I had been intending to go flying with my friend Mitch for years. Last month, we finally went — a scouting mission from Watsonville, his home base, south to Pfeiffer beach in Big Sur.
During the flight, covering about 50 miles each way, we flew over the coast of Monterey Bay, the Salinas River, the Monterey Airport. We flew over the evening fog rolling in off the bay, over the dramatic mountains of the Big Sur coast, over the hidden homes, road and trails of Big Sur.
Everything looks different from the air, especially from a two-seat plane like Mitch’s. You can open the window and poke your camera out, feel the wind on your face.
At the end of the flight, we were joined by Mitch’s friend and hangar-mate Jessy, an aerobatic pilot. The light was amazing for some air-to-air photography.
Athletes of the year. A couple portraits, in-studio. Happens every year. What to do?
Some newspapers do amazing things with these portraits. They set people on fire, throw them off buildings, amputate limbs … I exaggerate. We’re a smaller operation, so I have to work within our means.
My shift starts at 11. The assignment is at noon. Gotta think of an idea. What can I do with all these lights I have in our studio? I know — I’ll put them in the picture.
Here’s a setup shot:
And why should all the cool lighting be used only on my subjects?
Here’s a self-portrait:
Ten years ago I was in Florida, shooting my first graduation. Kids in caps and gowns buzzed around me, little moments happening quickly, me struggling to catch any with my (film) camera.
I remember one particularly poignant hug, happened right in front of me. I didn’t get it, but the more experienced photographer from the larger competing paper did.
She looked at me and knew what I was thinking.
“Happens pretty fast, doesn’t it?” she said.
Sure does. Graduations are a feast of moments and expressions and emotion for a photojournalist. They’re also a feeding trough of cliches and ritual and repetition. The challenge is to make something meaningful and true.
Since that first graduation 10 years ago, I’ve shot countless others, and I’ve got a bit better at snagging the fleeting moments.
In the past week alone, I shot ten graduations. Here are a few frames.
My friends PLG hired me to make some new band promo photos last week. They’re in the middle of recording a new album, planning a tour, getting ready to take over the world.
Band photography is tough, because you’re always running the risk of being corny or cliche. A photo of a band standing around in a gritty alley always begs the question: “Why are they standing around in that gritty alley?”
For this shot, I wanted light very close the every band member’s face, so I shot each one individually, as well as the background alone, and combined all six frames in post. Word to the wise for photographers who want to try this: Don’t bump your tripod in the dark, even just a tiny bit.
