Photo Op:Yours Or Mine ?

 

Be Wary Of Greeks Bearing Gifts. The press release read, "12:30 pm: Photo Op". Well, isn't that special? Some quality time with my subject, and opportunity of create this year's submission for the Pulitzer prize. Just kidding. The notation was a little misleading, but I created this post for two reasons: First, if you ever have an opportunity to shoot an event's "Photo Op", be wary. Second, sometimes you may be ready to make the beautifully lit photography, but fate just snatches away the opportunity, and laughs.

The event was a major, women's tennis tournament, the first in a series of must-attend matches that culminates in the U.S. Open. Had I checked the web page in advance, I would have realized that this event would feature some of the heavy hitters in women's tennis, and former winners of the event read like a who's who of the women's tennis.

Photo #1: 1/250, F 11.0, ISO 200

I normally don't name drop on my postings, but the gentleman on the left is media personality and Tennis Channel host Andrew Krasny, shown here introducing 2012 World Tennis Champion Victoria Azarenka. I had arrived a bit later than I had planned (It's easy to get lost at Stanford), only 15 minutes before the Photo Op was scheduled. I took this sketch shot from the side, partly because there wasn't a better background, and also because I'd be blocking somebody's view if I moved to the other side. It's probably a good thing that I stayed put and out of everyone's way. Also, I prefer to work from the subject's left side since it decreases the possibility of the right arm crossing over the face, assuming your subject is right handed. It didn't work here, because Mr. Krasny chose to hold the microphone with his right, while gesturing with his free left arm. But lighting was the real issue, and as you can see (Photo #1) shot, there would be be no detail in the shadows if I selected an exposure that won't blow out the highlights. Obviously, I need some help in the lighting department.

Photo #2: 1/250, F 10.0, ISO 200, On-Camera Fill

Because the quarters were so tight I left my monopod on the sidelines, figuring that I would just use the speedlight as a convenient fill light. I quickly mounted a Nikon SB-800 speedlight in my camera's hot shoe, and you can see the immediate up-tick it made in shadow detail. Besides, waving it around would just call attention to myself, a potential distraction with both real and imagined consequences. Anyway, the photo would reproduce quite well, as the colors were vibrant and true. Definitely not a shot one should be particularly proud of, but I now had a shot "in the can", and while it was technically satisfactory, it was a little weak in context. Besides, the "Photo Op" was schedule to occur in just a few minutes, so all I had to do was wait.

Photo #3: 1/100, F10, ISO 200

Then the announcer started to get the audience ready for their "photo op". One full table would come up and be photographed with Ms. Azarenka as a group. Then the image would be posted to the event's website and made available for downloading by any of the guests. In a strange way, it made perfect sense, as dozens of fans could be processed in a very short period of time (Photo #3). But from my point of view, it was a photographic disaster, as eager fans, like flotsam, seemed to wash over Ms. Azarenka, hold their positions for just a moment, and like a receding tide, drift off the stage. Two technical notes on the photo: First, for some reason the camera went to Aperture Priority, resulting in my subject's being a bit over-exposed. Why this happened, I don't know. Certainly I don't remember changing the settings. Second, the image wasn't going to be submitted, since I wasn't going to chase after 11 die-hard tennis fans and get everyone's name. I just pointed the camera, made the shot, and sighed.

Photo #4: 1/200, F 10.0, ISO 200

Finally, I got a break. I noticed that whenever a new group approached the stage, there would always be that one fan who stepped forward for a handshake and a word just before the photo was taken. I decided to simply wait until each group came forward and try to get the shot of that determined fan trying to get some face time with Ms. Azaraenka. In this case, it worked (Photo #4) . Looking back, I might have called for them to look towards me, but had I done so, I probably would have had many more fans to deal with, and that many more names to chase after. This shot, my first choice, was submitted, and I suspect came close enough to what my editor probably had in mind. At least she didn't immediately respond, "Do you have any others?", a sure sign I had really missed the mark.

So next time the release announces a "Photo Op", I have to remind myself that it may be a photo op for the guests. After all, it's not always about me.

Post Script: Photo #2 ran in the August 1 edition of the paper.

Redun-dun-dancy

Every July, our school sponsors a soccer tournament for the students.The United States is just beginning to understand how REALLY popular soccer is on Planet Earth. I have been photographing the winning teams for several years now, and have pretty much settled into a "sun behind your back, show me your medals" mode that delivers satisfactory results every time. Truth be known, it's not a great time to get creative. You smile, make the shot, and move on. In this case, the player at the far left dropped in at the last minute, setting the composition a little off kilter.

Photo #2: B&H Photo

Lighting was pretty straight forward. I used the same two Quantum X heads powered by a Norman 200B Battery Packs as I do when making the big group shot at graduation. Because the soccer teams are much smaller, one frontal light is sufficient, which allows me to use the second as an accent light from behind. I use a pair of Eilenchrome Skyport radio flash triggers, one for each head. I install a Wein Safe Sync SSH into the "H" receptor in the flash head to protect the Eilenchrome of the high trigger voltages associated with the Normans. Notice that the Safe Sync can be used with an "H" connector (sometimes called an AC connector because it looks like an appliance cord) or a PC connector, which you can see in Photo #2.

Photo #3

Redundant Flash Triggering. When I use two Norman/Quantum units together, I install a standard optical slave in the H connection port and a PC to Microphone cable between the PC port of the Safe-Sync and the Eilenchrome. You can see the setup here (Photo #3). The orange optical slave (discontinued Normans) is seen in the H connector. The Skyport is hanging from its own strap which takes the strain off of the PC/Microphone cable. With two identically equipped heads, they can be triggered by the Skyport transmitter on my camera's hotshoe, or by another flash. You have to be careful, because ANY flash from any camera will set them off, so when working indoors with other photographers, this may not be a good idea. But when working alone, it gives me a additional measure of reliability. As you can see, I'm using an unmodified reflector. Given the nature of the photo, it's better to not get too creative. Also, a slight breeze could knock the light stand over, potentially ruining your day.

Photo #4

In this not-so-great photo(Photo #4), you can see the second accent light facing directly into the camera. You can get an idea of where the edge of the light falls. That grey box at the base of the stand is the Norman B200 battery pack secured to the stand by a Norman quick release bracket. In most cases, this is all the ballast I really need.

When setting up the shot, I decided what portion of the sky I wanted as a background. There obviously wasn't much to choose from, and by the time I actually photographed the teams, most of the clouds had blown elsewhere. Once I established my shooting position, I place my key light high and behind me. Next, I walked away from the key light towards the background and placed the accent light about 12 feet from where the team would be posing , and rotated the head to face forward. The light was set at a height of about five feet off the ground. Finally, I turned to face the key light, and walked to the mid point between my two strobes, and placed a penny on the ground. This marked the point where I would place my tallest player, since I would need his height to shield the accent light.

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda: Every photo has one. I wished I had thought to add a full Color Temperature Orange (CTO) to the accent light. That would have given the illusion of the setting sun in the background. But even as it stands, most viewers had assumed it was natural sunlight, and really liked the effect.