I finally got a chance to try out the Leko spotlight that we have had in the studio for nearly a year. Actually we have two, but since I still have not built stands for them, they have just been kicking around. This time I REALLY wanted to use it to get that accurate spotlight look, so I bolted the darned thing to our ladder and made do.
Fun! The black background begs for some kind of hair light to make her stand out a bit more, but as I said, I was going for the spotlit starlet look, and that is what I got. Our studio is a bit small for spotlights, but these Leko's have adjustable barn doors built in so I can iris down the light as needed, plus they are adjustable for width of the beam itself. I will definitely make use of them again. I might not even clean the lenses so I keep the light a bit gritty.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Let There Be Leko Light!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Wrong In All The Right Ways
Every once in a while, things go wrong in all the right ways. Yesterday I had a client in the studio to do some pin-up / burlesque promotional shots. It was going to be fun. She is smart, sassy, and photogenic. The studio is a coöperative with three shooters sharing space, rent, and equipment, It let all three of us enter into studio shooting without brutal overhead start up costs. We all had some equipment, and once pooled together it becomes a fine array of tools. While the arrangement works 99% of the time, there are always those moments where things do not go right.
When I arrived at the studio to set up my environment, there was a light missing. No real worries, there were still enough for what I wanted to do, but it was one of the known lights. I subbed in one of the new shooter's lights and set it up how I thought I wanted it. When the client - Madison's own Wendy Whiplash - arrived I had her strike a pose while I verified the lights. It was not right. But it worked out any way, just not at all what was intended. Sometimes a good, fun shot can come out of small mishaps.
This was the first photo of the day, and I thought it was going to be a tosser. Once I tweaked the levels a bit, and played with saturation, I decided I liked it quite a lot. It might not be what the client is looking for, but it is one I am happy to share as a happy accident.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
One Barrel
Life continues to be crazy busy. Much of it is good, but it still doesn't leave much spare time. The Madison office of my employer is closing, so I am now job hunting again. They gave us several months warning, so there is no emergency, but it still adds a complexity I did not need right now. One small perk of the whole situation is that the boss decided that everyone should get the heck out of the office early on Friday, so I did.
It turns out that a brand new "nano brewery" (smaller than a micro brewery) was opening as a brewpub, in my neighborhood, and at 4 PM. How convenient! I showed up about five minutes to four and found myself the eighth person in a line that grew almost instantly to about seventy-five. When the doors opened we all filed in nicely and grabbed a spot. Within a few minutes of he doors opening, the place was jammed. This was a truly Wisconsin moment.
The place is called One Barrel, because as a nano brewery they are brewing only one barrel at a time. I think they need to brew their butts off to keep up! They are supplementing their beers with other local brewery's offerings. I only stayed for one - their summer kölsch style - and then I turned my stool over to another thirsty patron and went to meet friends elsewhere, and then on to a rehearsal.
I am really glad that circumstances played out in a way that let me experience the giddy grand opening of One Barrel. It seems like they have a good thing going and I wish them great success.
Prosit!
