For the longest time I’ve considered myself an “available light” photographer. In the world of photography, this basically refers to photographers who prefer naturalistic and ambient light when shooting (not using flash). Being an available light photographer has really helped me develop my style, but I think it’s time to move forward with my photography and start controlling my images using strobes (flash). I’ve shied away from strobes for 10 years, telling myself it was for stylistic reasons. The reality is that off-camera lighting has always intimidated me. It’s intimidating because I never learned how to properly expose for flash, and modify (control) the light from a flash in an effective way. So I’ve made it my mission to master the art of off-camera flash. I’m going to keep a notebook of all my setups and camera settings when I use off camera flash, so I can better learn from my experiences and mistakes.

For the above portrait of singer Sallie Ford I used two video Kino daylight balanced soft video lights (hot lights). They work fine indoors and they’re easy to use because you can see exactly how the light is falling on your subject. The down side to these kinds of lights is they’re big, they spill light everywhere so it can be hard to control, and they’re not strong enough to use outside.

My first photo assignment after embracing off-camera flash was to shoot a portrait of Portland Community College President Preston Pulliams. I found a spot in open shade on the campus I liked and setup my lights. 1 SB-24 with the beauty dish 1/4  power  slightly above and to the left of camera (key light). 1 SB-24 on a stand behind Preston on 1/2 power at camera left (rim/fill light).

I had to place Preston directly in front of the light pole to hide it, and make sure it didn’t poke out from behind his head. This limited my shooting angle and position, but I liked how the geometry of the buildings almost creates an X where he’s standing.

So from now on “available light” will also include all the lights available to me, including those in my portable lighting kit.

2 Nikon SB-24 strobes, 1 Canon 430EXII strobe, 4 pocket wizard remotes, 3 lights stands, 1 extension boom arm, one table-top stand, mono-pod, Beauty Dish, small Chemera soft-box, medium translucent umbrella, 5″ snoot, set of colored gels, medium grid, and a Garry Fong Light Sphere. The best part about this light kit is that it all packs up into a light weight canvas bag that I can take anywhere.

During my ride along with Sgt. Tony Passadore we got a call about a shooting at the Safeway on NE Simpson and MLK. I don’t have any photos of the high-speed drive from 122nd and Halsey to the MLK because I was securing my gear and holding on tight. officer Dan Chastain is a phenomenal driver, and although I was scared, it’s important for officers to respond quickly to increase their odds catching a perpetrator.

08/04/2010 – A .45 caliber bullet casing is circled with yellow chalk at the scene of a gang related shooting at the corner of NE Simpson and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

.45 caliber bullet casings where all over the street when we got onto the scene. The idea of a full-blown gunfight playing out during a busy part of the day next to a neighborhood and a Safeway parking lot is scary. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured. With any luck the PPD will have a handle on the gang problem, but I don’t expect things to settle down any time soon.

08/04/2010 – Gang outreach worker Purnell Brown, right, talks with Sgt. Tony Passadore, center, of the Portland Police Department’s gang unit, at the scene of a gang related shooting Tuesday evening at the intersection of NE Simpson and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

After I got a handle on the shooting, and took a few photos to go with the story, I hooked up with gang outreach worker Purnell Brown. You can read all about Purnell and how he interacts with Portland gang members in Thursday’s edition of the Portland Tribune. But basically his job is to keep at-risk youth out of trouble. I rode with Purnell to McCoy park in North Portland and watched him do his thing. Subtle as it was, I could see he was having a real impact on the community.

08/04/2010 – Gang outreach worker Purnell Brown, left, pulls aside a young man, Ron Drey, who has been in and out of foster care most of his life, to check in with him about staying out of trouble. During National Night Out in McCoy Park in north Portland.

It’s a tall order to invite reporters from far and wide out to the sheriff’s training facility on NE 172nd Avenue and Sandy Blvd (50 miles from nowhere) and expect them to not ask any questions, and take it smiling. After Desiree Young gave a heartfelt statement a few reporters chimed in and quickly got shut down. And at that point I saw stunned faces, not smiling ones.

The lack of transparency and cooperation with the media didn’t effect my ability to do my job. I was able to get a somber photograph that shows Desiree’s sadness and desperation 53 days into her son’s disappearance. But it is always frustrating and disconcerting when reporters are asked to report a story while being denied the opportunity to ask questions.

Visit www.portlandtribune.com to read the full story.

]]> http://christopheronstott.com/blog/2010/07/kyron-qa-minus-the-q/feed/ 0 http://christopheronstott.com/blog/2010/07/foot-bag-feature-hunt/ http://christopheronstott.com/blog/2010/07/foot-bag-feature-hunt/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:12:33 +0000 Christopher Onstott http://christopheronstott.com/blog/?p=1646 I was out on the town in search of sunbathing Portlanders for a story on Vitamin D, what I like to call “vitamin sunshine.” I ended up at my old stomping grounds, the Ira Keller Fountain. There was some really amazing hacky-sack going on. Not exactly the right photo for the story, but I never pass up a fun photo-op. Check out Thursday’s addition to read all about depression, vitamin D, and sunshine.

I found this gentleman in a park off NW 19th. Not the most dynamic photography, but it fit the story because he battles depression by taking vitamin D supplements and sitting in the sun.

So I’ll be blogging again about my adventures in newspaper photography. Stay tuned for updates, but for now, here is a selection of photos from my first few weeks at the Trib.

Yesterday I photographed a Food Fight Fundraiser for a young portland boy, and got right into the fray. I’d like to give a shout-out to Canon, for doing an amazing job weather proofing their 1D Mark IV. There’s nothing like a lens full of spaghetti and green Jell-O.

Hayden Island

07/16/2010 – Adam Jones, 13, cools off in the Ira Keller Fountain down town Friday afternoon. This weekend calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 77 degrees Saturday, and cooling off a bit to the low 70′s Sunday.

07/12/2010 – Robert Curley strolls past the Memorial Coliseum Monday evening while after photographing the historical Portland landmark. Mayor Sam Adams and the City of Portland are currently looking at options for the future of the Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Quarter.

07/14/2010 – Mason Brock, left, and Gregg Hayward, dressed in 500 plastic bags each, canvas down town Portland for supporters to join the Ban the Bag Coalition rally Wednesday at City Hall.

07/14/2010 – Charlie Plybon sits in the Portland City Council Chambers Wednesday, dressed in 500 plastic bags, in support of the Ban the Bag Coalition’s efforts to ban the use of plastic bags in Portland.

07/23/2010 – American distance runner Alan Webb trains at the Nike Campus with Galen Rupp Friday. Webb is the current U.S. record-holder in the mile.

07/19/2010 – Oregon State football quarterback Ryan Katz works on passing drills Monday afternoon in Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

Beavers Baseball at PGE Park.

For a story about cold water vs. hot water, does it make a difference.

Kyron Horman Candle Light Vigil

style

heart

lunch break

expecting

brooklyn

“I hate my boss”

claw game

vineyard

scotch whisky nap

elevator

self portrait, dressing room, nyc

And yea, that’s an iPod strapped to a mini-boom box

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