Greetings from the studio!  Hope you and your business are doing well.
  Here is Issue #4 of our eNewsletter.  I wish you pleasant reading.


Why I photographed it this way

For this illustration photo, I wanted to show a young girl's mild apprehension to her surroundings.  Our possible locations were limited to areas inside a private house.  We checked out every room, hallway, nook, cranny, etc, but nothing came close to the ambience of the attic.  It had great possibilities for lighting and shooting-angles.  And it had wonderful clutter.  

Vulnerability was another quality this shot needed.  I knew that shooting down onto the subject would help suggest this.  I therefore directed the young lady to a point halfway down the stairway while I searched for the appropriate camera position. The area I found had an old bookcase blocking most of the view.  Rather than reposition it, I instead removed most of its books.  That way I could shoot through the bookcase, using it as a partial frame.

Most of the light was from strobes placed above her in the attic.  But a "kicker" flash from below highlighted her face and clothes.  This sort of low-angle light further emphasized the scene's overall tension.  And the strobe's high intensity also contrasted nicely with the even illumination wrapping around the rest of her.

I liked that the attic shelves already were filled with objects, mostly children's games and toys.  Once the shot was composed, I repositioned or eliminated a bunch of the stuff.  The goal was to add a little interest to the background, without having it overwhelm the subject.

This photograph was made in mid-summer.  The attic's temperature probably topped 100 degrees.  Despite that, the young lady performed beautifully.  She enthusiastically tried many body poses and facial expressions.  I really loved the results.

Details from a recent photo shoot  

Every year, some of the brightest children from throughout the United States and abroad vie for top honors at the Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP) International Conference.  The competition, which runs four days, draws elementary through high school kids and their coaches, along with various support adults.   FPSP had hired me to shoot a photo essay on their conference, which was being held this year at The University of Connecticut.  

This photo shoot was quite pleasurable and a little crazy.  The pleasurable part was wandering around the college campus, shooting all sorts of goings-on.  The crazy part was trying to schedule my time so that no important photo opportunities would be missed. 

Almost all the shots I made were candids.  I came into this project thinking that gaining access to people would be tough since most of their time would be spent in preparation and in competition.  To my happy surprise, this was not the case.  I usually was warmly welcomed and even asked how they could accommodate me.  But I knew from past experiences that hospitality sometimes can dissolve into "don't you have enough pictures already?".  So, I tried to shoot quickly and unobtrusively. I made contact with the subjects only if were absolutely necessary.  And when I got the shots I wanted, I made a beeline out the door.  

 Click here to see a few photos from the conference.

A tip for the weekend photographer

I once was nearing the end of a photo shoot.  I had asked my assistant to hold onto another lens in case it was needed.  As I was snapping away, I heard a crash followed by an "Oh, Gosh!!!" (except she didn't use the word "gosh".)  I spun around to see the lens lying on the floor in a small heap of broken glass.   However, it turned out that the only thing broken was its protective filter.

This type of filter usually is referred to as a UV or Daylight filter, since it also removes some of the unwanted blue from the light.  But its main function is for protection.  It stops dust, fingerprints, and flying debris.  And it acts as a barrier between the lens and an unforgiving cement floor. 

The purpose of most filters, however, is to change the attributes of the light going through them.  They usually are constructed either from glass or plastic and surrounded with a metal ring that screws onto the front of the lens, or from plastic that fits into a holder attached to the font of the lens.   

Filters come in an incredible variety.  One useful type is gradated from dark at its top to clear at its bottom.  It is used most often for outdoor scenics to darken a too bright sky.  Other filters change the image by: altering its color; adding soft diffusion; darkening its edges; simulating movement; adding eight-point stars to the highlights... and on and on and on.  

What makes for a whole lot of fun is creating homemade filters.  I often experiment with high quality clear glass filters (the screw-on type) that I inexpensively purchase.  I might try spot coloring one with paint, or blurring parts of one with clear nail polish, or scratching one up a bit with a knife.  Then, I will screw two or three of them together onto my lens, rotating each one separately to see what results.

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