Back in the fall I traveled to he Mono Lake area with my friend Eliot Crowley. He is working on his MFA thesis project titled “Highway 395 Revisited” that involves taking portraits of strangers that he meets along the Eastern Sierra road. Eliot is an accomplished commercial photographer who is getting his Masters degree to allow him to teach higher level classes at Brooks Institute.
Eliot in a grove of Aspens with the Airstream in tow near June Lake
This portrait of him also became a teachable moment for my Photo 1 class I was instructing at the Julia Dean Photo Workshop. I had just scrambled back from the road with Eliot and I used his portrait to demonstrate some of the planning and background knowledge that goes into what looks like a snapshot.
Part of the spontaneous look comes from standing in the middle of an active road with no control over the traffic. I’m using no external lights, but I have the knowledge that fall leaves look better backlit and that the aspens behind me will be a great source of bounce light that will illuminate Eliot’s face as well create a great reflection in the truck and Airstream.
I found a spot where the trees looked great behind he truck as well as showing the highway stripe and the peak in the background. The class saw all the scouting test shots and preparation that led up to this 30 seconds of a planned snapshot.
The beauty shot of the Airstream
The scouting was for two shots not one. I first looked for this long shot and then repositioned myself for the portrait.
My "I love Mono Lake" pose - Photo by Eliot Crowley
I was also able to help Eliot with his project by flagging down potential subjects, wrangling with equipment and serving as a test stand-in. All of the activities of a normal photo assistant – except when I was an assistant I was either clueless, or a bored know-it-all. Now when I help friends I’m able pick up on the small nuances of working in a different way with subjects – and on this trip I also learned Eliot’s secret lighting technique.
My slacker wood-cutter look - Photo by Eliot Crowley
Visit Eliot’s blog and see the real people (my posing will also make more sense) that we found for his portraits and ask him to reveal his secret. It’s really a mixture of a way of thinking about light that is easier with digital capture, blended with the lighting technique in Photoshop. In addition to having a great photo-adventure and camping trip with a friend. I pick-up a new trick that I used on a recent group portrait of a company’s Board of Directors.
I recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. to visit colleges and in-laws. I go there often enough, but I’m normally not in either a tourist or shooting mode and I end up squeezing in some shots in-between other activities. Even with those restrictions the freshness of the city allows me to see the Capitol in ways that haven’t been recorded before. As an example the mystery to me is why no one else has taken this photo already? All the way over from the Jefferson Memorial I spotted the flags surrounding the Washington Monument and I knew that I want a wide angle shot from the ground. To me that was the shot.
Flags surrounding the Washington Monument
I had two reasons to visit the National Gallery of Art. One was to see the Robert Frank’s Americans exhibit. and the other was to see the East Wing designed by I.M. Pei. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet both artists and do a formal portrait of I. M. Pei when he was working with his sons on the new UCLA hospital.
Lobby of the National Gallery of Art designed by I. M. Pei
Sometimes the surprise seeing a familiar landmark from a view that you have never seen before – and wondering why this view hasn’t shown up in a movie or TV show yet. On a Christmas visit years ago I was shocked to see a greenhouse so close to the Capitol Building. It is a great visual and could be used to talk about government transparency.
Capital dome behind the greenhouse windows of United States Botanical Garden Conservatory
Much of the time I’m simply a tourist as well viewing the sights. I just have a bigger camera and a trained eye and and see to shoot above the crowd for a classic view of Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln Monument with classic window lighting
Washington D. C. is full of statute and domes, yet I had never seen this configuration until I took the shot.
What every Capitol needs domes and statutes
One more time looking into the sun at the Washington Monument experimenting with the video capabilities of my new camera.
I’ve been pondering when to use my iPhone to take a snapshot and when to use my real camera. This photo taken on my flight back from Washington D.C. yesterday is an example of of good time to use the iPhone.
757 with plane reflected in engine housing
As we were flying into the sunset our plane was illuminated but the back side of the engine housing was not. That lighting condition made the engine a perfect mirror to reflect the plane. I could see this because I had the window seat, which also meant that there were two people between me and my camera bag in the overhead storage compartment. All that sunlight also was highlighting the dirt on the window which meant it would never be a great picture, but it was at least an idea worth filing away.
The iPhone camera was a perfect compromise. No one had to move and I’m now able to share a memory.
The old town has a showdown between the reenactor clan and the thespian clan in a shoot-out for the tourist dollar.
Sunrise on historic Allen Street in Tombstone, Arizona
However the battle turns out it is a fun historic silver town to visit in South East Arizona. Be sure to visit the neighboring Bisbee, an old copper mining town that has been taken over by hippie artists. And consider staying in the Shady Dell Trailer Park where you can stay in vintage travel trailers.
Life's always more interesting with a camera. It's not about the box that captures light. What's interesting is how the box becomes a key. It opens doors, introduces me to fascinating people and encourages me to explore wondrous places.
There will be pretty pictures to see, many of them related to healthcare, but it's not about me. It's about including you in the journey and sharing the people I meet and places I get to see here in Los Angeles and beyond. I hope you enjoy the trip.
