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May 2015 archive

Event, Fashion, Photography, Sports | 0 comment

Ice-Skating Fashion Show

Skaters out on the ice skating rink on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center
Skaters out on the ice skating rink on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center

Tysons Corner Center

If anyone asked me if I would ever photograph and ice-skating fashion show, I would ask them to check their globes. This sounds like something that would happen in Canada or Norway, not in metropolitan DC. But here I was last January covering a fashion show held on the ice rink on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center.

If any of the models look like they are cold, they were! I know because I was extremely cold. And with the large buildings going up around the Plaza, the wind was also a player in the extreme weather! These models were definitely troopers going through with the show in these conditions like they were out on a beach in the Caribbean.

While the models were changing and getting a little blood back into their extremities, the audience was treated to some talented ice skaters! They have a similar look to the ballroom dancers that I have a lot of experience covering, but they move so much faster! They have beautiful lines and lifts that look so daring from the sidelines. I tried to keep up with the skaters, but I would love the chance to photograph them again now that I know a little more of what to expect.

When I was given this assignment, I definitely went in with only a small amount of confidence that I would be able to pull it off. I had a few more frames that were not worth keeping. I should not think of it as a failure as I know my percentage of ‘keeper’ photos was much smaller from the ice skaters. That is the challenge of doing action photography. There are so many difference conditions and circumstances that you would not have the opportunity to set things up perfectly for the camera. But you bring as much knowledge as you can as the music starts to play, and you do your best. I’m still looking for the next time to be much better.

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Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Compositions with Fog

Foggy trees make a minimal composition
Foggy trees make a minimal composition ©TimeLine Media
Foggy trees make a minimal composition ©TimeLine Media

Virginia

Fog can do a photographer a lot of favors. In our part of the world, it is not a common occurrence for us to have foggy days. So if you are looking to get images of familiar places in a new light, adding a bit of fog can be helpful. Sometimes I come upon a scene, and it is not immediately apparent where I should start. Compositions with fog gets me excited since there is a completely different feel right off the bat. I know from the beginning that I am going to get something out of the ordinary, so my creativity neurons start firing when I start looking through the camera.

Pier under a cover of fog ©TimeLine Media
Pier under a cover of fog ©TimeLine Media

Fog acts as a large light diffuser. If there is a sun above it cannot cut through the fog directly affecting your scene. It’s light is spread out across a larger area making the light cast more even. This is the reason why you see studio photographer using large boxes where they place their flashes. A larger light source will make the perceived light softer on your subjects. Fog will automatically do this for landscape scenes.

End of pier over a foggy river ©TimeLine Media
End of pier over a foggy river ©TimeLine Media

Having clear subjects in photos is also a challenge for me. Strong photographs usually have an undeniably clear main subject. With fog it can be easier to isolate a subject for your composition. Clouds in the sky can sometimes make my photos too busy – the fog took care of that problem for me! The stark emptiness adds to the mood while focusing the viewer to what ever is left in the scene. It can give a sense of melancholy, or foreboding, but it does achieve the goal of setting a mood.

Washington, DC

Foggy US Capitol Building and the Capitol Christmas tree ©TimeLine Media
Foggy US Capitol Building and the Capitol Christmas tree ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Headshots, Photography, Portrait | 0 comment

2015 Corporate Staff Portraits

Executive Business Portraits - Tysons Corner Center
2015 Corporate Staff Portraits – Tysons Corner Center

Tysons, Virginia

At the beginning of the new year, updating staff portraits is a popular assignment for me. Maybe getting a new headshot is a popular New Year’s resolution? The feeling of renewal extends to websites as well. I see lots of updates to my frequent stopping points online.

Executive Business Portraits - Tysons Corner Center
2015 Corporate Staff Portraits – Tysons Corner Center

These headshots were made in a conference room. I brought a mobile lighting setup with a white cloth backdrop. One flash through a shoot – through umbrella was the main light, and another light was placed on camera right to light the background with a little kick to the side of the face.

Staff Group Photos

CBRE staff photo on the Plaza ice rink at Tysons Corner Center
CBRE staff photo on the Plaza ice rink at Tysons Corner Center

This staff photo was a little nerve wracking for me. Not for anything having to do with me or my position for the photo, but for my subjects! The ice rink on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center was the setting for this updated staff photo for CBRE. They were also the sponsor for the Zamboni machine that keeps this ice smooth. So the idea was to have the Zamboni out in the middle of the rink to provide the branding for the company as well as a focal point for the staff to pose for the photo. Because it was outside, I wanted to make the colors and faces pop from the background, so I set up one large 500 W/S flash to camera left. I did not have any modifiers on the light to ensure I got the most power out of the light that I could. I set it to ¾ power and I made a few frames.

CBRE staff photo on the Plaza ice rink at Tysons Corner Center
CBRE staff photo on the Plaza ice rink at Tysons Corner Center

I did not want to have them standing out there for too long since it was cold. Not to mention it was slippery since they were out on the ice! The staff of the ice rink did have some mats to help with the traction, but I still held my breath as they walked out there carefully. I only moved two people from their initial position to make a better composition, but I luckily, the results were great right out of the camera. Whew!

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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