precision, simplicity and work that goes ‘straight to the point’. Compromise is not a noun that crops up in his conversation, so it is no surprise that he insists on the best when it comes to the tools of his trade.

Bo first made the switch to digital over six years ago with a Canon EOS 1Ds but has since moved to the Phase One system, where he currently uses a new 645 AF camera and P 30+.

He boasts an extensive range of lenses, including the Phase One Digital 45mm that he favors for much of his fashion work particularly because of its distorting wide-angle effect. He uses it to capture everything from close up portraits to full body shots of his models. Sitters are lit with both continuous HMI and flash lighting in the studio and typical captures are exposed [using his 45mm lens] at ISO 100 at f.11-16, or a few f-stops less when using an Arri HMI. Available ambient light is predominately utilized whilst Bo is out on location where he’ll shoot up to ISO 800 - where he is sure there is no noticeable noise or image degradation. In fact, Bo states that there is little for the fastidious fashion photographer to criticize in the Phase One system from his experiences, emphasizing, "I really like the design [of the Phase One 645] and it feels solid and looks very professional, it has been beautifully done."

But the real acid test for any camera and lens is the quality of the final image and in his typically straightforward talking style Bo declares, "Its damn sharp!" He is convinced that the color rendition, clarity and contrast are the best he’s ever seen but he puts a caveat on this, recommending that photographers invest in the new lenses (like the 45mm) to get these results as some of his older glass from his previous 645 camera, he says, can look dull in comparison.