Clement Malin - Cirque du Soleil

"Preparation is everything until the battle starts, and then it doesn't mean anything." So said Dwight Eisenhower, and probably many other strategists with slight variations. This assignment represented a challenge to my ability to deliver a meaningful image of this Cirque du Soleil performer, who performed a variety of moves on a ladder high above the stage. Honestly, I was busy thinking about ways to capture an image of a performer standing on a ladder ten feet above the stage.

This photo was part of the online Press Packet that is often sent to bloggers who are writing about the event. Wonderful as they were, they weren't suitable for an  article highlighting a single performer. My subject, Clement Malin, is the one standing on the ladder.

When my editor asked to make a photo, she wanted one that emphasized the performer in his environment. After seeing this photo, I wondered how I could get my camera high enough to suggest the height where he worked. I believed that if I could bring his shoulders to a height of ten feet off the stage I had enough bits and pieces to make the shot. My kit would include:

• Two twelve-foot Manfrotto Light Stands. I could have one for the key light, and one to use as a free-standing monopod, unless I needed a "kicker" highlight for my subject or the background.
• One heavy duty monopod with a ball head to support the camera.

My 10-24 F 4.0 lens would be mounted on my Fuji T-4 camera body. Because of the T-4's fully articulated LCD display, I could mount the camera on the monopod and rotate the display so that it could be seen from below. I planned to use both hands to hold the monopod, so I wouldn't have a free hand to control the camera through my smartphone.

Exposure Control: Camera settings would be adjusted manually, but making the exposure would be a problem. There were two possible approaches:

• Self Timer: While this would be the simplest choice, there is a major problem. When the timer is activated, focus would be locked, which has no relationship to the actual shooting distance once my camera was hoisted to the subject's eye level. I could have manually set the focus, but trying to consistently position the camera while swaying at the end of a monopod held high overhead. The worst part is the self timer must be set for each shot.
• Interval Timer: The camera body could be programmed to make a series of exposures at specified intervals. There are two key settings: Interval and the Number Of Times. The major advantage is the focus is determined at the moment of exposure. I had planned to set the camera to five exposures at ten-second intervals. I would activate the Interval Timer (wasting the first shot), hoist the camera to Mr. Malin's eye level, and tell him to change his expression after each pop of the flash. I could easily watch the action with the LCD panel rotated so I could watch from below.

Day Of The Shoot: Despite my native San Franciscan status, I dislike taking assignments in my hometown. The difficulty finding parking and schlepping my gear over long distances is often daunting. I  ended up paying $50.00 to park in the "reserved" lot which brought me a short distance from the main entrance.  Once parked, I called Kevin, my handler for the day, and was told to meet him at the back gate at the other side of the venue. After the two block walk, Keven ushered me into the "big top", the huge tent the Cirque installs at every performance.

Now The Bad News: I was told that I would be photographing Mr. Malin in the "workout room". The ladder could not be used on the padded exercise area, and that the props would be a series of cardboard boxes that can be seen in the background of the Cirque publicity shot. The Good News was that my equipment and I would be standing firmly on the floor of the tent.

For the shot I decided to use a reflective umbrella half-opened to concentrate the light. This would give me light softer than a bare bulb flash and more contained.  Positioning the flash inside the umbrella prevents the light from spilling onto the foreground, It is also easy to aim directly at your subject. For my accent  light I mounted a grid spot on a second flash and positioned it opposite my key light. This would give the shot a theatrical look. As luck would have it, Kevin came by to see how things were going, and asked if he could be of any assistance. I thanked him, and asked him to stand where I planned to position Mr. Malin when he arrived on set. After one hasty test shot,  I was satisfied that my lighting solution would work.

Since I was now shooting from a lower angle, I stayed with my Fuji  T-2 body because  the LCD panel flips down in alignment with the lens axis, which I find easier to use. Shot from a low camera position, you can see the shadow cast by the kicker light I placed in the background just behind my subject. It was triggered by the same controller I used for the key light.

