Bethlehem A.D. - Hail and Farewell

For thirty years, Bethlehem A. D. has been a holiday event in Redwood City. The Rise Church has been presenting this recreation of Bethlehem as it might have appeared at the First Christmas, complete with Roman tax collectors, shops, temples, domestic animals, and of course, King Harod, seeking out male children aged two or less in an attempt to secure his own power. 

It is sad that this will be the final act for Bethlehem because the lot where it is staged was owned by the Church, but had to be sold to raise money to restore the church after a recent fire. I only found this out when I checked with their Facebook page to verify the schedule, only to the the word "last" ominously attached to the dates. And while this is their thirtieth presentation, it was only my fifteenth, having photographed my first on in 2013.

From 2013 Bethlehem 2013 A.D.

I was new in my role as an SMDJ  Community Photographer, and relatively ignorant to the holiday events in San Mateo County. My editor suggested that if I never attended on, I might give the event a visit and bring back a photo. This I did, and actually scored a two-fer consisting of this photo, and one of two boys "talking" to a camel. It was a dumb luck photo, the sort one makes when the happen to be standing in the right spot at the right time, and your subject just happens to strike an animated pose as search lights across the street are spread out behind him. It became known as "the shot" among the Bethlehem people, and I gained some small notoriety as the photographer who made it.

This year is a little different. The Heavenly Choir on the rooftop of the church was cut back to three angels, and many of the "actors" failed to show up on the first night. The Roman Legion was reduced to eight soldiers, down from at least a dozen, if memory serves me. Even King Harod's entourage was much smaller than years past. But the actors give it their collective all, in spite of the absences and that invisible pall that comes from knowing that this is the event's last year.

I made this shot during the dress rehearsal. Since the public wasn't present, I was able to set up a 10' light stand to achieve some high key lighting. I installed a Full CTO gel on the flash, and set the White Balance in the camera to 4500 Kelvin. This allowed me to warm the flash output and create a more natural balance for the existing tungsten lights. A subtle compromise white balance setting.

 I overlooked the context provided in the background, and the number of recognizable (though unidentified) dancers in the image. I regret not submitting the image.

This camel photo was my second submission. The handler-camel affection is appealing0, and the costume gave me the necessary context. Unfortunately, this s hot had to be made early in the evening because I needed the sky to help separate my subjects from the background. If I waited an hour, I might have had some children in the shot, but the sky would have been completely black.

The image at the top of the post was the one submitted for publication. Because the event started on a Tuesday, I was confident it could be published in the Friday edition, giving the paper's readers a chance to attend that evening. As it turned out, the paper never published the image on Friday, or during the weekend. However, the grand finale of Bethlehem's thirty-year run was celebrated in several local papers, so I can believe that my photo would have been overkill for so local an event. The image could have failed to generate sufficient interest by the editorial staff, as it doesn't come anywhere near the visual interest of that image I summitted when the event was, to me, both new and novel.

I will certainly miss working this event every Christmas, and working with the dedicated staff who worked so hard to put it on. It gave me valuable experience in working flash outdoors and at night, and am thankful for the number of times the SMDJ published my work. For me, 2022 leaves with a whimper, not a bang. In spite of the disappointment, I am looking forward to my next assignment in 2023.

Filoli Holiday Light Show

 

Filoli knows how to light up a garden. During the holidays, the trees and bushes are adorned with thousands of lights, more than exceed 20 miles worth if stretched end to end. I photographed this event last year and managed to get a photograph near the entrance to the mansion. With that photo in the can, I went home, and didn't take the time to explore the grounds.

This year there was an orientation specefically for the press, just outside of the mansion itself. From our meeting area, I saw that the light displays were much more extensive than I imagined, so when the meeting broke, I scurried about, looking for something that would convey the visual excitement of the season.

When I happened upon this Tunnel of Lights, I immediately thought of the hyperspace scene in Star Wars, and started setting up the shot. The lights seemed to move in a wave from back to front, and different strings provided tints of blue and orange.  At this moment, the lights were  at their brightest, and I used this as the base for my final exposure.

I chose to submit the image at the top of the post. The blurred kids, running down the tunnel, made it look like a fun thing for the whole family, and since they were blurred, I didn't bother to get their names. My two subjects, Vicki and Jim, were very cooperative, and I managed to get everything wrapped up in less than five minutes. 

