Nat Geo chose a cover photo shot with an iPhone Flashlight, though using Nikon D3

Working for National Geographic, the photographer Alessandro Barteletti was shooting with a European astronaut when had trouble during the shoot when lights went off and his quick thinking ended up using an iPhone’s LED flashlight to illuminate a little piece of the area.

Barteletti has spent a year working on a photo essay to tell about a 60-year-old – Paolo Nespoli, for National Geographic Italia. The photographer was permitted to stay with the astronaut to capture him while he marks to be the first ever 60-year-old, enrolled for such a mission – Soyuz.

Barteletti was photographing Nespoli inside a Soyuz launch module simulator in Star City, Russia. He told dpreview, when taking shots with his Nikon D3, the lights unexpectedly cut off. Barteletti told that people began knocking on the module door to finish the shoot within the next minute. He had lights equipment outside the module but he also knew if he went out, he won’t be able to get in back and take his perfect shot.

So they decided to finish it in a minute when they had no light source in the dark module. An idea hit him, tells Barteletti, that he used his iPhone’s flashlight to torch somewhat the area he wanted to lighten up. He put the phone at a place near-behind the astronaut. The module was small enough to get lit by the phone’s flashlight, at least the setting he wanted.

Paolo Nespoli Nat Geo Cover

Paolo Nespoli in a Soyuz launch module simulator, illuminated by an iPhone flashlight. Photo © Alessandro Barteletti

He took two landscapes and two portraits and left the module, and the one – above one obviously was selected by National Geographic the cover shot of its July issue. Barteletti tells dpreview that he can’t quite believe Nat Geo chose a photo that was shot with a ten-year-old Nikon D3 and lit with an iPhone torch.

Cover National Geographic Italia. © National Geographic

If you are still reading this post, you sure are interested in photography in someway. I recommend you read more about Alessandro Barteletti and check is work at his website.

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