You can see that by shooting from a low angle I could use the ceiling "hot spot" created by a utility light as a visual element in the background. When I showed the image to Kevin, he was pleasantly surprised, and noticed the exposed work area in the background, which he had the technicians draw the curtain to conceal it.

When Mr. Malin arrived on set, I showed him this photo, and he was intrigued by the shot. We did have to work within the confines of a horizontal shot, a potential obstacle because Mr. Malin's work is mostly vertical in nature. He brought some of the cardboard boxes he stacks during his performance, so these were my only props. I also had him kneel so I could keep him within the confines of a horizontal format.

Towards the end Mr. Malin and I were having fun improvising visual stunts on the spot, perhaps waiting for some inspirational pose to bring all the visual elements together.

Color Contamination: I didn't count on the athletic mats reflecting as much purple light as they did, as you can see the tint in the box bottoms. Also, the smooth white cardboard made the boxes extremely bright, but I didn't get to choose the props, so I did the best with what  I had.

You will notice the Accent Light behind Mr. Malin's right hip. The Fuji lens handled potential flaring very well, as in-frame point light sources can produce some unwanted flare in the image.  I also got a nice sun star radiating from the flash, something I wouldn't have had if  his body completely blocked the light. He just moved out of position at the moment of exposure. It isn't noticeable since there is another, even larger highlight on the ceiling.

The assignment was a lot of fun in spite of the difficulties encountered. My"airborne camera" approach was an interesting solution, and one I hope to apply in the near future.

One Gift Closer To Merry

Routine photographs often provide more challenges than we realize. For example, there is an annual toy giveaway sponsored by Samaritan House. I've photographed this event for many years and the venue can be extremely difficult to work in. The main obstacle to the photographer is the extensive use of black curtains to separate the distribution area from the sorting and staging areas.  ​

For this assignment I used an on-camera flash with a diffusion dome. I used a wide angle zoom lens ​set to its shortest focal length.  Short lenses used require short working distances, which may cause overexposure of the foreground. I solved this by rotating the flash head to feather the light on the right portion of the frame. Selective burning in post-production was needed, but for the most part the important details were be maintained. 

While it would be easy to stage a photograph I  always try to make a managed candid. For this photograph I simply introduced myself, and complimented my subject on his warm smile. All I had to do next was wait until the right combination of visual elements fell into place.

I made about twenty photographs of my subject distributing gifts. I chose this shot for two important visual elements. First, the gift itself can be easily seen and is brightly colored, and becomes the real center of interest. Second, the hand pointing at the gift suggested that this would be the selected gift. The receiver’s identity was purposely concealed over privacy concerns.

Hope your Christmas was a merry one and filled with love and joy.

Home Town Parade

Fuji X-T2" 1/30, F 4.5, ISO 12800  10-24 lens @ 14.5mm.

Long Day: I had a morning assignment in San Mateo, and an evening assignment in Redwood City. The former was a Christmas Brunch for members of SMPD Police Athletic League and their families. the latter a Home Town Parade in Courthouse Square. There were events scheduled throughout the day, and the finale would be the lighting of the town square Christmas Tree.

Christmas 2024

Last year was the final appearance of the Holiday Train, a special CalTrain complete with decorated cars and a special "rolling stage" where carolers sang along with the crowd. It turns out that much of the necessary equipment was not compatible with the newly electrified fleet of trains. This year the event was re-booted as a family event featuring vendors, carnival rides, and a variety of holiday-themed vendors in front of Courthouse Square in downtown Redwood City. As in years past, a parade marched through the downtown area with floats and marching/walking units from local schools, business, social clubs, and philanthropic organizations.

Christmas 2023

In 2023 I made some sketch photos at the parade, and I liked this one in particular. I used a narrow beam flash to light the foreground faces while doing my best to keep both the sky and the Fox Theater marquee reasonably well exposed. 