The shot was made from a very low angle to emphasize the tunnel effect. I mounted a flash on the camera and tilted the head up slightly to prevent overexposing the foreground, If you look at the sample shot, you'll notice that the lights appeared to be smaller than those in the image at the top of the post. This is because I lengthened the exposure so the lights would flare a bit and appear larger. 

When I started to process the image on my computer, I noticed something important about where I placed my subjects and what improvements I might make in the future. I made the shot near the middle of the tunnel, and the tunnel lights above and behind me produced a very flat, shadow-free light fill light. Had I moved closer to the "mouth" of the tunnel, there would have been fewer of these lights, and the effect of any flash, either on the camera on a light stand, would have been much more pronounced. I could have made the lighting much more dramatic had I just moved away from the center, and positioned the flash in a more dramatic way. 

I will remember that for next year.

Teenie Ballerinas

I was sent to submit a photograph from the San Francisco Ballet's Dance In Schools and Communities program, and their instructor, Phonecia Pettyjohn. My editor gave me free rein on the project, leaving the focus of the photograph entirely up to me. I decided that I would try to produce a photo showing Ms. Pettyjohn working with one or more of her first-grade students, and hold out for a photo highlighting just her.

This is the second time I've made a photo in the  SF Ballet ecosystem, and the Covid restrictions require masks for all "outsiders" and vaccination verification. I tested myself two days before the shoot, and self-isolated until the day of the shoot. 

The assignment turned into two approaches. The instruction itself, which would be done with available light, while the 3/4 shot would be done with flash. Since the overhead florescent lights were of an unknown white balance, I used the camera's Custom WB feature rather than one of the presets. As is always the case, there would be problems when the available windowlight contaminated the image, but luckily, the overcast day minimized the problem.

I submitted this shot, in spite of the fact that I couldn't see Ms. Pettyjohn's face. My little ballerina was facing away from me, so I wouldn't need to get permission. The white balance setting was spot on, giving me accurate flesh tones. Notice that the reflection off of the floor has a definite tint, giving a hint at how different the artificial light was from daylight.

I was surprised to see that Ms. Pettyjohn used a tablet to illustrate how she needed her students to approach their future roles as dancers, and instill a sense that they would be part of a much larger whole. Seeing images of an actual ballet in progress gave these young dancers a visible goal to work towards. This appeared to be an effective approach when working with youngsters who might have some difficulty seeing themselves as part of an ensemble, rather that center stage in the comfort of their own bedrooms.

There was a brief recess between the two morning sessions, so I set up a shoot-through umbrella with a single 60 WS speedlight. A second speedlight was aimed at the background, just enough to brighten things up. When the students left, I positioned my lights next to the wall of mirrors, put Ms. Pettyjohn in position, and made my shot.

The True Takeaway: When the next group of students came in, I continued with my available light coverage. I was lucky to have had that distraction, because when I examined my 3/4 shots, I found that they were not as critically focus as they could have been. I hadn't yet put my lights away, so when the second group left, I managed to get just a few more minutes for a quick re-shoot. I explained that the images weren't as critically sharp as I waned, and that since the lights were still set up, the re-shoot would take only a minute or two. The lesson is to  never pack up your gear until you are absolutely sure the session is over. You never know when some technical problem will make a reshoot the only way to salvage an assignment.

Reflections On Reflections: This isn't the most original photo I've ever made, but it is the first time I used a mirror as part of the composition. For the sake of comparison, I took the submitted image and cropped both the original and the reflected image to compare. I also rotated the reflection to better match the original. I learned a few things:

• Retouch both the subject and its reflection. If I retouch out a blemish on my subject, I must do the same the the reflection.
• The reflection is going to be softer than the original. The reflection will probably be slightly blurry when compared to the actual subject. Since the reflective coating of the mirror is actually behind the glass, image bearing light will be refracted slightly as it passes back through it.
• The eyes may appear to be looking in a different direction. In this sample the reflected image appears to be looking slightly to camera left. 

In the end, the article (Q & A format) will do the heavy lifting, and this pleasing double-portrait will probably do just fine. I'm looking forward to another opportunity to improve on portraits that include reflections, as this assignment showed me that they are not as simple or straight forward as I once thought.

Flashpoint Dual Cold Shoe Extension

Buy your here.

