During the recent New York Fashion Week, Los Angeles-based director of photography Aiden Ulrich lensed the runway show for the Khaite Spring 2022 collection. The DP turned to ARRI and the refined look of the Signature Prime lenses combined with ALEXA Mini LF to capture models wearing the elevated, modern staple pieces for which the Khaite brand is known. Ulrich created a darkly romantic look for the show by using three Mini LF’s shooting simultaneously. This footage was sent to a switching board and broadcast live. Operating the “A” camera with a 125 mm Signature Prime lens, Ulrich worked with two other operators, including one on Steadicam. Each operator worked with a dedicated focus puller, utilizing the WCU‑4 for wireless follow focus.
Regarding the choice to pair the cameras with ARRI Signature Prime lenses, Ulrich explains that in fashion work, “you want to have a deeper stop to keep the details of the clothes in focus, but also not lose the boldness and richness of the fall-off.”
Ulrich shares that he chose the combination of Mini LF’s and Signature Primes because he was looking for a system he could trust to deliver pristine images that “look great straight out of the camera without any enhancements.” He continues: “The Mini LF’s were perfect for the live runway show because I was confident that I would get a quality image with no sacrifice to either richness or detail. Furthermore, there is no need to do a lot of massaging in post to make it beautiful.”
Signature Primes are perfect for darkly lit shows like this one. Fashion shows often require longer lenses to shoot from further away, but in darker lighting and shooting on large format, the depth of field can quickly become unmanageably shallow.
Regarding the choice to pair the cameras with ARRI Signature Prime lenses, Ulrich explains that in fashion work, “you want to have a deeper stop to keep the details of the clothes in focus, but also not lose the boldness and richness of the fall-off.” He expands: “Signature Primes complement the clothes in a very rich way, and their performance excels when it comes to shadows. They’re perfect for darkly lit shows like this one.” Fashion shows often require longer lenses to shoot from further away, but in darker lighting and shooting on large format, the depth of field can quickly become unmanageably shallow. So, although the show was primarily shot at the camera’s native 800 ISO, Ulrich was very pleased with the ability to bump the Mini LF up to 1600 ISO when needed while maintaining a clean image.
Ulrich also opted to utilize Tiffen Bronze Glimmer Glass in a ¼ strength on the 125 mm and 150 mm lenses, and ½ strength on the 75 mm lens used on Steadicam to create a more ethereal look for the show in order to create a subtle halation that would soften the models’ skin and add sparkle to the clothing.
Ulrich also opted to utilize Tiffen Bronze Glimmer Glass in a ¼ strength on the 125 mm and 150 mm lenses, and ½ strength on the 75 mm lens used on Steadicam to create a more ethereal look for the show in order to create a subtle halation that would soften the models’ skin and add sparkle to the clothing. To maintain the pristine quality of the imagery, Ulrich elected to shoot in open gate mode in the ProRes 4444 XQ format. This allowed for deliverables to be generated in a range of aspect ratios for the live stream, social media, and final video. The show was very well-received, with many in the fashion industry praising Khaite for setting a new standard for sensual urban style. Aiden Ulrich’s cinematography certainly complemented the fashion on display. Click here to view the show.
Photos: DP Aiden Ulrich, Khaite
