Golden Days of Radio

Splitting my professional work these days between photography and broadcasting (with a few hours doing seasonal restaurant cooking) gives me plenty of variety in my week. To combine two of those occupations is fun, too. That's what I have started to do with a new photo project. At the radio stations where I work, the station owner's family, over the years, has assembled quite a collection of vintage radios and broadcasting equipment. I thought I would begin to document these pieces of radio history a little at a time. I wanted my images of the antique radios, etc. to have the look of still being in someones home, since back in the day, the radio was the source of family information and entertainment. I wanted to also show off the warmth and craftsmanship of the wooden radios. I used a single SB flash with a snoot to highlight the radios as if late afternoon or early morning sun was filtering through the windows of the home onto the sets. I did not use any colored gels on the flash. The color that shows is from the wonderfully rich hues of the wooden sets.

Most of the radios at the station are displayed on shelves in the conference room and I didn't want to move them without permission. I have more to do and have a few more lighting ideas up my sleeve for this self-assignment. I think, so far, the results are working well and if you listen carefully, you might be able to hear one of those classic old-time radio shows crackling through the speakers!

On Location "Kick of Light"

I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot some portraits this past week...a High School Senior session and a corporate session for our local Mayo Health Systems medical center. The hospital job kinda surprised me, since I had just sent off an introduction e-mail and link to my website when I got a call to shoot some portraits for a Hosptial Foundation publication.

To be honest these two sessions were the first time in a while that I hauled lighting gear, stands and the like out on location.

But compared to images I might have brought back several years, ('Available light is KING' kind of thinking) these new images have a lot more interest and quality of light to them. As I continue to work in and outdoors with my strobes, I hope to begin developing a "Style" to my images. Back in my newspaper photog days, I always felt that my work was different from other shooters, since I loved bringing back the "in-your-face" action and emotion photos.

It has become very clear to me that with the addition of a 'kick of light' my images are maturing, so to speak and I can begin to tell a story with the light, or just add that little "something" that makes the photo a touch better.

My newest "best friend" is the recently purchased Manfretto "Justin Super Clamp" for my Speedlights. I used the clamp on the hosptial shoot to put a second light into the mix without having to drag out another light stand.

One Man Band

Unless a photographer has a house full of staff, relatives, kids or significant other's running around the photo studio, ( or in my case the garage and basement) one has to be resourseful to find suitable "models" to set-in while the photographer tries out some new lighting techniques, practices lighting set-ups or other creative trail-and-error experiments.

For "One Man Band" gunners lke me, I am normally the only person hangin' around during the day when I have time set aside for practice and experimentation. So, thanks to the tripod and a "just long enough" shutter release cable, I end up being the subject for my set-ups. I't not that I want to have a huge portfolio of self portraits, it's just that our dog Gracie's a little bit tired of having the flash popped in her face all the time. I'm a ways away from being a small flash wizard like "Mr. Strobist" David Hobby - http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ or Joe McNally - www.joemcnally.com/blog. My setups and exposures make me feel more confident so when I have an actual client in front of my lens, I will "appear" to know just what the heck I'm doing!

So to get ready for this weekend's senior portrait session and some future work with our local medical center, I've been playing around. Here's a "practice shot" using up to two Nikon SB Speedlights and various light modifiers. I'm just starting to put some effort into developing a "style" for my images. I know my way of "seeing" and my "street shooter" approach to photojournalism is totally different than any of the other photographers in the area. So, I'm counting on that, with a little help from my Speedlights, to set me apart for the pack.