Even in this day of working with ISO settings of 6400 and higher, you can still use some additional speedlight power when working on location.  For my own use, I use a 200 watt-second Godox AD-200 flash as my preferred location light source when I need lots and LOTS of power.

The double-speedlight thing and I go back a long way. Early on, I fashioned this twin-speedlight bracket using a short piece of aluminum channel stock and two Nikon AS-10 flash shoes. At the time, I still relied on the Nikon Creative Lighting System, so I needed to be sure the the sensor eyes were always pointing towards the on-camera controller. The system worked well enough, but as you can see, the bracket was a little bulky, and when you figure in the costs of two AS-10 flash shoes, relatively expensive. Subsequent iterations of this twin flash brackets would use less-expensive screw-tensioned cold shoes. My bracket had the disadvantage of occasionally unscrewing inside my camera bag, making for some frantic moments as I scrambled to find and reassemble the parts while my subject waited.

In contrast, the Flashpoint unit appears to be extruded from an extruded bar of what I assume is aluminum. This gives the unit both simplicity and rigidity, and is compact enough to easily stow itself in my increasingly crowded lighting bag. Notice that there is a threaded 1/4 x 20 threaded hole on both the front and back of the bracket. This allows the user to thread a like-threaded accessory into the front or back. In desperation, I can imagine threading a separate cold shoe in front to give me the total output of three speedlights. 

There are some cautions.  This would not be a good choice for direct lighting because each speedlight will cast its own shadow. This would normally not be an issue, but double and triple shadows are visible if the image is examined carefully.  This was less of an issue with my home-made unit, as I purposely mounted the two flash heads close together. But if used with an umbrella in shoot-through or bounce mode, you'll never notice. And it's a way in combine the power of two speedlights to create a single light source.

Respite From The Rain

It's showering today, and during a lull, I drove back to Blackie's Pasture in Marin County. Today's lens of choice was a 12mm F 2.8 from 7artisans, one which has given me good results in the past. One problem did occur - its wide angle of acceptance and excessive depth of field made it difficult to focus. Still, the image is reasonably sharp, but the uneven texture of the bronze statue made it a little hard to tell.

The pasture is surrounded by a rail fence of rough-hewn planks. The aging grain and prominent knots made for an odd sort juxtaposition of textures. To my eye, it has a dinosaur vibe.

Welcome Winter

Winter has finally arrived in the Bay Area. The city is drying out after some light rain last night, and the sky and air were clear and crisp, as they should be. This photo was made at a relatively large aperture. I can't be more specific because the manual focus Meike 28mm F 2.8 lens doesn't transmit EXIF data to the JPG image file. I remember trying to achieve an out of focus background, and to some extent, I succeeded. In truth,  this photo is too cluttered to carry a specific message. For example, which leaf was I trying to emphasize? Is the phone pole meant to compliment the random orientation of the leaves? No, I was just fascinated by the way the Fuji X-E1 renders its colors. Fuji has had a history of making color appealing, perhaps in the same way Kodachrome rendered its colored subjects. It seems that Fuji cameras just bring a little more saturation, although this could also be my habit of underexposing my photos by 1/3 of a stop for better color saturation. I just like the way the red and yellow(ish) leaves contrasted against the cyan sky.

I guess the joy of saturated color is the only reason this photo exists, and the impetus for nearly all of my morning walk photos.

Tiburon

A Sentimental Journey: This small bay-side town in Marin County is probably one of the most expensive, and exclusive, cities to live in. The shoreline is the habitat for a variety of sea birds and marine invertebrates, and the well-maintained running/biking/walking paths have markers identifying the local flora an fauna.

Scare Goose: I believe this plastic wolf is meant to scare away the Canada geese that gave up their winter migration to stay in the gentle climates of the bay area. Geese are everywhere, and this plastic predictor probably helps to keep the soccer field free of goose poop. 

Playground Dedication: There are several play structures along the shoreside trail that starts at Blackie's Pasture. A number of tiles were set in the concrete retaining wall, some whimsical, while some in remembrance to children who never had the chance to use the swings or climb on the play structures.

