Why
I photographed it this way
My
assignment was to document a two day Sea Scout
competition for the Boy Scouts of America.
Several events took place on or near the dock.
The most exciting ones to photograph, however,
were the sailing contests.
 I began
by asking permission to travel on one of the boats.
They agreed and I was allowed complete
access to the deck. I of course did not want to hinder
the crew as they moved about, or get bopped on the
head by the sail.
The
trick was to find an area relatively free from traffic
that also offered good visual possibilities. The
location where I took the above photo turned out
to be one of those spots. The fore and aft views
were excellent, and there was room for my camera
bag. If I kept low to the deck, I had a great angle
on the crew, water, and sky, and was in little danger
of meeting up with the sail.
 My
lenses of choice were the wide-angles because they
allow for expansive views in tight spaces. I kept
my bag in one place and pocketed other lenses and
more film. I changed positions only after carefully
scanning the area. I kept low and crept as close
to crew members as I dared. They were so busy sailing
the boat, however, that my presence seemed to be
ignored. I kept a small off-camera strobe nearby
for fill-in light, using my left hand to aim it.
I
shot what I needed and then considered the possibility
of photographing the boat I was on from a second
vessel. The captain OK 'd the idea and soon another
boat was lining up to receive me. I realized, though,
that I would need to make a serious leap to reach
it. I carefully passed my equipment over to them
and then jumped. I made it, but banged up my legs
as I landed. After rising up a bit wobbly, I said "that
didn't hurt at all". Unfortunately, the blood
trickling down my legs belied that statement. Anyway,
I got some good shots, the client was happy, and
my knees mended.
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Quick
Tip
You  excitedly
race off to your local photo lab and hand over a few rolls of negative film.
A couple of hours later, you return for the prints. To your dismay, they
are
either too light or too dark, or the colors are way off.
Don't assume that the problem is necessarily due to your error. Many labs, even
professional ones, do not spend the time they should to make decent prints. Instead,
ask to see the manager. Show him or her the negatives. If they look OK, ask that
the pictures be redone. You might find that the reprints are significantly better. |
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The client, after selecting and using the photos, FedExed them
back to me. As I always do with my returned images, I checked to
see if there was one I might want for my portfolio or web site.
In this case, I felt there were several nice shots, so I studied
them more closely. 
I
often am called upon to photograph subjects in less
than ideal outdoor lighting conditions. One
of the toughest is bright sun on an absolutely cloudless
day. This creates a harsh, contrasty light. There are,
however, ways to beat this situation: