REMEMBERING RITA REED

In just two days I found myself in two different situations that made me think (with gratitude) of Rita's class and, specifically, the "multiple flash" assignment. Yes, current students, that's not only something you've got to do to pass that class; you'll have to use it in real life, and without warning...
The first one was a rehearsal of a musical performed by 2 actors/singers. It was in a hotel lobby and the lighting situation was really F-light: on one hand, day light coming from windows (but not enough to make the picture printable by our old print press); on the other, fluorescent lights on the ceiling and incandescent/energy saving lamps on the tables. Decided to do my own lighting with two flash units I had. One on camera, bouncing off the ceiling for overall lighting. The other one, a slave, sitting in front of the piano and bouncing off the music sheet, to light the singers' faces.
The result is not too bad, and this is the pic I chose for publication. Only after having turned it in, I realized that the flash unit was visible! but only after a second or third look (it's sort of camouflaged by the piece of furniture behind it, and I hadn't even noticed it while toning the picture!). Did you actually noticed it?


The other assignment, on the very next day, was at a country music bar that has family-friendly karaoke on Thursdays. I swear the only lights there were those little christmas bulbs, which is to say: there was no light. I needed to capture the "family atmosphere", and that implied more than one layer. I put a slave unit on top of one of the amplifiers to give some light to the stage (you can't see it: it's behind the lady) and used the unit on camera to bounce light off the ceiling on the lady dancing with her grandson (funny: I didn't know it at the moment, but the guy singing on the stage was her boyfriend... all in the family, I guess).


THANK YOU RITA!

COLD

GOOD THINGS, BAD THINGS

One of the good things about being a photographer is that, most of the time, you don't work in an office. One of the bad things about being a photographer is that, sometimes, you don't work in an office...

COACH STALLINGS

I didn't know who Gene Stallings was... mortal sin! (at least in Alabama). Among other achievements, he was the Alabama coach when the Tide won its last national championship. Let's put it this way: if Bear Bryant was a god, Stallings was the pope. He was at the dedication ceremony of a playground for special need kids. It was named after his late son, John Mark, who had Down syndrome and died not long ago at 46 years of age. A young man called Harley Truman, also with Down syndrome, went to greet Stallings after his speech and that's the moment in the first picture above.
The former coach also spoke at a church service. After taking the usual speech shots (to be on the safe side), I went around the huge gym to try to get something a bit different...