Jogging Trail: When I was younger, I used to jog from Blackie's Pasture to "Downtown Tiburon", which was a four-mile round trip. Now I must be content to just walk where I used to run, remembering the feeling of the afternoon breeze on my skin and the view of San Francisco in the distance. I step gently to not disturb the memories of a younger Tom who made this run every Sunday afternoon, weather permitting. In the relative silence I can see myself in this young man, feeling that glow that comes with muscles being pushed a step closer to their limits. I have come to embrace the saying:

Don't cry because it ended. Smile because it happened.

Veteran's Day In San Bruno

 

Photographing events like Veteran's Day can be very challenging. They are unscripted and unpredictable. Sometimes the photo I submit is a combination of what was there and what the viewer can identify with. I don't remember specifically taking this photo, but do remember it was one of a series of shots, and that I saw it for a few seconds in my viewfinder and pronounced it "acceptable" from an exposure point of view. I do remember purposely positioning myself in front of the wreath and simply waiting for something to happen.

I made some "sketch" photos while some speeches were being made, and after seeing this shot, was confident I was on the right track. The strong back lighting gave the flag a iridescent quality, one I was able to preserve in the final shot. Since the wreath would eventually be moved to the center of the stage, I knew that it would be ceremoniously moved, probably by the two Marines in the Dress Blues sitting in the front row. Sure enough, in a few moments, the three participants stepped forward and prepared to move the wreath. This shot was made quickly since the maneuver took but a few moments. I managed to crab-walk past the seated spectators and made a few shots of the wreath being placed in its final location, but all of the subjects were facing away from me. I wouldn't know this was the "winner" until I examined it in post production.

Near Miss: I have a problem with my approach to many of the assignments I've covered. Too often, I will fixate on some visual aspect of a photo and will assume that the viewer will draw the same conclusions I did when I made the exposure. When I saw this Viet Nam-era veteran saluting, I thought, for a moment, that the entirety of the day could be carried by this one photo. I worked on getting the best framing I could, and experimented with both the exposure and the composition. But in the end, it wasn't as impressive when viewed on a computer screen. It didn't take long for me to realize that this photo wasn't going to make it.

In the end, the only real choice was a variation on the photo at the top of the post. It has military uniforms, a wreath, and the American Flag. The back lighting and the translucent nature of the flag give it a luminescence that couldn't have been achieved any other way.

As it turned out, the Journal ran a piece listing the local Veteran's Day remembrances throughout the Bay Area, so the events were well covered. Since so much space had already been so committed, my photo wasn't published in the Weekend edition. The next opportunity for the photo would be Monday, thee days after the photo was made. With the timeliness lost, the image is now part of my collection of skill-sharpening images to will hopefully improve my photographic responses in the future.

Balancing Three Exposures

The Carolands Mansion hosts a neighborhood haunted "estate" every Halloween. While the interior is off limits to all but staff, the main entrance is decorated with spooky animated tableaus, while the estate's driveway is lined with audio-animatronic witches, zombies, and other denizens of the dark. In addition, a light show is projected onto the exterior of the mansion itself, while ghostly images projected on the windows from within.

Jeremy The Juggler: Jeremy Shafer was there on his unicycle, juggling balls and clubs while entertaining children and adults alike. He remembered me from last year, and agreed to work with me on  a photo I've wanted to make since I first visited the mansion in 2019.

The Flying Witch: One of the animated decorations was a witch that shrieked overhead of regular intervals. It traveled on a wired stretched between a tree in the courtyard and a convenient third floor window. I know that I needed to photograph it when it passed across the sky so it could be seen in the final photo. I found a position where the mansion occupied the left half of the frame. The witch could now be seen on the right side of the frame, if I could get some light on it.

Lighting Phase 1: I started to experiment with a speedlight mounted on a 10' light stand aimed at where I wanted the with to be. I believed that if I mounted the light high enough and confined the light beam with a grid, I could prevent light from influencing the my foreground subjects, which would be lit separately. Flash output was determined through trial and error using the camera based radio controller. You can see from the photo that the exposure was very close to what I wanted.

This photo was taken with the shutter set at the top sync speed, so there was little ambient light hitting the witch, if any. One down, two to go.

Lighting Phase 2: To light the foreground subjects, I mounted a speedlight on a short monopod (think selfie stick) and aimed it directly at the subjects. This proved to be tricky because I needed to take a very low shooting angle to include all of Jeremy and Maleficent. You can see that the 16-55 lens at its widest setting wasn't quite wide enough. Curses.

