Chimera F2 10x20-foot Light Bank

Creating studio photography of some of the rare and collectible John Deere tractors at the Keller Collection in Brillion, Wisconsin provided an interesting challenge.

The collection of valuable machines is owned by Walter and Bruce Keller. The father-son duo has more than 620 tractors, with more than 400 of those John Deeres. The son, Bruce, runs a commercial construction business, and he worked closely with me to build the studio to photograph his tractors.

Bruce and I determined that the studio could be built inside a closed building with minimal outside light sources and ample power. The largest of the machines, the Model 8010, was 18 feet long, and more than 11 feet high. After careful calculation, I determined a 20x30-foot floor space would be big enough for the 8010. The walls would be 16 feet high. This would allow us to photograph the big machine, as well as about 30 others.

The crew of seven consisted of myself and Bruce Keller. Walter was in and out, providing commentary on the machines. A videographer and second photographer (Josh Kufahl) and editorial assistant (Joseph Holschuh) were hired to keep the shoot running smoothly. Another three men were hired to move, wash, and detail the tractors. All of us would work together to construct the studio.

Lighting the machines properly required a large, overhead source of direct, even light. The best choice for a light modifier was the Chimera 10x20-foot F2 light bank. This large soft box uses two layers of translucent silk to soften the light. You can also (as we did) bounce the light off the inside cover of the top of the box. The result is even light on a vehicle that provides gorgeous highlights on the top curves and casts enough soft light on the entire subject to require only minimal bounce card fill in order to create beautiful studio images.

The large box is key, as it makes the reflections on the machine clean and seamless. Post-production work was minimal, as the highlights were nearly perfect as shot.
We powered our 10x20-foot light bank with eight Speedotron heads powered by two 4803 strobe packs. The result was even light that was incredibly powerful. When I metered the first shoot, which had the box about eight feet off the ground (set for the shorter machines), the light read F20 @ 1/200th at the top of the stack of the tractor and F16 at the bottom of the scene. The meter actually read F16 under the tractor, as the light bounced off the floor with considerable strength. The exposure range was similar with even the largest tractors under the box.

The 10x20 bank we used is the transportable model. Heavier versions are available for permanent studio use. Our bank weighed about 150 pounds without lights, making it easy to lift into place.

The box is easily transportable, and folds down into three large duffel bags. We used the older generation box, which is set up with tools. Construction required several hours of work by four people. Chimera has since changed the design, and the new model can be set up with two people in less than two hours.  The new version of the box is priced at $9,900, and available direct from Chimera. 

Note: Photos by Josh Kufahl.