Enduring Extremes: Felix Kunze’s Journey with Elinchrom’s Rotalux in Mongolia

A two day drive from the nearest airport and pretty much as far as you can get from an ocean: my dream assignment – photograph a group of international geologists as they try to unravel the mysteries of a mass extinction around 365 million years ago. Three weeks of camping in the Altai-Gobi mountains, Mongolia, with a Rotalux Deep Octa and an ELB 500 TTL, both from Elinchrom, my camera and not much else.

While the Geologists got to work trying to figure out what made the majority of the ocean’s sea creatures go extinct, my assistant and I got to work on shooting them.

​Restricted by airline luggage policies, I had chosen my most trusty pieces of equipment, for an extremely pared down setup, consisting of the light, the modifier, and a ‘stick’ (a light stand with the legs removed).

If I could only work with one light, it would be the Rotalux Deep Octa, the most versatile modifier I have ever used. It’s small enough to be portable, yet sturdy enough to stand up to harsh conditions, while delivering a focused light that is perfect for complementing hard daylight.

If you have followed my work, you might know I am not the most careful with my gear. I shock photographers when I tell them that I pack my lights in my suitcase by wrapping them in clothes!

This location was sure to test the Rotalux to its limits. Elinchrom had previously given me the challenge of using just a battery pack and a modifier, which I did in Iceland. On that trip we didn’t have the extreme temperature changes and dust to deal with. Dust, sand and temperature fluctuations destroy equipment. Coupled with the challenge of extremely intermittent access to generator power, I put my setup through its paces.

Choosing to leave the light built through the project paid off. Morning and night, during high noon, and everywhere in between, we were able to throw our little mobile setup into the back of vans, lug it up mountainsides and never have to worry about a thing.

In all, we created a portrait of every member of the 21-expedition team and support crew, as well as several group portraits (yes, lit with just one 100cm Rotalux) and even got to travel into the higher mountain valleys to photograph a family of nomadic horse herders. This same modifier lighted every photograph here.

Elinchrom has a reputation for building sturdy modifiers, but this one stands the test of time.

If you can only buy one modifier, make it an Elinchrom Rotalux.