My Camera, My Speedlight, And Me*

I submitted this image in case the Layout Department at the Journal needed something to fill some space on the Community Page. The photo, however plain, does present some solutions to problems one encounters when photographing in the field and on the run. First, one doesn't have much control over the shot. In this sequence, the photos were made during a tour of "old town" Woodside, so interfering with the presentation was out of the question. In addition, one usually can't rearrange one's subjects to improve the framing of the photo. Finally, when working "live" makes using a lightstand impractical, or even dangerous, in tight quarters, so the lighting options are limited. Some compromises have to be made just to get a photograph.

1/250 second, F 16, ISO 250.

I have my gripes about some of the equipment I use, and the Godox flashes' built-in radio triggering system and the robust lithium-ion batteries make them my first choice for field work, in spite of some inherent problems. The fast recycle times provided by the robust lithium-ion batteries outweigh the difficulty of power output adjustment when used in manual exposure mode.

In this sample image you can see that the speedlight accidentally intruded into the upper left portion of the frame. Before shooting, I will usually extend my arm out towards the subject so I can see my hand, Then I will move my hand until it disappears from sight, allowing me to position my speedlight as close to my subject as possible. 

1/125 second, F 16, ISO 250.

For this second shot, I attempted to improve the composition by moving closer to my subject. Unfortunately, the Handicapped Parking sign was in the worst possible location, but considering the conditions I was working under, I had to "play the ball where it landed". I was careful to move the speedlight out of the frame, and I lightened the front of the Pioneer Hotel and the sky by doubling the shutter speed. This adjustment only affected the areas solely lit by the ambient skylight.

Diffusion Dome: I added the diffusion dome in an attempt to soften the edge of light from the flash. It is a fact that small diffusers do little to improve the quality of the light, but in this case I was willing to try anything to get a better "look" to the photo. Pointing the flash above the subject, rather than dead on, decreased the overexposure on the lower half of my subject's torso and helped to draw the viewer's attention toward the subject's face. I have had many pleasant surprises when working with domes like the Sto-Fen, so I'm willing to give it a try when I think it might help.

Strategic Cropping: While I submitted the top photo for publication, I continued to wonder what I could have done to improve my approach of the composition. My biggest concern was that Nino, the tour guide, seemed very isolated in the photo. While the tour members were few in number, the top photo, unfortunately, seemed to emphasize that. While it is too late to send, this cropped version manages to maintain the important visual elements while completely hiding the group's small size. The black and white photograph along with Nino's hand gesture advanced the narrative that we're seeing the building, Independence Hall, in its historical context and its current state.

While it's too late to help this particular photo, I'll keep this in mind when I encounter a similar situation and will remember to experiment with the composition.

I need to curb my enthusiasm for emptying my Outbox. This isn't the first time a more effective submission could be found by careful cropping, or by taking the time to more carefully examine the day's take.

* A riff on "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me", sung by Rick Nelson and Dean Martin in the John Wayne movie "Rio Bravo".

Addendum: I submitted the cropped version and they are going to run it instead. You can see it here, to our left.

Mike Annuzzi

The assignment was to make a photo of Redwood City native Mike Annuzzi as a promotion for his upcoming show at the Fox Theater. I've been very fortunate that my assignments have included so many local talents, I was delighted with the prospect of photographing another San Mateo County creative.

My editor suggested that a photograph could be published to highlight Mr. Annuzzi's first theater performance in Redwood City, his home town. While casting about for the background location, Mr. Annuzzi suggested that a local music store in RWC might be appropriate and convenient. He sent me a photo of the store's guitar showroom, and I liked what I saw. After confirming that a 1:00 pm photoshoot would present little or no hardship on the store's operations, we went for it.

When I first saw the showroom, I decided to concentrate on the following visual elements:

• I wanted to use converging lines to direct the viewer's attention to Mr. Annuzi's face,
• I wanted to feature as many guitars as possible, and
• I wanted the lighting placement to add some visual drama.

I started with a shoot-through umbrella mounted on top of a light stand at a height of almost eight feet. This test shot demonstrated that I would need to increase the output to get the desired level of brightness. Also, I would be shooting from the back of the store towards the front, and the store itself was pretty dark when compared to the showroom.

For this next shot, I added two flashes that are positioned out of frame. First, I put a snoot on Flash Number two and positioned it outside the showroom and pointed directly as Mr. Annuzzi's head. If you look closely you can see the highlight on his neck which provides some background separation. Flash Number Three was pointed at the guitar display just outside of the showroom.

For this shot I positioned the camera very close to the ground with the intent of using the black ceiling to direct the viewer towards Ms. Annuzzi's face. Looking at the intersection of the black ceiling and my subject's head, I think I overdid it. Time to move on.

For the final series of shots I added two additional flashes. First, I wasn't happy with the black ceiling visible at the front of the store. I added Flash Number Four on the counter and aimed it towards the ceiling. Fortunately it naturally pointed to the light fixture in the ceiling. This suggests, gently, that the lighting fixture itself provided that bit of brightness. Flash Number Five was clamped to a stool and pointed straight down at the floor. This bounce light provides a bit of fill light that is barely detectable because it does not add additional highlights on the subject's face. 

Looking back, it might seem that this was a lot of work for a photo as ephemeral as a newspaper publicity shot. However, I wasn't looking for a simple shot. I wanted a photo that had some visual depth, where one could sense that there were details behind the main subject, and I believe the photo succeeded. I was not without some areas that could be improved.

Light Spillage: I struggled to eliminate, or at least reduce, the glare coming off the faces of these guitars. My first impulse was to change the position of the key light in relation to my shooting position. After several tries, I gave it. But during post production, I realized the glare was not created by the light's location, It was actually light spilling over the edge of the shoot-through umbrella. I then noticed that the shadows from the "shiny" guitars were cast in a direction different from those from the guitars closer to the ceiling. What I should have done was to add some sort of light-proof barrier (called a "flag") on the flash head to prevent the light from sneaking past the umbrella. A big piece of gaffer tape would have done the trick, so I just slapped a 2" wide strip of gaffer tape onto the flash body so I won't have to look for one the next time it's needed. Be sure to fold one end over itself (sticky face to sticky face) to provide a handy tab for rapid deployment.

Kicking The Kicker: The "kicker" light is directed from behind the subject and used to provide separation from the background.
In this uncropped version of the submitted photo you can see the kicker at left edge of frame. The arrows along Mr. Annuzzi's right side shows where the light "skidded" off the edge to provide a rim of light. Since the flash hadn't yet been restricted by a grid spot or a snoot, its broad beam light edges his whole upper body. When a snoot or grid spot is added, the beam would be narrower, and lighting a specific portion of the subject would become a matter of luck.

The work-around for this would be to position your subject and then walk back to where the flash is. With the grid spot/snoot in place, photograph your subject from the rear. When you preview the image, you can see exactly how much of the subject will benefit from the kicker. Adjust the light until the beam falls exactly where you want it.

Now that I have solutions to these "in the field" problems, I can wait for another assignment that requires a similar level of attention to detail. Incidentally, the shoot took about one hour from first to last handshake, but the satisfaction I received from the final result was immeasurable.