Nicole Chan is a Boston-based wedding and portrait photographer who has a style that is a mix of documentary and beautiful, casually posed portraits. In a recent photo shoot for corporate client Pepsi, Nicole had to capture New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with 250 guests and have the photos instantly printed at a station that was 200 feet away and on the 2nd floor. Previous photographers described the setup as a nightmare and had assistants running SD cards back and forth to accommodate the space.
Instead of running a 200 foot USB connection, or running her assistants with SD cards, Nicole opted to use the new Case Air Wireless Tethering System from Tether Tools to wirelessly connect her camera to an Asus laptop and DNP printer. She was kind enough to provide us these behind-the-scenes images and video, plus a rundown of how she got the shots.
What was your setup for this shoot? Camera, lighting, accessories.
- Canon 5D Mark III
- 24-105 f/4
- Einstein light with umbrella
- Pocket Wizards
- Case Air Wireless Tethering System
- DNP printer
- Asus laptop
What were some of your challenges for this type of setting?
This is a large event for PepsiCo’s top level management as well as the one corporate event that Tom Brady attends and speaks at. The event organizers wanted approximately 250 people to be able to have a photo taken with Tom Brady and then have their photos instantly printed, inserted into a branded photo sleeve, and then distribute to the attendees within minutes. The printing and sleeve station must be on the 2nd floor, about 200 feet away from where the photos were taken. The time we had with Tom Brady was short, as well. The location and time constraints added pressure.
Why did you decide to shoot tethered, and why’d you make the decision to shoot wirelessly?
Since the event coordinators wanted the photos printed and delivered immediately, tethered was the only way to go. I have an extremely long USB cable that could have made it from the area I was shooting to the printer, but securing it down with gaffers and running it up to the 2nd floor wasn’t something I wanted to mess around with.
I had heard unhappy stories of previous photographers working this event. They shot 10 to 15 groups and then had an assistant run the SD card up the stairs to where the printers were. It seemed disorganized and left many opportunities for error. While I have no doubt that my assistants Jarrett and Jason are excellent sprinters, I wanted to keep this running-cards-up-and-down strategy as a backup option.
Given everything we were up against, wireless was the only way to go!
How did the Case Air Wireless Tethering System perform?
Smoothly and excellently. I only wish I discovered this earlier.
In what other types of photography do you think you’d use the Case Air?
It is fantastic for any commercial, portrait, and advertising work where I am working with a team. I think real-time feedback is excellent so that I can communicate with my team on likes, dislikes, and modifications.
Follow Nicole Chan on Facebook, Instagram, or her website here.
