They could lift me with a pinky.

* Time-lapse video created by Teodore Vladimirov, still image by Christopher Barr

Last week, I assisted Christopher Barr Photography on a tremendous photo shoot. It was a three-day, 10 hr/day shoot, putting in more than 35 hours by the end (not counting Chris' location scout and about 20 hours of preproduction). There were five assistants working in concert on two tandem sets as well as talent, stylists, clients, visitors, and plenty more. All in all, the set was well-organized chaos. Check out the lighting diagrams, set stills, raw images, and an amazing time-lapse video done by Teodor Vladimirov. 

Location: Freedom Fitness, Scottsdale AZ

Client: Smash Brand Agency

Chris' job was to create images of several body builders in two locations: a studio setup in a workout room and environmental lifestyle shots in the gym. The shot list was very detailed, including at least a dozen different poses, lifestyle/apparatus setups, wardrobe, prop and lighting changes for each model. The client would be taking most of these shots and creating high impact, final images for web, packaging, POP (point of purchase displays), and print advertising using proprietary Photoshopping techniques. Chris' job was to light the talent (all champion bodybuilders) to the clients specs (in studio: high ratio, directional, hot rims w/ strategically placed specular highlights & lifestyle environmental: an ambient mix of overhead fluorescent, window light with rim and accents firing in from multiple directions)  and most importantly...pull as much energy, spontaneity and emotional power out of the subjects he was shooting.  Chris has said on more than occasion..."lighting is critically important to the production values yet it is usually the most overrated element of a shoot...without compelling energetic delivery from the subject, it is only a booby prize."

This was the second time I had worked with Chris on a Smashbrand shoot, but this one was much larger and more complex than the first. We began setting up at 10:45am each day and wrapped the sets around 9:00pm. I will discuss more of the lighting techniques and the problems we ran into with the lighting, more than the shoot itself.

The studio setup

Our studio setup in the gym / image by Bryan Kinkade

Chris' lighting included several rim lights and a single main (either softbox or beauty dish with grid depending on the model). The rim lights would accentuate and amplify muscle definition while also simplifying the strip work in post. It was important that our rim lights carved in at the correct angle of incidence to the model's body or it would create a flat light, merging and softening muscle tones rather than defining them.  Because we needed to prevent lens flare, flagging these lights became an on going battle throughout the shoot.  We used a 3x4 softbox as main light for the first two models. It worked well... dramatic and directional but we found the beauty dish, while throwing far less specular highlights, gave a much more gritty and high contrast look...which the client seemed to love.

The first day was a major test of lighting and Chris' satisfaction with it.  We had a plan, which worked just as well as we hoped - even the client happily signed off on it - but we didn't stop refining it until the morning of the second day. We began with the main light on a boom and directly above the model, slightly tilted to carve along their torsos and then quickly falling off around their waist.  We then placed two brollies at 10 & 2 o'clock positioned five feet from and forty-five degrees to the model, then added two handheld speedlights to each side (one high and one low): all six of these lights were only for rimming the subject at 1-2 stops hotter than the main. 

(If you have ever used speedlights in conjunction with studio lighting, you probably know they will not keep up with a fast shooting rate; plus you run through batteries like digital photographers run through disk space.)  While these lights helped us to establish the look we needed, their limitations were obvious.

Chris shooting in the studio setup / image by Bryan Kinkade

On the second day, two strip lights replaced two of the four struggling speedlights. This helped preserve batteries, relieved at least two assistants as human light stands, and helped created a more consistent light. Though the strips worked very well, we still needed the extra "kick" of a speedlight precisely targeted to each side, still held and controlled by an assistant to highlight the model's abs where the brollies and strips simply could not. The hand holding of these speed lights was a critical (albiet labor intensive) key to keeping the lighting fluid and customize the angle of incidence to the individual model.  Shooting seven different bodybuilders, always moving and adjusting poses as Chris was directing them, meant that planting these lights on stands would result in serious compromises to the effectiveness and beauty of theses accent lights. Each assistant, on either side of the set was responsible for aiming the light with precision to "skate" across the models at the optimum angle at Chris' direction. It required serious attention all the time - it wasn't unusual to hear Chris yelling at someone to wake-up or try a different angle of attack with their strobe.

