Keep Looking For Something New!

Some times you know that you have the "money shot", the one that tells the story you wanted to tell, is properly exposed, properly composed, as close to perfection as the situation would allow. Other times, you keep shooting, waiting for your own muse to appear and inspire you to continue shooting.

I was working with a staff writer who usually make her own photos. This would have made my presence redundant, were it not for the fact I had promised the City Librarian Ben Ocon that I'd be there.  

(If You Look In The Viewfinder and)...See Something You Have Seen Before, Don't Click The Shutter. This quintessential quote from  Alexey Brodovitch  reminds the photographer to constantly look for new approaches to telling a your story through your photographs.  From the appearance of this first shot, you might think that I ignored the Russian art director's advice. I made this shot for two reasons. First, it helps me to relax, knowing that I have one usable but trite image on my SD card. A shot like this could be used in a pinch, but I didn't intend to submit it. Secondly, I wanted to see the effect of a bounced flash shot when combined with a dark backlit ceiling.

Here this newly naturalized citizen stands with Jackie Speier (D. San Mateo). Since the article included a quote, a photo of her with the Congresswoman would work well. Again, I've seen this shot many times before, and probably taken a few myself. But I now had a second (technically) usable shot on the card. In theory, I could now go home.

I hung around instead, waiting for a photo with a more compelling back story. Shortly after the applause was over, friends and family milled about, taking photos and offering congratulations. Here, my subject is unwrapping her "citizen pin" so her daughter could wear it. After chimping this shot, I decided there was no story here. I also didn't like the dark background, so I doubled the exposure time and left the aperture alone. I'm using a paper plate bounced flash for these shots, so the constant aperture was a definite plus.

This second confirmation shot gave me the background detail I wanted, but the pin is too small to be seen. I could have changed lenses and moved closer for a tight portrait, but I liked how the background helped make the photo more festive.

These two shots were starting to lose focus, so I asked, "Can you show Mommy how proud you are of her?" Her daughter was happy to accommodate, and I got this very natural kiss on her cheek. As I always do, I told them that I was going to make a second shot, probably adding, "I just having so much fun!"

It wasn't until I chimped the images that I noticed the three people taking a selfie in the background. The people at camera left were also preparing to make a photograph. And in the middle, a proud little girl with her mommy. I consider myself extremely lucky to have caught the selfie action in the back, as their spontaneity just adds to the excitement of the photo.

I've never seen a photo quite like this one, Mr.Brodovitch, so I did make the exposure. Now, it's time to go home!

Troop 175 50th Anniversary

Photo #1

Sometimes a seeming simple assignment turns out to be prime example of how Murphy's Law affects photo assignments. A simple 50th Anniversary of a local scout troop get-together became of sequence of catastrophes which I did, and didn't, manage to stay in front of.

Photo #2

Photo #2 was the shot I wanted to work with. I was told that the scouts would build a rope bridge, and felt it would be an interesting photo challenge.When I arrived, the bridge had already been assembled, and they were testing the bridge by having scouts walk across it. This first shot was made with an X-100, initially with a paper plate reflector. That did work as well as I had hoped, so I pointed the flash straight at the subject to get an idea of where I would take the image. I got my blue sky, but the "deep woods" effect made the trees much too dark. Also, you can't see the scout's feet, so the context of a rope bridge was completely missing.

As I thought about how I could improve the shot, I saw the bridge collapse, taking one unlucky scout on a 4-foot fall.He dusted himself off after a few moments, and the groups attention turned to whether to attempt a repair, or to dismantle the bridge. They chose the latter, and following a spirited discussion, had the structure disassembled in a few minutes. One of supporting posts had snapped, perhaps because in a effort to re-cycle the materials, kept the beam well past the limits of its useful life.

Photo #3

Piling On: Needing a wider view, I changed to a X-T1 with a 10-24mm F 4.0 Fujinon lens, supplementing the daylight with a Nikon SB-80DX triggered with an SC-17 cable connected to the hotshoe. The next activity involved getting a troop of scouts over a rope strung between two trees. At first, the Scouts attempted to make a human pyramid which would allow the smaller scouts get over without much difficulty. This proved unworkable, as they hadn't figured out a way to the last scout over the rope (Photo #3).

Photo #4

The final solution included passing the younger and lighter scouts over first. This they started in earnest, amid some laughter and encouragement. On this first attempt (Photo #4), my angle was too low and the tangle of hands was too distracting. Also, the lone scout in the background, silhouetted against the blue sky, acts to draw the viewer's attention away from struggling Scouts in the foreground. The eye will always be drawn to contrast, he this lone scout in the background definitely has it!

Photo #5

I made this shot (Photo #5) from a low angle, and from further back. I liked the sky, but the exaggerated foreground and the blue tarp drew too much attention away for my original subject.

Photo #1

The final shot, taken from about eye level minimizes the exaggerated perspective of the feet. One of the two spotters in the foreground has his hands out, visually isolated enough to suggest that he's about to catch somebody, which he indeed is.

There is an indirect object lesson to be learned. First off, the chosen photograph was more the result of some lucky accidents: the spotter's outstretched hands, the placement of the foot over the rope, the prominence of the troop's shoulder patch, and the numerous red accents make this a visually interesting photo. Taking a higher shooting position helped to improve the exaggerated perspective produced by the wide angle lens and the short working distance. But I obviously didn't make that happen. I just saw that everything worked well together, and picked this single, story-telling photo from a small collection of near misses.