Saved By A Cheap Lens: I knew that I wouldn't need a telephoto lens, so my T-1 and its heavy 50-140 lens would sit this assignment out. I still needed a backup camera in case my prime camera malfunctioned, so I added a lightweight E1 body which happened to have a 10mm Peargear fisheye lens already mounted. I already had a backup 27mm Fuji lens in my bag. I thought the fisheye might be fun to play with if I had time. I never thought I would need it as badly as I did.

The lens has produced some passible images on my morning walks, so using it to produce a Page 2 image for the paper wouldn't need to be that sharp. Then too, any photo taken under these low-light conditions was bound to display some subject motion anyway, I needed to capture the spirit of the moment that was reasonably sharp. When you look at the image I made with the Pergear, you will see that it doesn't compare with Fujinon lenses in terms of resolution and contrast. But an image is an image, so I simply transferred the exposure settings from my primary T2 to the little E-1, I was back in the fight.

For those who believe I should have done more to re-arrange my subject's foreground placement, I would reply that you can't always direct your subjects too aggressively, especially when they have other duties to perform. I constantly remind myself that their time is a gift, and that I am grateful for what they can give. In hindsight, I may have been able to get a better angle if my left hand wasn't holding the flash-on-a-stick I was using to light my foreground, It didn't occur to me that I could have attached this light to same light stand I was using for the "flying witch" light, since its position was critical to the outcome of the photo. Having two hands to steady the camera may have enabled me to take a lower shooting angle option. Darn.

Lighting Phase 3: The last lighting adjustment would be governed by how bright the light display on the mansion would be. If you think about it, the sky keeps getting darker and darker, and that's the one thing you totally can't control. A blue sky in the background is the a "time of day" thing, and beyond anyone's control when the sun finally goes down. Final exposure would be determined by the light show on the mansion itself, and controlled with the shutter speed dial.

Cast Photo: Early in the evening a made a Cast Photo of the volunteers that made the event possible. I am pleased with, but not wild about, the final shot. It is "pro forma" that non-photographers believe that photography is a "step up and take it" affair, which it isn't. No matter what you do, there is always somebody who is late to the party, and somebody who has to leave before the final is taken. I had only enough time to raise extend the light stand to the proper height, and one or two sample shots to position it properly. Even then, the left side was a bit "hot", and required some judicious burning to return the focus the subjects in the middle.

My takeaways for the night? First, find that miner's headlamp that once lived in the lighting bag.  And more important, find a sturdy and clamp to hold that second flash. Those two observations were certainly worth the two hours I spent on the set.

Buy yours here.

For what it's worth, I found this clamp on Amazon. It's big enough to grab any light stand section between 5/8" to 1/3/8" in diameter. It can also grab a flat surface (like a handy shelf) if it's less than 1 3/8"  It has both 1/4 and 3/8 threaded holes to accept a variety of flash-holding options. If I add a standard threaded spigot, I could easily mount a small to medium sized flash so long as it's mounted close  It appears to compact, and weighs only 4 ounces. It should fit in my flash bag easily.

When it arrives, I post more details. I'm hopeful it will solve this problem.

Vulcan Stairway

 

It's been a few weeks since I've ventured out on my morning photo run, and a distinct lull in the action since my last published photo. These photos would normally go in my random photo collection which is accessed through a link in my sidebar. In the interests of variety, I am installing them first as a post.

The Vulcan Stairway is a eclectic "street" in San Francisco. Houses line both sides of the stairway, often more like cottages than houses. There is not vehicle access, so residents must park as close as they can to Levant and Ord Street, the two endpoints.

On most days the bicycle helmet at the top of the post can be seen perched on the roof of a local car at the Levant end of the stairway. Apparently the owner just leaves it there, available if needed. This morning, it was found attached to this tree support. 

As I have said, San Francisco has no shortage of creatives, and their products often reflect a dry wit that encourages thought, not laughter. The meaning of this sign shall remain a mystery.

I don't know if this is a testament to nature's resiliency or a commentary on crumbling infrastructure. It's interesting that a fragile daisy would burst forth through a hole in the concrete stairs. Earth abides.

John Ward, a gardener extraordinaire in Burlingame, once suggested that any found object could become an interesting addition to a garden. Here, somebody took a cast iron leg for a table and positioned it to accentuate the sculpted figure. It is acquiring a warm patina of rust, a pleasing compliment to the green surrounding it.

