Marine One

 Summer decided to return after a short stretch of cooler temperatures, but I figured after sundown all of that would moderate some. Sort of, it did, except for the humidity which remained high. After about 45 minutes of shooting I was drenched in sweat and could barely see as my eyes were stinging from the salty moisture flowing into them. Even so, the evening shoot turned out to be a good one even though it was a short outing. 

The Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green contains a wonderful collection of historical aircraft all of which have a connection to Bowling Green or to Kentucky. A few years ago I took on a project to photograph each of the displays in a unique way using dramatic lighting after the sun went down. Each of those shoots turned out to be some of the most exciting and dramatic photographs I've ever made.

In more recent times, a new addition to the park was placed on display; Marine One, a Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King helicopter that was one of the official helicopters used by the President of the United States. After postponing a shoot for this aircraft, I finally decided I was going to follow through with that desire. 

The idea for this shoot was to use four speed lights and colored gels, three with blue gels and one with a red gel. I wanted to use blue gels to create a surreal, mysterious atmosphere surrounding the helicopter. As it turned out, a wonderful sunset greeted me and I was able to incorporate that into the one of the final images. It took a good number of test shots to get all the lights positioned correctly and to get the exposure correct, but even after doing so it became apparent the photo would need to blend two or more images together to allow for a complete shot.

Not enough space on here to describe the postprocessing involved, just that on one image two shots were blended and on the other five images were used to complete the final image.

Turned out to be a fun, but quick shoot and I hope to return to the scene again when it cools off a bit to try a different combination of gels.

A Beginner's Guide to the Making of a Brides Portrait

Hot summer temperatures and humid July Kentucky air awaited us that Saturday afternoon. Heat indexes pushed upwards toward 110 maybe higher. Simply stated, it was hot and my eyes were stinging from the sweat dripping from my forehead. At least we had somewhat of a breeze, not much of one but it helped, and it was shaded for the most part where were going to shoot. We were awaiting for a bride and groom for a quick "First Look" photo shoot before their wedding along with a few others we hoped to work in, so Kris and I arrived about fifteen minutes early so we could survey the location and evaluate the light plus take a few test shots. We were shooting behind Van Meter Hall at the Kissing Bridge on Western Kentucky University campus. These kinds of shoots are something I only do on occasion and consider I am still operating with a learners permit when I do one, but I still enjoy doing them from time to time.

We were only going to have just shy of an hour to do this shoot and that time frame shrunk to barely thirty minutes because the groom arrived about thirty minutes later than expected. We managed to get the first look shot along with a few others before we moved into the tunnel beneath Van Meter Hall.

The tunnel is a rather dark and dank looking location in and of itself. However, at one end there is a wonderful archway that opens onto a kind of plaza with a lot of trees arching across the back side. In the afternoon, the light floods this opening. My vision for this shoot was for it to be the main location because it offered some wonderful backlight against a dark background. Here, I believed I would have the best opportunity to capture a very good photo or two.

It was exactly what I was looking for; dark background, strong back lighting, and a arched entrance way. The only clutter was a handrail and a light pole that might cause an issue, but both could easily be cloned out in post processing.

Normally, I use at least two speed lights when shooting portraits outdoors, sometimes three. With that kind of setup I can apply one light for backlighting for highlights, and one light to open up the eyes. Both are fired remotely and I use just enough power to act like a strong fill light. It's important to use a light to open up the eyes for without it, many times the eyes look dark and empty. The light brings out the natural sparkle the eyes require for a successful photo. For this portrait I used no lights just the natural direct back light and some reflected light from the plaza and walls. 

The exposure was shot on manual...f/6.3 at 1/80 sec ISO 100 using my 50mm - 500mm lens adjusted from 75mm to 85mm.  For the close in shot I was maybe 35 or 40 feet away which with those settings offered a good depth of field with some slight blurring of the background. The exposure was set for her skin tone and I just allowed the rest of the light to fall where it may. Camera was on a tripod for steadiness.

For the full length shot I moved back a bit farther. She was set just outside the arch with the sun angled from her right. The rest was up to her and she did an amazing job just being herself and in spite of the hot weather, looked amazing. All I had to do for the most part was push the shutter release.

This kind of image also lends itself well for a black and white conversion. In hindsight, I probably should have used a reflector to bounce a little more light into her face, but the natural reflecting light filled it in pretty well. it would have been difficult to work in a reflector in those tight corridors. Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome and the young lady was a delight to work with.

Keith

Other Values - The Fine Pleasantries of Being a Photographer

Reposted from August 2, 2018 - Beyond The Campfire

Keith

 It was a typical early summer day on Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie, hot and windy, and as the day tumbled toward its last few moments of daylight, I felt a bit relieved when the heat of the day began to dissipate behind the few clouds that hovered above the horizon. The high knoll upon which I stood offered a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape, magnificent, awe inspiring, simply beautiful. Shadows began to grow longer and filled the gaps between the undulations of the land. Somewhere off to the south a family of coyotes began to howl and their movement caught my eye as they set out in pursuit of dinner. I watched them as best as I could until they were gone. Just knowing they were there added to the natural flavor of the moment.