This is another example where having a digital tech and and being tethered to a work station becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity to ensure the aesthetic direction and momentum of the shoot.  From this station, the shoot was constantantly being assessed and calibrated.

Here is a diagram of our finalized lighting setup:

The gym setup

On the Freedom Fitness set, I was the assistant in charge of setting up the gym set. I determined where in the gym we would shoot and what kind of attack angle we would use - then I would consult with Chris to make sure it was okay 

          Here is a good view of how we worked in the gym:

*image by Jason Doson / Christopher Barr Photography 2011

This setup was very tricky: not only were we working with ambient light and limited space, we were in a gym with equipment everywhere and a wall lined with mirrors. I know what you're thinking, "you can get real creative with mirrors!" Yeah, right. Given the rim lighting emphasis required, we had to worry about the reflections in a whole different way; each light added to the subject created a second angle of attack from that light via the mirror, which along with flaring, it often produced cross shadows and unwanted fill.

The gym setup. No flags were injured during the shoot / image by Jason Dodson

The shot list in the gym included several positions of the models lifting a variety of weights. We slightly altered the gym set from the studio setup, but kept the same feel, style and look; and we replaced the studio monoblocs with more speedlights - allowing us more mobility, faster lighting and ratio changes and making it much easier to fit lights in small, tight places. After the first day shooting, we decided to switch the main/fill light speedlight with a bare studio strobe for consistency and power.

A ridiculous amount of weights / image by Jason Dodson

Again the limitation of the speedlights was the most consistent source of frame loss and shoot momentum.  It wasn't unusual for the set to have three to five assistants, each with a different speedlight and/or flag, constantly moving, adjusting the output, flash spread and direction, while constantly monitoring the recycle rate and need for fresh batteries.  We went through about 50-AA batteries (rechargeable - gotta be green) during this shoot.

An equipment note: Chris loves Paul C. Buff's lighting equipment line... he started using them a couple of years ago with great results and has taken them on shoots all over the world but in these unusual shooting conditions, we ran into a frustrating problem with the CyberSync CSRB + Remote Receivers, as their battery compartment doors were continually falling open leading to sync failures and some hot tempered moments. I pity the poor customer service rep at Paul C. Buff who took Chris' call about that problem. Fortunately, PCB has amazing customer service.

Here is a shot from Chris' raw edits. I will post more of his work from this shoot and more from Smash Brand as they become available.

*image by Christopher Barr/Christopher Barr Photography 2011

For more examples of Christopher Barr's work, please visit www.christopherbarr.com. A huge thank you to Freedom Fitness for being so supportive and kind throughout this extensive shoot. Also, props to each of the models for straining their bodies to hold a pose that really shouldn't have been held that long - we got the shot though! This entire team did an incredible job and I'm very happy with the results.


Here are a couple more set stills you may enjoy...

Huddled around computer to see the shot / image by Jason Dodson

"Someone get makeup over here;" / image by Jason Dodson

Til next time,


B

A meeting of minds alike

Last night I attended the monthly gathering of Fashion Arizona meetup group. This is a group comprised of  anyone associated or interested in fashion within Arizona. I was fortunate enough to meet plenty of people that I could consider to be associates in my business of fashion. These people were designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, photographers, bloggers, and people who LOVE fashion.

The meeting, run by Brian Hill (Femme Athletic clothing, Phoenix Fashion Week organizer), went fabulously well and had a very good turnout. The lovely and talented Joanna de'Shay, owner and designer for Black Russian Label, was the guest speaker. She has brought a business from the ground up to an amazing clothing line.

