I started my photography career about 12 years ago with Canon Speedlites, and about 2 years later I bought my very first Profoto strobe (I believe it was the B1). From that point on, I’ve used nothing but Profoto equipment and even became a Profoto instructor.
See me teaching for Profoto here: Teaching for Profoto
That is until I moved to Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe area of Japan) where I discovered that there are no studios here where Profoto equipment is available. NONE! How can Osaka, the second largest city in Japan not have a single studio where Profoto lights are available?! This recent revelation is a HUGE disappointment as one of the reasons I bought into the Profoto ecosystem in the first place is because they are supposed to be available from rental houses almost anywhere in the world. And for the most part, this has been true. No matter where I’ve traveled for work, Dubai, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Tokyo, South Korea, Hong Kong, etc… I was able to rent the lights I needed…. UNTIL NOW! I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact that there isn’t a single shop in the entirety of Kansai that carries Profoto equipment for rental. This limitation has forced me to get creative. I had a recent photoshoot come up and the client lives and works in Kansai. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to work with this client, I was forced for the first time in my career to use lighting other than Profoto (a brand I have religiously relied on for over a decade). The brand I found used in most studios in Kansai happens to be Godox. This has been my first and only experience using Godox equipment and I have to say, it wasn’t bad at all. I still prefer the simple interface and ruggedness of Profoto equipment, but at the end of the day, lighting is lighting and it makes me wonder in an era where photographers are struggling to compete AI, other photographers and even iPhones, if the exorbitant cost of having Profoto equipment is even worth it anymore. Especially when it’s not available in your area. It also makes me wonder what Profoto’s business strategy is as well. Keep pricing so high that eventually NO ONE can afford it until they go out of business?
Personally I have thousands of dollars invested in Profoto equipment, but I’m seriously starting to question that decision and perhaps even regret having invested so much in one brand when the future of not only my own photography business, but photography in general is filled with so much uncertainty. For now, I did a great job for my client despite not having access to my favorite brand.