I used to think that the whimsical placement of toys amidst a backdrop of vegetation was the work of clever children. After looking the the careful placement of monofilament fishing line, I think somebody had a little help.

Shawna Lucey

 

"Shawna Lucey is an opera and theatre director, as well as the General Director and CEO of Opera San José. Shawna is known for her feminist staging’s of classic and modern pieces, bringing passionate new resonance to the warhorses of opera and grappling with contemporary works through a feminist paradigm..."*

I was asked to provide a photo to accompany a Q & A piece for the Journal. Since these articles are usually about local artists, I usually try to learn about my subject's background, looking for inspiration for how I might make my photographs less headshot and more portrait. Ms. Lucey is known for injecting classic opera with a more contemporary outlook. In addition, she loves nail art!

I wrote ahead to the Opera's publicist, requesting that I have access to a parking space in the roundabout for one hour. I planned to arrive at 2:00 pm, set up for 30 minutes, and meet with Ms. Lucey at 2:30 for a 15 minute shoot.

Afternoon At The Opera:  I arrive at the roundabout at 1:30 and checked in. I was thankful for the convenient parking because I had a rolling duffle bag full of lighting equipment, a camera bag on my left shoulder, a flash bag on my right shoulder, and my tall light stand. Covid protocols were in place, so I was required to show proof of vaccination and boosters, fill out an on-line inoculation summary, and  take an antigen test. While waiting for the test results, I would be taken on a tour of possible locations for the shot. The testing process took longer than I would have wanted, which ate up valuable setup time. I decided to use on of the lounge areas on the second floor, mainly because of the warm, red décor.

Lighting: While I had access to a softbox, I decided to use a standard umbrella as a beauty dish. Zack  Arias used this technique in in One-Light Video series, and I liked the effect he was achieving. In this environment, the setup gave me a relatively soft light source that was tightly contained in a "cylinder of light". This eliminated an light spilling out and washing over the background. The flash I used was a Godox round headed speedlight with a full CTO gel attached. In retrospect, I should have used a 1/4 or 1/2 CTO gel to keep the skin tones more natural. Come to think about it, I don't know if I have such a gel in my kit, but I will be sure that one is available in the future.

One thing that you'll notice is the position of the speedlight. To prevent light spilling onto the background, it should be placed deep inside the "cone" of the collapsed umbrella, creating both the round, concentrated light of a beauty dish while containing it, as you could using barn doors.  This was a little problematic with the folding umbrellas I normally carry, so in the future I may strap a full-sized umbrella onto the light stand, just in case.

Julius Studio Flash Shoe Bracket: Last year I found this odd, reticulated umbrella bracket on Amazon. I like its reticulated mounting system. I paid about $22.00 for a pair of brackets, cheap by all standards. Had I thought to pack it, I would have had even more control over the light distribution of this setup.

The actual product was priced fairly, which is to say that it wasn't the sturdiest bracket I own, nor the most reliable. The pivoting adjustments had retention teeth to prevent slippage when tightened, but they didn't hold very well. The sliding clamp arms seemed like a bit of overkill until I saw  how much force was required to securely lock all the parts in position. Still, this bracket is a viable solution to a problem I've had with several of the unusual lighting setups and adaptations I've made in the quest for a perfect light source.

You can see from this photo that it is possible to position the speedlight very close to the umbrella axis. This works for a variety of situations where one needs to keep the light source as close to the umbrella axis as possible. As ungainly as it looks, it does work, providing all the adjustments are locked tightly in position. 

I'll be sure to add one of these reticulated umbrella brackets to my rolling bag. I'll also add a 1/4 CTO filter for times when I need just a smidge of warmth instead of the full-on, incandescent look seen in this shot. If I had more time, I might have been tempted to experiment more, but Ms. Lucey had a busy day planned, and I was thankful for the precious minutes she made for me.

* Click here for source.

Body WORKS

Final Photo with the shadow on the painting eliminated.

 This photo was made at a reception for the four painters featured in Body WORKS, a collection of paintings including portraits and figure studies Luckily for me, there was convenient parking at the rear of the gallery because, as usual, I bring much more equipment that I eventually used. I had planned to arrive at the studio at 4:00 pm, and have everything ready to go for a quick shot at 4:45, just before the reception's 5:00 pm start.