If you want to be in an industry, you need to be IN that industry. By attending meetings such as these, that are focused solely on what you want to do in your life, you will meet the people you need to know and you will learn the things you need to know in order to accomplish your life goals.

I feel honored to meet the tens of people I spoke with at the meeting and blessed to be in a field in which the people love what they do. If you haven't joined associations, groups, blogs, and all that stuff, do so. It is your time to show who you are to the world.


Until we meet again,


B

It's a New Year

Welcome to the second decade of the 21st century everyone. It's been quite a decade and a wonderful one too. I am looking forward to an even better next ten years.

Happy New Years, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and any other holiday I have missed.

I was blessed with many photography gifts this holiday season and am beginning to used them as the new year begins. I received Adobe Lightroom 3 as one of those gifts and the following information will all stem from that little program.

I have been an avid Adobe Bridge user for years and seem to have a wonderful and easy flowing workflow. Many friends and associates have been raving about Adobe's Lightroom program, so I decided I would try it. I downloaded the demo a month or two ago and tried it out. I have to say that I looked like a two-year-old pressing keystrokes as I battled through a workflow test. I have to give thanks to Christopher Barr for explaining enough to get me into the individual editing of each image, but when I look at it now, I feel like I'm jumping into shark-infested waters.

Even though I could not seem to work the software correctly, I still asked for the program for Christmas. I know the scope and power of the software is beyond me and I feel I can really create a great workflow and rhythm with it, but it's like learning how to ride a bike all over again. I'm a firm believer of "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

For the last three days (roughly eight hours per), I have been reorganizing my images; in which were placed with the same workflow I have been using for over three years. I realized that my workflow needs help, and that desperate cry involves using new software. After I sort through all my images, organize them in one location (backed up in two on-site drives and one cloud server), I will begin my treacherous journey into a new workflow. I'm sure many of you, if not all, have delved into this journey yourself. It is NOT EASY! Did you know if you want to change a habit, you must do it 18 times before the brain can change it? Looks like I'll have a busy and rough January, but I think it will be worth it.

If you are in the market for Lightroom or any other photography software, remember that students and teachers get a remarkable discount.

As soon as I figure out what Lightroom does and how it stores files, I will post my records of how it went. If you have any input, suggestions, or ideas, please feel free to comment.


Until next time,


B

The diplomat in me

This weekend I had the pleasure of working my first photo assistant gig for an international client. It was a very interesting and educating experience. Another assistant and I (he the first and me the second) ventured to Tucson to help on a clothing line catalog shoot at Tucson's aircraft graveyard. Not only was this an amazing location for a shoot, the crew was absolutely awesome. I have had the opportunity to view some of the shots and they look fantastic (even before a whole bunch of post-production).

The clients were from Brazil and spoke Portuguese. I do not speak this language. Though I know a little bit of Spanish, it didn't seem to do me any good. I thought this language barrier would be exactly that, but it had no real impact on working with the clients, photographer and model. I should disclose they did speak English very well, but the fact the crew was primarily speaking in another language was very daunting. The photographer would be communicating with the model saying "Yi, yi, yi" (or something like that), which I could only translate to "yes, yes, yes" - a photographers favorite words. It's just funny because you don't realize how much you miss out until you cannot understand the other people around. You just wish that you could understand what they are saying.

When we arrived to Tucson, we met up with the crew in the hotel's bar/restaurant. Both of us assistants were not included for what seemed to be a secret meeting between the producer, photographer, model, and clients; but we were notified that we were not included because the entire meeting was in Portuguese. I took no offense, because that would probably have been extremely boring and uncomfortable. Before we arrived for the gig, we had nearly no information about the shoot; though I now know that photo assistants don't need to know what's going on, we just need to be where we're supposed to be, when we're supposed to be there, and do what we're told. If you assist with those principles, you'll be okay.