Richard Avedon once said that if you look into your viewfinder and see a photo you've already taken, stop and rethink your approach. Keep it fresh, he might have said. But since this was just a "sketch", I don't feel compelled to follow his advice. I really liked the effect that this lucky confluence of exposures (the sky, the marquee, and the flash) all came together. I had context for the image, but no basic story, no raison d'être. If it did, the photo might have had legs. Alas, it was not to be.

Train Theme: The event organizers managed to pull together a link with the past by running a motorized train, complete with passengers, past the historic Redwood City Courthouse. When I first saw it rolling down the street, I felt the train in the photo would provide a visual link to last year's Holiday Train. I started to walk beside it, attempting to find a good background. When it passed in front of the Courthouse, the visual elements, background and subject, started to fall together. However, when it passed by a particularly well lit vendor's stall, the train was noticeably brighter, so I decided that if I was going to make the photo, I should  take advantage of this extra light. My first attempts came up short, so I decided to wait until the train returned to the "station" and pick up another group of passengers.  This also gave me some time to adjust my shooting position to improve the background somewhat.

Look closely at the brass-colored pipes along the engine's side and you will see that the lights from the vendor's stall cast some very distinct shadows. This validated my shooting position, and after three round trips by the train I managed to get this one photo just before some pedestrians walked into the frame. Had I made the  shot a bit earlier in the evening there would have been more light on the Courthouse, and the sky would have been brighter. But I played the shot where the ball landed, and was very pleased with the result. And in spite of my penchant to add a flash, none was needed. Blessed are the fast lenses and the high ISO capabilities of my Fuji system. The combination certainly delivered the goods.

Professor Darryl

The assignment to photograph astronomy professor Darryl Stanford at the College of San Mateo probably had the longest pre-session planning calendar of any photo I've ever made to date. 

October 21, 2025

October 21: In anticipation of the upcoming photo shoot, I visited the CSM campus at 6:30 pm, which on Photo Day would give us 30 minutes to work before his evening class started.  When I arrived at the planetarium the evening sky provided a marvelous potential backdrop for the photo. Professor Stanford would be positioned on the left third of the photograph.

The only problem would be getting some light on the Planetarium marque. Any lightstand would need to be more than twenty feet away from the building if it was positioned outside of the frame. I was confident that I could solve that problem during the preparation period before the October 23 session date. 

A non-technical issue came up: We had failed to see if there would be any security issues associated with this on-campus photo, and Professor Stanford said he'd follow up with the Dean. Ever the optimist, I planned to show up as scheduled, confident that approval would be shortcoming.

October 23: I parked my car on campus, and waited for Professor Stanford to call me. It turns out that he was unable to secure clearance for the Dean to make the photo on campus, so the shoot was off. Early dinner.

November 11: I received word that approval had been obtained, so I returned to the campus to see if I could still take advantage of the sunset reflecting in the windows of the Science Building. Alas, 6:30 PM was long after sunset, so I was left with a half-empty building with minimal hallway lighting. I decided that I would use the lobby of the Planetarium as my  background, 

Order yours here.

November 13: I arrived on campus with 45 minutes to set up the  shot. For the Planetarium marque I used a 200 watt-second flash with 2 grids to concentrate the light into a large spot with smooth edges. I used my tallest light stand to align the flash beam perpendicular to the wall. A CTO gel was added to better match the ambient lighting of the lobby. For the key light  I decided to use a gelled speedlight with a Lumiquest Softbox III. This small softbox is less affected by the wind, but it doesn't provide the same softness of a shoot-through umbrella. 

I added two additional speedlights for accents. You can see it at the left edge of the sketch photo. I added a blue gel, primarily to see if I could subtly suggest that it was a chilly evening, as it was. Finally, a fourth speedlight was placed on the ground and pointed straight up. Professor Stanford would be bringing a sky globe as a prop, and I thought it might benefit from a bit of light coming from below.

