Moondance

I have to confess- there are a few shoots that I come to look forward to-  and ski club is always one of them.  The group photo is always a challenge to set up- tight quarters and bad lighting are never a good mix.  Remember the year we threw a few folks out of their seats for this shot? Mrs Fink as the Pizza Nazi?  Jimmy's last moment with an intact ACL?  This season's skiing schoolgirls? Good times.  Action shots were turned up a notch in the last season or so when lights were brought into the mix, so the shoot has become far more of a production- and the results have become far more interesting.

Here's a bit of a photo lesson, for those that are interested....  (waiting for the room to clear..... ) Ok- for the 2 of you that are left-  Light falls off (dies/dims/whatever) according to the inverse square law.  Suffice it to say, that means that light gets dim very quickly as it moves further from the source.  So light from a flash that is enough to illuminate a jumping skier 20 feet away, will not be anywhere near bright enough to light the background that is 200+ feet away.  The end result are these very cool (IMO) photos that look like some sort of moondance- well lit subjects, very black backgrounds, and snow that could almost pass for the lunar surface (I guess- what do I know about the lunar surface....).  The photos are cool to me because.... well- they look cool, and not everyone would make the effort to create them.  Thanks to my assistants and models for their time and efforts- this is far more than a one-man operation.

Also on a photographic note- these shoots, like many, are a bit experimental.  Not only in technique, but in equipment as well.  In the last several trips out, we've learned several things:
1. It's cold in the winter time.  Some kind of gloves that allow fingers to work the camera buttons are a huge help.
2.  Cold affects batteries- a lot.  Storing extra batteries in a camera bag on the snow will render them useless.
3.  5 stars to the inexpensive flashes from Yongnuo.  Those are manual only, but if I were looking for something with ETTL capabilities, I would not hesitate to get this one.
4.  In spite of a catchy name that suggest otherwise, the Frio is probably not suited for cold-weather use.  We snapped 2 of them in the course of the shoot.

A few comments on that musical link before this is over-  There are plenty of versions of Van Morrison's classic available online, and honestly,  better ones.  Check out that lineup of musicians though-  Joining Van onstage are Carlos Santana, Dr. John, Tom Scott (confession- I don't know who he is.....) Etta James skatting (For the younger fans, skatting is like rap, only it requires musical talent).  Comments on the page suggest the George Benson is in there too- I am guessing he has the guitar part in the early middle.  Carlos drew me in, but that's quite a lineup beyond that.

One more night of ski club, and no- I will not be shooting again.  Twice should be enough.  Links are below-

01/21/12

02/03/12

FotoFink

Enjoy!