My go to key light was a Godox AD200 flash with a bare bulb in place of the usual reflector mounted in an Adorama copy of the 24" E-Z-Box, The only reason I use the knockoff over the original is convenience - The Adorama version is much more compact when collapsed. For a fill light, I used a speedlight in front of the camera aimed directly at the floor. The fill is minimal, but may be more effective if I cover the floor with a large piece of bleached muslin, which for some reason escaped my bag.

I chose this setting for a number of reasons. First, I thought a street-level view would be a novel background. Second, there was already a large painting available as a contextual element. Also, they was room for my subjects to sit just below the bottom of the painting. Finally, the afternoon sun provided a shaft of light that I might use to accent one of my lucky seated subjects.

You can see from this preliminary location shot that there was a puddle of direct sunlight reflecting off of the hardwood floor, and I knew that if any of my subjects could she their own shadow on the floor they would enjoy the benefit of this free highlighting from behind.

The original plan was to photography the artists in a two sitting, two standing arrangement. However, when I arrive I learned that one artist couldn't make it, and another wouldn't arrive until 7:00 pm. The photo couldn't wait until then, so I started arranging the shot with the two subjects that were already there.

First Attempt - Notice the shadow on the left edge of the painting.

I would have been quite happy with this shot taken early in the session were it not for the shadow cast on the left edge of the painting. I moved my key light to be closer to the lens axis to give a more "top lit" effect, and told my standing subject to move slightly to his right. This did the trick, but I must admit that my seated subject's smile was slightly less charming that it was in the first shot.

Since the lights were already set up, I offered to photograph the individual artists next to samples of their work. I did this photo of Hugh Leeman using the same E-Z-Box clone, but positioned for a steeper angle to minimize the glare on his paintings and to position his shadow away from the outline of  his head. There was some light falloff, but it was corrected in post production. I wish I could have arranged for a kicker light to separate his left arm from the dark painting in the background, and I would have, if I had more time and freedom to work. But the guests had arrived, and i thought it best to capture the shot as quickly as possible.

I was happy with both the results and the actual shoot. Convenient parking, cooperative subjects, interesting backgrounds, and some time to experiment.

Tanforan Assembly Center - Prelude To The Internment

Dorothea Lange: Library of Congress

May 8, 1942: Nearly 8,000 Bay Area residents of Japanese ancestry were preparing to relocate to the Tanforan Assembly Center south of San Francisco, where they, along with Japanese Americans across the country, were moved to one of the ten internment camps located in California, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arkansas. Nearly all of them lost everything they owned: their homes, businesses, and personal possessions.

August 27, 2022: To mark the eightieth anniversary of the opening of the Tanforan  Assembly Center, a plaza was created at the San Bruno Bart Station featuring a bronze statue depicting two girls waiting in Hayward to be bussed to San Bruno. Famed Life photographer Dorothea Lange, well known for her images from the Great Depression, photographed sisters Miyuki and Hiroko Mochida as they waited for the bus, each carrying only what she could fit in one small suitcase.

The Assignment: The dedication of the plaza was scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm on Saturday, so true to form, I drove down to the plaza on Friday at 12:30 pm to scout out the venue. This would give me a chance to evaluate the light and find a "perch" from which to photograph. I found that the statue was located in one corner, facing towards the Bart Station entrance and away from the middle of the elevated plaza. I found that if I positioned myself at the very edge and used a wide angle lens, I could choose either a low angle to accentuate the statue itself, or a high angle to emphasize the crowd. From my shooting position, the statue would be perfectly back lit, so supplementary flash would be an absolute necessity.

Ribbon Cutting: The press release for the event stated there would be a ribbon cutting, even though there was no evidence of an "entrance", the usual location for such a ceremony. As it turned out, the cutting was only symbolic and located some distance away from the plaza. When the cutting was announced, I left my perch and quickly positioned myself in front of the red ribbon. I managed to get to a vacant front-row chair and waited for the actual slice. This shot caught me a little by surprise, as the ribbon was already floating away when the shot was made. The photo is a one-shot affair, since you cannot use the burst mode because an electronic flash couldn't keep up with the camera. Timing was everything, and it was a little off today.  But I had a usable image, but it lacked any real context to the event. I rushed back to my perch to wait for a better shot that included the statue. Incidentally, this group shot was a straight-out-of-camera (SOOC) shot. Had I submitted the image, the exposure would  have been adjusted in post production to recover details hiding in the underexposed areas.

