Woodside Store Day

The Photo I Had To Make: The first of the requisite Four Bs of a good newspaper photograph (Babies, Babes, Beasts, or Blood) was represented in this photo, although in my world, "babies" and "cute kids" are one in the same. The context to link it to Woodside Store Days, the old fashion washing machine and clothes wringer, were there too. The focal point (where the subjects are looking) was apparent. With all of the boxes checked, I submitted the photo as soon as the caption was written, well before 7:00 pm deadline. The photo was destined for the front page, so with the photo "in the can", the pressure was off.

Woodside Store Day 2019

Past Efforts: I've photographed the Woodside Store Day event several times in the PP (Pre-Pandemic) years, and two photographs stick out in my mind. The one of the 2019 Pie Eating contest wasn't submitted because it consisted of two kids, their lips covered with berry pie filling. The young lady was smiling at her apparent victory, while the little boy beside her seems to be staring  disbelief. Since it really didn't have any visuals relating the event, it wasn't summited. 

The second shot, made in 2017, showed the interior of the store with rows of canned goods and farm supplies lining the shelves. One of the docents, dressed in a period costume, was in the foreground. The shot went over well at the office because, unbeknownst to me, the paper's Editor in Chief was standing in the doorway.

Woodside Store Day 2017

There were some things I would improve if given the chance. For one thing, the quality of the lighting on my subject was much broader than that on the background. The shadows on her face are extremely soft when compared to the harsh lighting from the incandescent accent lights mounted in the ceiling.

Second, the lighting appears a bit cool in contrast to the incandescent background lights. Lastly, the exposure was adjusted to so that details from the exterior would be recognizable. This underexposed the store's interior.

Five years hence, I thought I'd explore ways to improve the image. First, I decided to reframe the image to eliminate the door and give myself more exposure leeway for choosing the interior exposure.

This test exposure was based on what would properly exposes the merchandise on the shelves. By excluding the doorway from the frame, I didn't have to worry about blown  highlights.  Also, I went to some lengths to level the camera to prevent "stretch face" distortion in the corners, the so-called "wide angle distortion". This framing was achieved by holding the camera at waist level. Some slight convergence (vertical lines appearing to merge in the distance) exists, but it whispers instead of shouts.

1/35 second, F 4.0, ISO 1000

I was able to convince my subject to stand by the sewing machine and to pretend to study it. To simulate the high top lighting, I installed a diffusion dome on the flash and held it at arm's length high above my head. This gave me a medium hard shadow similar to those created by the ambient accent lighting. I did not gel the flash, so the lighting on my subject's face is close to true daylight.

Final Notes: When working with a shot where the background framing is critical, I have the subject move left and right, fore and aft, until his/her position is exactly where I want it. For this recent re-make, I just assumed the sewing machine was the subject to simplify any instructions I would be giving to my young subject.