Jeremy Saffer is a professional photographer who has shot portraits of everyone from Johnny Depp to Metallica, and he relies on Nanlite fixtures and modifiers to quickly capture the images he needs. One of his goals is to make sure the images not only add to but also elevate the visual legacy of these established artists. He had shot with strobes as his main lighting source for nearly 20 years before exploring continuous LED lighting and Nanlite.

“I saw some tubes in action, and did my research looking at a vast array of available lighting tubes, their outputs, their abilities, etc. When I came across the  PavoTube 30C 4-Kit, it seemed like a no brainer to me. After getting them and trying them out I immediately bought 4 more, falling visually in love with what they can do.”

About six months after getting his PavoTubes, Saffer expanded his kit to include spotlights, like the  Forza 300B II, Forza 60B II, and Forza 60C. Going completely continuous simplified his setups, made it easier to get more looks quickly, and opened new doors for creativity. When asked if he could do what he does now using only strobes, Jeremy answers, “…I could do it but without anywhere near as many options, whereas with LED, I could keep going with the variety for hours and never shoot the same thing twice. It’s just so limitless.”

Pre-Production is Key

Preparation and planning are crucial when shooting portraits of celebrities and popular musicians—because the amount of time you get with the subject is often no longer than a few minutes and sometimes far less.

Jeremy shooting the band "In This Moment" with lighting he designed

Saffer always thoroughly researches his subjects in advance so that he fully understands their visual branding, and how he can plan his lighting to create the most compelling photos that fit the iconography of the artist. Because the amount of time you get to shoot is often incredibly brief, the lighting setups he puts together usually allow him to get several different looks, creating as much variety as possible in the shortest amount of time possible, so different photos and looks can be used by various outlets and for a variety of purposes.

Location, Location, Location

As soon as a client is booked, Saffer also thoroughly researches the location of the shoot. He determines what location or locations will work best for the shoot and visualizes the lighting that can be used in those spots. When the day of the shoot arrives, he arrives a few hours early and sets up his gear well in advance, doing test shots and getting all micro adjustments done so he can have the all planned looks (and beyond) 100% dialed-in before the subject arrives to set.

Why Saffer Chooses Nanlite

Multiple qualities of Nanlite fixtures appealed to Saffer, like the intriguing visuals and colors provided by our PavoTube LED Tube Lights, the high color accuracy of the light, the durability of the construction, and the ease of wireless control. The control aspect is a major plus for Saffer, who often has an assistant operate the NANLINK mobile app as he quickly cycles through the different lighting setups, not wasting a single moment of time with the subject.

A music video by Jensen Noen that utilized Jeremy's lighting

“Being able to make instant changes in lighting color, brightness, and especially presets saves me so much time on set, it’s the difference between being able to get one set up photographed to five set ups photographed in the same amount of time all because of how easy it is to control the lights with the NANLINK app."

Continuous Light Makes It Possible

Capturing more than one look in the span of a few minutes is made possible by using continuous LED lighting in his photoshoots. Unlike strobe there is no limitation on taking photos with recycle time. Being able to instantly see how the light is impacting the scene in real-time, especially when shooting on a mirrorless camera, is essential, both for the photographer and the subject.

LED lighting negates the need for test shots and adjustments during the shoot, everything is dialed in and what you see with your eyes, is what the camera sees, and what is captured perfectly with Nanlite lighting. No time is taken away from a shoot for adjustments, every moment is taking photos and creating iconic images.

A-List Celebrities and Magazine Covers

No matter what the assignment entails, whether he’s shooting a popular band for a magazine cover, creating portraits of notorious celebrities, or leading one of his truly excellent photography workshops, Saffer relies on Nanlite tubes and spotlights for his most mission-critical jobs—to have lighting that looks as iconic as the subjects they are lighting.