A quick portrait

On Wednesday I had an impromptu test in time management. My assignment was a profile portrait of an OSU professor who'll be singing with the Tulsa Signature Symphony, which would normally be pretty easy. This time, though, it wasn't. The woman had only 15 minutes to spare during the day - probably the tightest timeframe I've ever had to work with.

So going in, I knew that I'd have to have Plan A and Plan B visualized and ready to shoot. My original idea was to have her framed by a stage's red curtain in the background. It would be clean, give a sense of scale, and emphasize the subject. But a piano at center stage ruined that idea (just my luck). So I posed her by the piano just so I'd have a shot to turn in, and thought of a new idea as I took the shot.

After getting something usable, I went backstage to see what I could work with. Immediately the strong lines popped out at me and I knew I had my image.



The curtain's folds and pulley system in the background gave me some visual elements and the tilt of the shot adds a little zest to an otherwise static shot.

So anyway, it was a pressure situation with a very small timeframe, and I think I did OK. The key was having a plan (and backup) in place, and executing it quickly enough to leave time to improvise.

Baseball season's back again

And it's made me realize how much I hate teleconverters. I was trying to use one with a 70-200mm for some extra versatility and found something out - they suck. Even thought our 300mm doesn't zoom, it always brings back tack sharp photos.



I like this shot for the reaction factor. It tells the story of his homerun way better than a "bat-hits-ball" shot. Since those types of photos almost never get the batter's face, I concentrated more on getting the shot after the swing, which does. Even though the ball isn't in the frame, I like them better.



This is a typical slide with a little something extra. The catcher overthrew the ball and the third baseman had to jump for it, missing the tag. I think the simplicity of this shot is it's strength - you look, and the oddness of the disembodied feet makes you think about the shot for a while. Why was he jumping, etc.

Just an update

Things are going well on the photo front. Baseball season is in full swing (ooh, that one was bad) and I'm getting the rust out. For the first two or three games of a season, it's typical for photogs to be a little weak, but once we get used to things they start running smoothly. I had a couple of really different shots from this weekend's baseball series, but poor editing choices and a lack of space made for a lackluster presentation. I'll post them soon.

A few weeks ago I went to the SPJ Pro Chapter awards in Tulsa, where I took home 3rd place photography portfolio for division B papers. Div. B is basically the semi-pros: The Tulsa World and The Oklahoman are Div. 1, small-town papers are Div. 3. Due to an error by the person who submitted O'Colly entries, my individual category photos weren't sent in, although most of them had strong chances to take home a prize. Looking at it objectively, I should have picked up at least 2 more awards, but such is life.

So recently, in between massive amounts of schoolwork, I've submitted a photo story for the Hearst Awards. Hearst is basically the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism, however, and I don't think I stand a chance. I didn't have much of an opportunity to shoot picture stories, and my entry shows it - it's definitely an area I need to work on. Below is an abridged version of the story.



The story was about OSU's fire protection students and a training exercise they worked on one Saturday afternoon. They were testing the reaction of fraternity house loft-style beds to a fire. Apparently the beds are somewhat dangerous, but not so much as to pass ordinances about them. A fire was set and allowed to burn for a while, representing firefighter response time, and students were sent in to extinguish it.



I knew photos would be everywhere, so I grabbed an extra camera body to avoid switching lenses and wasting time doing it. On my D100 I put a 19mm wide angle and I also had a D1 with a 70-200mm zoom. I knew beforehand that with the two lenses I'd have all the range I needed and then some.



I was decked out in some of the firefighters' attire - a nomex fireproof jacket and helmet with face shield. You really don't realize how cumbersome the stuff is until you actually wear it. Keep in mind, this is coming from a firefighter's son.



Frankly, I was disappointed with the fire itself. I had expected flames blazing out of windows and the like, but the most I got was a little smoke. Not to mention that I was shooting while wearing a facemask, which was INCREDIBLY difficult. It was almost impossible to use the long lens, so I had to hang around the outskirts of the area, where I could take off the mask, and shoot with a wide angle. The shot above is an example.

After the fire was out, students went inside to investigate. I still wasn't allowed in at this point, and my only shots came from through a window at the back of the structure. I tried framing the photo with the broken glass around the windowsill, but the exposure latitude was too great. Being the problem solver I am, I managed to get close enough to get a shot but still avoid the shards of glass.



After everything settled down, students studying arson investigation came in and took a look at everything. Apparently in this case the 'point of origin' was a space heater set too close to some papers. The way investigators mentally reconstruct a fire's development is really amazing.



And to wrap up the essay is a closing silhouette. A little cliche, I know, but it's better than no closing photo at all.



Overall, I got some good shots, but approached the assignment the wrong way. Without going in with a clear, concise shot list, I wasn't able to tell a clear, concise story. The photos seem like a collection of random shots, rather than a cohesive story with a beginning, middle and end. In my own defense, though, photo stories are few and far between, especially in newspaper photography. I haven't had much practice.

Anyway, I'll have another shot at a photo story soon. I'll be shooting an essay on the start of motocross season here in Stillwater, and I think the results will be pretty good. I'll have a good amount of time to plan and should come back with something pretty good.