My camera, attached to my tripod, stood ready to capture the last vestiges of the day anticipating one of those legendary prairie sunsets. For some reason, I sat silent and made no attempt to capture a photograph. The moment lived of itself and presented to me an image in such a way that a single photograph could never capture the essence of what was there. There were other values at play, values which are only experienced emotionally, pleasures for sure of being a photographer.

As a photographer I have been fortunate to have experienced a great many such moments. They were moments captured by the imagination that otherwise would have been lost. As much as I relish capturing amazing moments of light, I relish as much the experiences associated with having been there to do so. There are other values to being a photographer which are difficult to convey and can most easily be appreciated by having experienced them yourself. Being a photographer of light, places you next to moments such as those, if you are willing to be there.

I once had a friend who I took fishing with me. He was a nice enough sort of fellow, but as our fishing trip turned into one of those 'nothing was biting' kind of days, his complaining about the day being a big waste of time began to dominate his conversation. By the time we pulled out, I was certain I would never again take this person fishing. He completely missed what it was all about. He focused on catching fish as the measure of our day. I focused on just being out and enjoying the day. When the fishing portion of our day went bust, his day was ruined, but, other than having to listen to his griping about it, my day was just fine. Photography is the same way. There are days where things simply do not work, but the point is to enjoy just being there to allow the day to present itself to you in whatever mood it happens to be in.

Because of photography I have witnessed amazing sunsets and sunrises. I have felt the wind and rain across my back. I have been caught in violent storms and other amazing moments of nature. I have seen the delicate forms of creation, and followed the life cycle of a nest of Robins. I have known the boldness of fall colors and the intense grip of a winter blizzard. I have been thirsty, cold, tired, wet, and sunburned, yet I have also captured amazing moments of natures light. I have missed sleep, and stayed out until the early hours of the morning to capture a night sky so filled with wonder it defies our sense of what is out there.

I have canoed, hiked, and driven countless miles to hopefully capture that one photograph I knew might be there, and then did it again and again, until the photo I wanted finally appeared. I have captured the subtle beauty of the human form and the aggressive forms of wild nature. The exhilaration of having been there to experience all of these kinds of moments far outpaces the discomfort for having done so. Rewards for being a photographer are not always granted based on outcome. They are more often given for having made the effort. When the moment pays off with a spectacular image...well, the reward is self fulfilling.

Morning of The Heron: The Making of A "Spur-of-The-Moment" Photograph

Submitted by Keith Bridgman - Shared from a Future Beyond the Campfire post

 I almost did not take my camera that morning. I was heading out quite early to enjoy a morning of bass fishing at a local lake. Very summer-like temperatures and humidity had overtaken the previous couple weeks so when a cool front drifted through the area dropping the temperatures into unseasonable ranges, it was difficult to resist getting out. Seems like I had been cooped up far too long and the chance to do some bass fishing offered a wonderful reprieve, so much so, all I was thinking about was spending the day in my canoe and fishing. Photography was to take a backseat and pretty well determined I was not even going to take a camera on this trip.

At the last moment, just before I pulled out at 4:30am that morning, I grabbed my camera, an extra lens and battery and secured them in a watertight container. "Just in case I might see something..." I said to myself. 

The morning was indeed much cooler and I donned a light hoodie to ward off the slight chill. When I arrived at the lake, a lively fog was dancing across the surface stirred into movement by a gentle breeze that rolled down from the tops of the ridges that formed one eastern bank. By 5:10am I was on the water moving toward a mile and half long rocky bluff where I planned to spend most of the morning fishing. By this time the sun was still below the horizon and behind the bluff, but the sky was getting brighter with its glow being reflected off the shallow ripples rolling across the surface. The background appeared almost black and the fog took on a bluish nature to it in the subdued light of predawn. A blue heron drifted across the gap between me and the ridge and lightly settled into some shallow water just a few feet off the bank to my right. He was slightly backlit by the soft morning light and presented a silhouette. I slowed down, and drifted slowly forward while I extracted my camera. The light was very low and I adjusted the settings to account for the available light. With a slow shutter speed and long 300mm focal length, handholding a camera steady enough to prevent camera shake was difficult, even more so while sitting inside a canoe whose every whim is to bob and rock at the slightest provocation.

I framed the shot firing off several quick captures before the heron might spook. I reset the camera exposure to try to get a faster shutter speed...then fired off another set of quick exposures, the heron squawked and leaped into the morning air to disappear into the fog. On camera the images looked promising, but by this time I was ready to do some fishing so the camera was replaced in its box and the fishing pole readied for action. 

Later after returning home, I loaded the few photos from that morning and focused on that first series of the heron. A few of them were indeed blurred by camera shake, but several were clear and sharp. By applying a selective compositional crop, and adjusting the exposure values in post processing, I settled in on the one final image. Did manage to catch several good bass that morning, but the best catch of the day turned out to be this one iconic, spur of the moment, nature photo.

I've written at length about how planning and preparation are vital to the success of capturing a great photo, and certainly applying such principles to your photography can produce some positive results. However, there are times when instinct and spur of the moment action trumps any degree of planning. Listening to and acting on those inner feeling can at times produce a truly unique and spontaneous photo, and sometimes those often turn out to be the best photos of all.