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The Profoto B2 is the most versatile compact lighting solution in my arsenal. When you are in the studio, there are a lot of great choices for lighting systems, but for quality, durability and ease of use, Profoto lights are unbeatable. They have a well earned reputation as world-class lights. Not too long ago, Profoto came out with a powerful, portable, battery powered monohead called the Profoto B1. These lights are fantastic for any size photo shoot. They are radio controlled from your hotshoe, using the Profoto – Air Remote TTL-C — syncing and changing power settings from your camera is a snap. These lights have been well thought out on every level and till now have been my first choice for location lights.

This year, the light shaping geniuses introduced the Profoto B2 lighting system.

Not as powerful as the B1 these little dynamos still pack plenty of punch for most portrait applications, and they accept the full range of Profoto light shaping tools. What makes these lights very attractive is that by moving away from the monohead model to a small strobe head with a battery-pack, Profoto has made an incredibly light and versatile little unit.

The Profoto B2 is small enough that you can even mount it on camera if you don’t want to bring an assistant or use a stand. My favorite setups include a small softbox or a large silver umbrella, wielded by an assistant. Which I use depends on how much light I require. The Silver umbrella is great if I need to overpower the sun whereas the softbox works best when the light is even and I want to create direction for added drama, but still maintain a soft feel. Two heads with white umbrellas on stands is another easy setup for large groups and can really make a dim situation bearable.

 

Finally the Profoto B2 lights work seamlessly with my B1 lights and all of my Profoto lights are controlled through my Profoto – Air Remote TTL-C which sits on the hotshoe of my camera. With my Profoto B2 lights as my first go-to choice for many situations and my B1 lights in backup for when I require more power, I truly have enough lights to shoot for a day on location and never plug in. And, I can do so with a rapidity and efficiency that makes shooting a joy.

While this is an unsolicited review, I am sponsored by Profoto and Profoto will be providing complete lighting kits for my Photography and Workflow Workshop attendees to use on location. I am excited for my students to get to use this equipment to make some amazing images.