The desolate location:
Call time for meeting the crew was 6:30am Saturday. As assistants, we arrived in the hotel lobby at 6 a.m. to get coffee, tea and breakfast ready to take to the location. Due to some minor complications, we were asked to leave for the location (which we had never been to) before the rest of the crew to begin setting up equipment. When we got there, the gate was locked and it seemed to be deserted. Perfect start to the day? After a little bit of screaming at the empty graveyard, we heard a voice, and eventually were let into the creepy grounds. Though we were running behind, we quickly set up the first location and began shooting within fifteen minutest after our access through the gate.

Making for an easy day:
I've been on shoots (mine or others) where we use enough lights to make night look like day. This shoot was not like that. We used a single light the majority of time and two lights on one occasion. Our light? Profoto 7B pack and head with an Elinchrom Indirect Lightbank, which is a octagonal light modifier with silver lining, in which the light shoots into the silver and reflects. It is also a little over six feet wide. Though it's a big modifier, it was the only light we needed to move around; this made for an easy day. Also, the Elinchrom makes for a beautiful reflector and can be used without the light at all; so at times we were technically using natural light.

From dusk 'til dawn - whoops - from dawn 'til dusk:
If any of you have been on a location shoot where the main crew is from out-of-town (out-of-country in this case), you will most likely shoot all day, in order to make the travel expenses worth it. This was one of those. By the end of the day, we clocked in ten hours - which isn't too terrible at all. We actually finished shooting nearly two hours early. So, all in all, the shoot was easy, finished early, and the crew was extremely pleasant to work with; turns out for a great shoot.

It's the things you learn not to do
I've been a devotee to photography for nearly a decade now. I like to think I know a little bit about it and a little bit less about lighting. But I do believe I know enough to be a helpful hand on a set - not only as muscle, but as somebody with the vision to know what will look right and what will not as lighting and composition pertains. But, as an assistant, I've found out you need to know what not to do rather than what to do. The photographer doesn't need you telling him that the light would be better from the other side or that it should be powered up or down. I'm not saying that I did this, but I was definitely thinking it while we were shooting. I do have to say though, the images the photographer produced were very beautiful and the light was amazing. Each of us photographers has a style, and if you mess with that photog's lighting technique, you mess with his/her style. It's best to sit back, relax (by lifting sandbags), and watch the show.

Until we meet again,

B

Worshipping Mr. Joe McNally

As many may know, Joe McNally is the commandant of small flash. Those of you that do not know him, buy his books. Not long ago, Matt Beaty, Vault Photography, surprised me with McNally's book "The Hot Shoe Diaries" as a birthday gift. I've read it, word by word, and loved every second of it. Not only is McNally an amazing shooter who also shoots with Nikon, he is a fantastic writer. I've learned quite a bit from this man blessed with the skills to know what a strobe will do before the nano particles reach the subject. He has the eye of an amazing photographer and the brain power to calculate when, why and where light is going to hit his subject.


Last week I attended Joe McNally's demonstration of location lighting in Phoenix, sponsored by NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals). Because I have read his book focused on small lights (Speedlights and the sort), I found this workshop to be overall average. I was much more excited about meeting the master of light manipulation, having his book signed, and being in his presence than the workshop itself; though I did come away with some handy tips that will save me much time in the future. Here are some of those tips; add them to your arsenal as I am doing the same:


*the next segment is very photo-nerd heavy. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I can explain what you need to know.


Tip 1:
Flash sync speed
Nikons sync with off-brand strobe equipment at 1/200. If you are using Nikon brand flashes, you can sync at 1/250. I believe Canon says it's sync is 1/200. No wonder why I keep getting partial exposure on random frames. This may sound pretty simple, but it sure helps. I like to be on the fastest shutter while using strobes; reduces possibility of camera shake (yes, I drink too much caffeine).


