I was asked to shoot some new publicity images for singer/songwriter Jeff Green before he heads off to lay down some of his new material in Austin, Texas at the end of the month. I was also asked to art direct the shoot. We didn't have much time to shoot so wanted to select a location with lots of opportunity. What would be better than an old red barn and a retired and rusted 56 Chevy Short Bed Step Side pick up. With an old door hinge holding the driver door on, no less. The location was ideal also because it lay in deep shadow allowing for some supplemental lighting. Sometimes when we arrive on a set that is as prolific as this was, it's almost overwhelming or confusing as to where to begin. Jeff is a talented musician who plays several instruments, but the clincher is that he's a long haul truck driver on the side taking him away from wife and kids sometimes for 2 weeks at a time.
If you're interested in seeing more, please visit us at kenreddingphotography.com
Very selective application of supplemental lighting kept the foreground and Jeff's relatively high-valued shirt from completely blowing.
As we made our captures, I allowed the primary scenes to remain in their natural values, supplementing the light on Jeff with the intention of selectively layering in Photoshop®. There was plenty of ambient light within the scene that really could not have been improved upon.
I have always loved the look of film and have found some plug-in filters that allow me to return the look of film to the digital file. Either a little or a lot and it works very well with this kind of subject matter when there is already inherent texture.
As a matter of compositional application, as I shoot, I am always looking for a juxtaposition that the end user or designer can choose to use with negative spaces to give copy a place to live. With file sizes such that they are, there is plenty of resolution to crop tall if so desired.
I'm always drawn to flat surfaces on which to place my subjects, much like a canvas. I liked this background because it fit the basic "thirds" composition.
As the sun gets down on the horizon, I'm always drawn to a back-lit scene because of the 3rd dimension that is revealed beyond my subject. A bit of flaring is acceptable as well at times. This scene, because I was hand holding at 1/100th of a second and was relegated to about f/8 I was unable to get the sun to "star" in the lens the way it would have if I'd have been at f/22.
As our ambient dropped, it became easier to balance what was going on in the sky with a believable amount of strobe light that was carefully feathered away from Jeff leaning against this old farm cabin.
|
