Lunchtime entertainment–UC Davis students danced during the talent show  at the recent UC African American Black Coalition Conference on the campus of UC RIverside.
I mentioned in my previous post on event photography, the more important the event, the more likely there will be a printed program.
This program is extremely useful because you can use it to plan your coverage.
Since I work alone, this program can help me decide where to be and with what lens I’m going to shoot the scene before me.
Scene setter–During a Prisoner of War medal presentation ceremony at Riverside’s Mission Inn, this veteran decked out in full military regalia waiting for the ceremony to begin, gave me a good opportunity to set the scene.
Event photography is as straightforward as it sounds.
What your client wants is often straight documentation of the event.
Most events have some components which are predictable so expect you’ll need:
the customary keynote speaker at the podium
the reaction of the audience (hopefully the speaker is engaging).
some award presentations
some group pictures
Most of the time, your client will make sure you’re in position and ready.
More than likely too, if it’s a big deal, they will have a schedule that is printed and handed to all guests so they know what to expect.
Artist Pat Corbin Chao–works on her landscape of the fishing pier at Lake Evans. I used just a reflector to direct the light down towards the palette and her canvas. See this picture from my student Erika Garcia taken from the reverse angle.
Our 2nd artist Pat Corbin Chao set up to work closer to the lake but still within our immediate vicinity.
At this time of the day, about 7 pm, the sun was almost below the horizon.
But there was still a lot of light because of the mirror-like quality from the water of Lake Evans.
When cooking, if you’re the sort who thinks one teaspoon is good, and 2 or 3 will be even better, then you probably eat alone a lot.
Come to think of it, you probably eat lots of leftovers too.
When you’re making pictures, especially when you are starting to explore lighting, resist over-lighting.
It’s all about quality of light not quantity.
It’s precisely that reason photographers sometimes choose to light their subjects.
Less is more–Artist Johnnie Dominguez was photographed using just available light and a large gold reflector. My friend Ted Kulesa held the reflector on the left of Johnnie just outside the frame. Canon 40D ISO 800 1/125 sec @ f2.8 camera on monopod. 80-200 zoom @ 80 mm. No fancy schmancy lights or flash used. I did have an voice-activated assistant Ted Kulesa. I wish I took more behind-the-scenes pictures of this. I’m starting to do so now that I’m teaching.