Tip 2:
High-speed sync
If you are using this sync option (located in camera on Nikons, and in the off-camera flash systems in Canon), understand that each full stop over 1/250 will cut your exposure in half. If you use strobes often, you understand the shutter does not affect the exposure of your frame, but only if you are syncing at 1/250 or below. By using high-speed sync, each full-stop shutter increase will effectively decrease your exposure by a stop.
If you all do not know what high-speed sync is, please take an adventure and try it out. This is a camera setting to allow your camera to


Tip 3:
Use gels (the colored, plastic things)
Gels can take your image from wow to WOW! Especially when used with dark-skinned subjects. You can use gels in many ways: rim light, main light, or background light - to name a few. By using gels on your rim light, it gives you a circumference of color around your subject and really focuses your eye on the subject. By using gels on your background, you can make your subject pop out by defining a mood to the image and making your subject jump out to you by being the lightest (white light) part of the image. McNally said the human eye is naturally inclined to look at the lightest part of an image first. I am a firm believer in showing your viewer a journey through your image. Bring his/her eye into the subject, let them wander a little, then bring them right back to what you intended them to see first; the subject.


Tip 4:
Do not underestimate the power of your small flash
McNally's last demonstration included the use of one SB-900. He placed it in the back of the conference room, about 150 feet from the stage. He then gave his models (one male, one female) their personas: a hot indy car racer and his supermodel wife. She wrapped his arm around him and they waved to the audience; who McNally asked to raise their hands like they were the screaming fans of the two celebrities. With one small flash at the other end of the room, McNally lit his two adored subjects with a light that could replicate the sun. Do not underestimate the power of your flash equipment. These little buggers can output more light than you will ever need.


Here is a shot of McNally's tethered screen which demonstrates the power of that flash. The hands in the screen are part of his image. Many thanks to McNally for the demonstration and awesome images to view.

Big thanks to Joe McNally for the long, full day of learning, NAPP for sponsoring and the many more amazing vendors that showed up for the awesome demonstration of small lights.


At the end of the seminar, NAPP talked me into buying a year subscription to the association. Though I haven't had much time to venture around the website, I feel it will be a helpful tool for learning Photoshop techniques and they also provide great discounts for an assortment of photo supplies, hotel rooms, car rentals, etc.


I've have an assisting gig coming up this weekend in Tucson, so I will post about it when I get back. Don't know much of what the shoot entails, but sounds like it should be a great learning experience. Until next time.


See you then,


B

I multitask. I carry gear and learn too!

        

schlep definition

[ʃlɛp]
and shlep

1. tv.
   to drag or carry someone or something. (From German schleppen via Yiddish.) : Am I supposed to schlep this whole thing all the way back to the store?
2. n.
   a journey; a distance to travel or carry something. : It takes about twenty minutes to make the schlep from here to there.
3. n.
   a stupid person; a bothersome person. (Literally, a drag.) :Ask that shlep to wait in the hall until I am free. I'll sneak out the back way.

Hello readers. You have traversed through all the ample distractions and found yourself at the cave entrance I have created to educate other photographers and photographers-to-be through my experiences as a photography assistant and professional-photographer-to-be (-some-day-hopefully-etc-etc). I hope I can give you all a simple, educated look into the world of professional photography while I climb up the ladder to self-sustained photography work.

Since this is my first blog post, I would like to thank you very much for stopping by. Please visit me regularly (once a week or so), as I will be posting something new, whether it's just general topics on photo, cool links from other photog friends, or my experiential writings after assisting professional photographers, the reason in which this blog was created.

If you haven't read my bio, it's right up there on the left side (I'm literally pointing; you can't see me). I'd rather not go into details about me. This blog is about photography.

I love photography. The capture of light and the life given to our subjects told by a simple still image. We curve, bounce, twist, fade, cut, and create light. We capture the souls and essences of our subjects through a viewfinder (or LCD), and create a limitless lifetime for those we've photographed.

Enough blabber. Welcome. I have a couple posts waiting in the back burner, so I will post them soon after I send this one off into the black abyss of the web.

See you then.

B