Greetings from cold Hartford, Connecticut.  Here is eNewsletter #7.
 Hope you and your family are doing well and keeping warm.


Why I photographed it this way

enlarged photo from website

There was no place other than this gentleman's small, cluttered office for the shoot to take place. That was OK, however.  I had been thinking, recently, how sections of ordinary office furniture might work quite well as design elements in a photograph.

I wanted the subject to be surrounded by the furniture.  Which pieces to use and how to place him among them would be critical.  So with my assistant as his stand-in, I variously positioned her around the office until finding a setup I liked.

The file drawer took some time to prepare.  My assistant and I grabbed files (obviously with permission) from all over the office.  I wanted some that were not dog-eared or bulging.  We experimented with how many would be needed in the drawer to support a resting arm comfortably, without causing the files to bend under the weight.  

I normally use color gels on my lights rather judiciously. But in this case, I thought mildly garish tints would contrast nicely with what one normally sees in a typical business office.  Specifically, I wanted color on the back wall to frame the subject's head.  And I thought something more subdued would work well in the foreground.  I tried several color combinations, finding blue and green to be the best.  The lighting setup was completed with a softbox-covered strobe that painted soft illumination on the subject's face as well as on the furniture.

One last thing.  It is amazing how a slight variation to the camera's position or the subject's pose can dramatically improve a photo.  I think that happened in this case.  I was shooting some Polaroids of my assistant posed on the set.  The straight lines of the furniture hit me as being rather dreary.  So, I tilted the camera a bit.  What a difference.  The more interesting diagonal lines now created some neat triangles in the corners of the frame.

More Ducks  

enlarged photo from website

I wanted to present another picture from my Duck People series, which I introduced in eNewsletter 6.  As I was perusing the series, deciding which image to include, this one caught my attention.  I remembered how easy it was to light and how much fun it was to photograph.

The shoot was to take place in the subject's house.  That day, it turned out, she was in rather a rush, so things had to move swiftly. When I had first contacted her about being part of the series, I mentioned that we could discuss specific posing ideas when I arrived at her house the day of the shoot.  So, while carrying photo equipment from my car to her living room, we talked.

She mentioned a VERY SPECIAL RED DRESS she owned, which she promptly put on.  The look was wonderful.  Then I recommended she try some vampy makeup.  That look was wonderful too.  After a little more conversation, we decided to cover a window, mess-up the sofa somewhat, scatter ducks on the floor, and wheel in a vacuum cleaner.  That completed the basic setup.

I quickly arranged the strobes, placing two directly behind the camera and aimed at the wall/ceiling intersection.  Because this produced a very even illumination, we could devise all sorts of poses without having to readjust the lights.

The whole nonsense of this setup was what made it so much fun to photograph.  Since nothing about the subject or props had any connection to reality, we could create fanciful poses with impunity. These poses ranged from soulfully embracing the vacuum cleaner to scrunching down among the ducks.  I like to think we ended up with shots that were amusing and maybe even a bit surreal.

So where do you start?  If a traditional camera will be used, be sure you have plenty of film.  I would recommend ASA 400 film for both inside (with a flash) and outside shooting.  You also may want some ASA 800 film for photographing fairly bright interior areas without a flash.  And, buy backup batteries for your camera and flash unit.

Your photo essay could begin before any guests arrive.  Everything leading up to the get-together is fair game.  Possibilities might include the house being cleaned, food being prepared, activities being planned, etc.

As people begin appearing at your door, the fun really starts.  Things can happen fast and furiously... people hugging, hors d'oeuvres being served, kids tussling with each other, adults tussling with each other.  Keeping a loaded camera nearby can save you from missing those great moments.

As things slow down, take some time to search for the less obvious photo possibilities.  Walk around and observe. Think creatively.  When you do find something, maybe shoot it from an unusual angle or height, or perhaps with a small camera movement to produce a slight blur.  Also, keep an eye out for pictures that help bind together the essay.  Showing a calendar with the current date will remind viewers when this get-together took place. 

You obviously want to end up with exciting pictures.  But don't forget that a photo essay, by definition, tells a story.  You want pictures that show a beginning, a middle, and an end, as well as lots of stuff in-between.