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.

* 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.