Bethlehem A.D. 2021

Manual exposure settings: 1/125 second, F 5.6, ISO 3200. Flash with CTO gel. WB Cloudy.

Bethlehem A.D. 2021 is an annual event sponsored by the Rise City Church in Redwood City. It was postponed last year because of the pandemic, but it's back again, sure and strong. Volunteers to to great lengths to recreate the look and feel of Bethlehem as it would have been at the first Christmas. I've been photographing the event since 2013, usually during the first night of this three-evening event. I chose to photograph the event during the dress rehearsal for several reasons. First, I'd be working alone, so the light stand I used to improve the lighting would be a real tripping hazard should the public was about. Second, I can easily direct my subjects when necessary. And finally, the evening of the rehearsal was going to be "dry", as rain was forecast for all three nights of the actual event.

This pair of shot were made at the same exposure. The left shot was done with only the ambient light, while the right shot with a CTO gelled Speedlight mounted on a 12' light stand, a necessary application since they are actually standing on a platform six feet off the ground. A Stofen-type diffusion dome was installed on a Flashpoint radio-controlled manual flash. In addition to the key light, an accent light was placed behind the center angel facing skyward. The light spill helped to add some "kick" to the outstretched sleeves of the center angel.

The camera was my Fuji X-T2 with the 16-55 F 2.8 lens set to 16mm. The vertical poles on the sides formed a frame to support incandescent lights on the left and right sides. The staging area wasn't as deep as one might have wished, so i positioned my subjects so the frame could be cropped out. In addition, I positioned the angels fore and aft so they would appear similar in height.

This tableau faced directly on Middlefield Road, one of Redwood City's main drags. Its prominent location encouraged the stage managers to pull out all the special effects stops, so both a fog machine and a spark generator were used to bring drama to the performance.  While the different effects were tested, I had a chance to see how they would affect the photograph, so there were lots and lots of sketch photos were made before the final shot. When the fog machine was at full power, my angels were completely hidden, forcing me to wait until most of the fog had dissipated. 

Next, the spark machine was fired up, and while the effect can be dramatic, it loses a lot in the translation. The perspective created by the subject position and the wide angle lens Here, the three angels were lost it the fog while sparks flew skyward from behind. There just weren't enough sparks to add substantively to the background, so I decided that the final shot would be a "fog only" proposition.

In this shot (right), you can see the sparks set against a completely black background. There really weren't enough sparks to fill the background, and frankly the sparks that were produced look a little lonely out there. 

I feel I need to make a final point about the lighting. The diffusion dome on  the speedlight doesn't soften the light noticeably. The shot is carried by the position of the light itself. With the light stand extended to 12', the light was position slightly above my subject's eye level, since they're standing on an elevated platform. 

This shot was submitted because there was just enough fog to give the background some character while not completely obscuring my subject's faces. This is often a trial and error process because what you thought you saw in the viewfinder isn't always what shows up on the playback.  To repeat an old maxim:  Photographers build their reputations on the images they discard as well as those they choose to submit.

When the shot was in the "can", the stage crew asked if I'd make a shot of them together. Easy peasey, since the lights were still in position and the exposure dialed in. For the record, once the lighting was established and exposure set, I made my first exposure at 8:57 PM, and the last at 9:22 PM. It was a little longer than I would have wanted, but I had to work through al lot a variables, including waiting for the appearance of my third angel. But all in all, the shoot was a lot of fun.