The Unveiling: As you can see from this photo there was more space behind the statue than there was in the front. The organizers offered an interesting twist. The unveiling would be made from the rear so that more people could see it happen, after which they were encouraged to circle the statue and view it from the front. This eliminated the possibility of my taking a frontal photo of the moment of the unveiling, so the photographers standing with me had to wait for their own money shot to arrive. The gathering crowd provided the context and background I needed, so I shot quickly and frequently. 

The Technique: With my feet firmly on the ground, I held my camera over my head for some "Hail Mary" shots. With the LCD panel tilted down, I did my best to include the entire statue in the frame. I made nearly a dozen exposures, hoping that I'd find the perfect image when I scrolled through them later. I got lucky with this photo. So many of the guests had rapt expressions when viewing the statue, which meant that if you could see their faces, they were actually looking at the back of the statue, not the front. The camera was a Fuji X-T2 with the 18-55 F 2.8-4.0 kit lens, which I carry because of its compact size and light weight. The flash was a shoe-mounted Flashpoint Zoom LI-on X with its head tilted up slightly to minimize overexposure of  the nearest subjects. The flash's round head design provided a very gentle transition at the edges. The guests at the lower edge of the frame needed very little exposure adjustment, but otherwise, the photo was very much SOOC. Unfortunately the published image made the bronze appear more golden than it actually was.

I finally left the venue at 4:00 pm. It had been a long, hot day.   

Sandra Shaw, inspired by Dorothea Lange's photo, created the likenesses of the Mochida sisters in great detail, even down to their family name on the two small suitcases. Her work is incredibly nuanced, capturing the fear and anxiety of two little girls caught up in the anti-Asian hysteria of the time. It is an incredibly moving sculpture, a reminder of the dangers of racial and cultural prejudices, and the innocent victims they claim.

The Lux Senior - The Verdict

My time with the Lux Senior has been a tad disappointing for a number of reasons. 

Exposure Automation: This turned out to be a major disappointment. It actually worked sporadically, and at first appeared to properly dispense the proper amount of light when needed. However, it eventually failed completely. 

In short, the Exposure Automation was a complete bust. 

Sensor Sensitivity: Both the Exposure Sensor and the S1/S2 Optical Remote Sensor face forward.  The Lux Senior relies on light bouncing off of the subject to trigger the flash. It will work in a multiple flash, key and fill light setup when used indoors, but it is not sensitive enough to work outdoors. This pretty much limits the Lux's use to indoor venues if you're relying on the built-in S1 or S2 optical triggers. You could potentially add a more sensitive, hot shoe optical trigger like the Wein, but that's one more piece of equipment to carry.

In short, the S1 / S2 Optical Triggers work, but only marginally.

I really wanted to love this flash, but instead, will keep it because for a certain type of photograph, it can potentially do exactly what I wanted. Sure, the so-called exposure automation was a total disappointment, and the fact that it died after only a few hours of use is inexcusable. It will never ride along as my only flash unit since it's beam coverage is too narrow to be useful. 

The sample photo was made with the Lux Senior placed about 3 feet from my face. It was in the S1 mode, and triggered by a second flash bounced off of the wall behind the camera. The lens was a Fuji kit lens zoomed out to 35mm and held at arm's length.

I won't be returning the flash because it dome reflector does have a place in my work flow. I see it being used outdoors for quick headshots during informal events. I see it being used during San Francisco's Carnaval, if and when it returns to its former glory. It is a target rich environment, one where everybody expects to be photographed, a situation where permission is implied. I will be using some form of compact radio flash trigger, and am quite sure I can consistently guess a flash to subject distance of 3 feet. Once this is all dialed in, I can be certain my exposures will accurate and easily corrected one viewed during Image Preview.

To close this series of posts, I can say that the flash does offer a fair compromise between a small softbox and a standard unmodified speedlight. It provides a soft edged, relatively narrow beam of light that matches the acceptance angle of a "normal" lens (50mm Full Frame, 35mm APS). When used manually, the output dial is easily rotated with only one hand.

I really wanted to love this flash. Alas...