The Spindrift Players

1/15 second, F 4.0, ISO 1600

The assignment was to bring back two images. First, my editor needed a photo that suggested the theater aspect of this volunteer-supported community theater, while the other was to emphasize the family of volunteers who made this all possible. The article was to highlight the efforts of Alexis Orth, the Pacifica Spindrift Players' Technical Director. Her personal enthusiasm and  impassioned dedication to the theater made her a natural for the position, and just reading her responses to the questions posed in the article's Q & A  format fueled my enthusiasm for the assignment. 

This shot, made from the wings of the stage, combined both an environmental "portrait", and the environment itself. In this case the physical size of the theater (it seats 98) and some volunteers at work added some context.  In this case there was a single flash in the background that was left over from an earlier unused photo. Now it served to separate the two background volunteers for the darkness of the theater. Alexis, standing on the ladder, was lit with a small Lumiquest softbox. I used a longish exposure setting to bring out the green highlights in the ceiling.  After I previewed the results, I was confident that I had the money shot.

1/8 second, F 5.6, ISO 800

To get the group shot, I spoke with the volunteers and told them that I would make the shot as soon as everyone had finished lunch, and that each should bring a tool as a prop. The decided that I would shot from the stage and have my subjects stand by the front row seats. The group lighting was provided by a single speedlight and a shoot-through umbrella, which provided enough power only if I boosted the ISO to 800.

The accent lights did help separate my subjects from the background, but not to the extent I wanted. I had installed grid spots on both of them, and due to some alignment issues on the (camera) left speedlight, i decided to use my subject's head to isolate the light on my blue-haired subject. While interesting in and of itself, the narrow beam didn't provide enough light to properly highlight the subjects on the left side. Next time, I'll align the two accent lights at a 45 degree angle to light my subjects from behind. I would have also improvised some gobos (light shields) for the flashes using some Cinefoil I kept in my location lighting case. Had I done this, the paint brushes and power drills held aloft by my subjects would have been more apparent.

Ten Years, Ten Pounds: While preparing to the group shot, two volunteers insisted on having a photo to commemorate the event. While my group photo was made from the elevated stage, this photo was made from the floor, so the perspective is slightly different. Also, the key light, positioned on the stage behind the photographer, lit me from a steeper angle which highlighted my "tum". Since this photo was not destined for publication, I could manipulate the image to minimize my newfound bulk. The fix consisted of two operations:

• Burn: I used the Burn Tool to darken my shirt so it would appear that my chest, not my belly, was the highest part of my torso.
• Liquify: If you examine the "before and after" you can see a tiny blue gap between between me and my left-side companion. I used the Liquify tool to push my waist a bit towards camera right, thus closing the gap created by my slightly tight belt. This made my torso more cylindrical and less pinched.

While this was a rather lengthy assignment (more than two hours), I was able to refine my lighting techniques, and when I was finished I had two very satisfactory images. The selfie? No comment.