November 13, 2025

This draft photo shows the effect of the four flashes on the final image. You can see that the un-gelled floor light appears on the palm of my right hand, the anticipated location of the sky globe. The Lumiquest Softbox is, to paraphrase David Hobby, "Not hard, and not soft". I was able to gently direct light away from the lower half of my body by tilting the softbox up slightly.

If it isn't apparent, I mounted the camera on a tripod to ensure a consistent relationship between the subject and the background. I also had a piece of gaffer tape on the ground to ensure that Professor Stanford would always be in the same location in the frame.

Preparation was completed just as Professor Stanford arrived. This helped to promote the illusion of an organized photographer with a clear vision of the photograph and the ability to carry it off. Well played, Tom.

The final photograph (top of post) turned out well. If you look at this cropped image, you can see that the facial highlights are very smooth and not overly bright. Not as soft as those from a larger shoot-through umbrella, but certainly adequate for an environmental portrait made outdoors.

Alternative Marquee Lighting: I don't always carry a 200 watt-second flash, so I thought about how I would have lit the marque with a speedlight of lesser power. The easiest way to maximize the output would be to move the speedlight closer to the subject. 

For this exercise, it is important that both the camera and the subject locations are used as static reference points. Since the camera was on a tripod, its location would remain constant.  I would then put a piece of gaffer tape on the ground where I wanted my subject to stand. Next, I would stand at a point where the camera (tripod) and the subject (gaffer tape) were in perfect alignment. Then I would walk away from the subject's mark while keeping it aligned with the camera. If I placed the lightstand along this line it would be hidden behind the subject. You'll now have placed the speedlight where it can't be seen by the camera. The process could have been made simpler with a lighting diagram, but at the moment I haven't found a source for photo appropriate clipart. I know that they're out there, and I would have purchased an entire set if I had realized how useful they would someday become.

Drone

1/250 exposure, F 20.0, ISO 200

Sometimes photo shoots provide an opportunity to experiment with different lighting and compositional arrangements, and sometimes you are forced to take what you are given. This was the latter case.

I had an appointment to photograph one of San Mateo Police Department's drone pilots, and had explored, in my mind, several possibilities for an attention-getting shot. I arrived fully equipped and brimming with ideas, including a shot of a  hovering drone, reflected in the operator's  mirrored sunglasses. Another possibility might have been the hovering drone, viewed at eye level, with the operator in the background, out of focus. I came fully prepared to make either of these photographs. 

When I arrived at the rooftop staging area, I was told that the drone was controlled from a command center located inside the building, and that it couldn't be controlled from the rooftop. Also, the drone "hangar" was not a permanent fixture, and could not be moved. Luckily for me, the drone, once uncovered, was in full sunlight at a classic "45 degrees and 45 degrees to the side" orientation. The position of the key light forced the fill flash to play a very minor role in the overall exposure, and it was used only to provide some illumination under my subject's chin. After installing an on-camera flash for fill, I started shooting.

My first efforts were pretty lackluster, but when my subject picked up a microfiber cloth and started dusting off the rotors, the photo now had a purpose. Animating my subject has saved many of my earlier photos, and luckily for me my subject just did "what comes naturally". I made several shots, and the shots that worked best were made when his attention was directed towards the rear rotors. This positioned his sunglasses at a slight angle from the flash and eliminated the common reflected "hot spot" on the lenses. 

Now the shot was not without some quirks.

• The lens was a 10-24mm zoom set to 12mm to include the operator and the drone. 
•  The 1/180 second exposure was the minimum exposure that would assure complete coverage by the flash.
• The aperture was F 20.0, which was also needed to get everything in sharp focus, and coincidentally give me the darkened sky that I prefer. 

The roof-top location dictated the exposure and the composition, leaving me with the simple tasks of framing the shot and pressing the shutter release. A simple shot at first glance, it is the product of exposure adjustments dictated by the environment.