Prolific Atlanta-based cinematographer, Brandon Peterson is a savvy technologist who believes having the right gear is key to tackling any eventuality on set. His company, BP40 Creative is known for its connections to top crew and filmmakers in the Atlanta area–and with over $1M of in-house gear, it’s no easy feat to catch Peterson off guard. The cinematographer keeps a finger on the pulse of new technology, and when approached to lens a new beauty campaign for ORS Hair Care, Peterson picked Zeiss Supreme Radiance Zooms to get the look he wanted without losing time to changing lenses.
Peterson is not a newcomer to the Zeiss lens family. “The Supreme Radiance Primes are my favorite primes,” he says. “They have a complex flare, and an almost ‘blockbuster look’ built in, so a zoom with a Radiance-look intrigued me. I had an upcoming beauty campaign for ORS that seemed like the perfect fit. The client trusts me to choose the equipment, so I pitched using the new zooms exclusively.” The idea was readily accepted, and Peterson secured two Radiance Zooms, a 28-80mm and a 70-200mm.
This new spot from ORS stars the work of celebrity braider Xia Charles (@braided__) who styles the hair of three models, using the ORS Lavender line. The spot features Xia’s braiding in action along with talent action shots that move fluidly between full body wides to close-ups of the meticulously detailed hair. “Throughout this project we combined on camera zooms with different jib moves,” describes Peterson. “That’s where the lenses really impressed me—they barely breathe, even less than the primes, which is rare. Shooting on a jib limited the time we had to swap lenses on set–but I didn’t feel the need to.” Almost the entire project was captured using the 70-200mm.
“Some of the most dynamic shots involved the models starting at the end of the hallway, about 50 feet from the camera, and walking up under the lens. With my first AC, Nick Ray, we used the full zoom range from 70mm to 200mm, ending tight on the braids at minimum focus.” The combination of movement and zoom seamlessly makes the models pop, lifting them out of the studio backdrop and calling attention to the intricate hair styling. “It was important to have a high-quality zoom lens so there was no distortion or vignetting to destroy the shot.”
The “Radiance” in the Zeiss Supreme Radiance lines refers to the lens’s characteristic blue flares, which Peterson cultivated periodically throughout the spot to enhance the elegance of product and talent. “For controlled flares, I used a Nanlite Forza 720B with a 10-inch Fresnel lens. That approximates sunlight well and makes it easy to ping the lens for consistent flares,” he describes. “I was especially impressed with the 70-200mm—the flares at 70mm were beautiful–and at 200mm, they turned into these giant orbs. Overall, the Radiance lenses don’t need much help—they flare naturally without resorting to gimmicks.
“The Radiance Zooms are the most unique zoom lenses I’ve used,” says Peterson. “Zooms usually lean clinical, but these have texture, depth, and character while maintaining control. They feel like an extension of the Supreme Radiance primes, with more flexibility. I’m excited to use them again.”
Read the full interview with Brandon Peterson: https://lenspire.zeiss.com/cine/en/article/dp-brandon-peterson-shoots-beauty-campaign-with-zeiss-supreme-radiance-zooms/
To see the ORS Campaign: https://www.instagram.com/orshaircare/
Check out the full shoot: https://vimeo.com/1041705214
