The 52 Project, Week 10: My Big Fat Jewish Wedding

About a month ago, I was carousing Craigslist for some last minute gigs to fill up my weekends (like the pro I am :p) for the end of July and early August. About ten minutes into my random browsing, a particular gig in the Columbus area struck me as a unique opportunity. "Photographer Seeking Assistant for Othodox Jewish Wedding" was the headliner. Considering I'd never even attended one of these ceremonies, experiencing one on the photographic side would be a real learning experience.  And oh boy was it an experience. A 9am to 9pm kind of experience. An I'm-not-sure-when-the-next-time-I'll-have-a-break-to-eat experience. But overall, much was learned, and there are a few interesting shots to commemorate that day. 

A short warning before going through these photos with a furrowed brow; I was a lighting assistant who wasn't supposed to be taking photos. Through a little sweet talking of my main, Abish, I convinced him that a few shots of film wouldn't hurt, *wink*.  Now onto the show, ^_^.

Pre-Ceremony Shots

 Abish shooting the bride. The big lighting setup.

The bride with niece and nephew.  A closeup of the bride.   

Kids with their Grandparents. Baby needs his Cheerios. The groom with rabbi minutes before ceremony.

The pre-ceremony shots aren't that varied for the simple fact that they all took place within the same 100 feet. We started setting up the lights at 10:00AM, moved to two different locations, and finally ended up at a large, sky-lit stairway, adorned with fake foliage. Awesome backdrop? Not really; but it beat the hell out of whatever white, green, and beige walls were lined up to begin with.

With a vast majority of all my previous weddings being Catholic, prior to this shoot I was used to only one hour before, and up to two hours after the ceremony for any kinds of group pictures. This day, however, had allotted two and a half hours before, and nearly two hours after for the group pictures. "Uh oh," I thought, "this is going to be a long one." Every possible combination of relative between both the bride and groom's sides were captured, no matter how irrelevant certain said combinations were.

Post Ceremony Shots

Blessing the bride & groom, and the meal. The bride's big happy family.

Rabbis in downtown Columbus.

Did I mention this day was long and still at a fast pace? Anyone who's familiar with the Hyatt Regency Columbus and Greater Columbus Convention Center knows they're HUGE. And amongst this huge complex, this wedding's party moved between not one, not two, but seven, that's right, SEVEN banquet rooms. So aside from sweating my butt off in full black suit and tie, I was also the kid responsible for juggling a four light strobe setup between five of these seven rooms. This didn't leave a lot of time for candids where I was expecting to get them, namely the ceremony and reception. I was lucky enough to manage a few post ceremony shots that give a unique feeling to the day's events

Something Good: I learned A TON about Jewish ceremonies. And even though I thought I took in a lot, all that knowledge is barely scratching the surface of what I'll need to know before claiming that "I also do Jewish weddings"

Something Bad: There's some pretty nasty flaring and loss of contrast throughout these shots. So what went wrong? I was using Fuji Pro 400H & 800Z; not that this is the entire issue, but these are Daylight balanced films that don't respond well to mixed lighting and/or uncoated lens flare.

Something Learned: I need some "Jewish terms" flash cards, seriously. Maybe after three or four more of these weddings will I feel comfortable enough to go through shooting a Jewish ceremony without embarrassing myself or offending anybody involved.

Next Week: I'm revisiting B&W in a big way. More work in Tmax 100 and 400, with better handling, processing, and scanning.

The 52 Project, Weeks 8&9: Playing with Pets

To be perfectly up-front and honest, this week's 52 Project doesn't offer any originality, unique-ness in shooting style, or variety of subject. If you're looking for a photographer that will bring nothing but groundbreaking, original work to his/her blog posts week after week, chances are that you've hit the wrong link. What this week's post does provide, however, is a series of photos surrounding a subject that I inadvertently tend to shoot  a lot of, pets. I could name five photographer buddies right now that would "poo poo" the idea of shooting everyday animals. I mean, sure it looks amateur, but for a good reason. Amateurs are still out there doing what they love, for free! Shooting pets is my way of coping with people that won't smile, agree, or pay their photography bill on time; and it also works wonders for finding a new perspective.

Anyway, lets have some fun, look at some medium format frames of pets, and be sure to comment on ones you love/think are silly/would like to see more of.

Scan 1: Portrait of a ChickenA regal rooster, some fine fowl...

My immediate impression of this rooster was "smug". He's proud, cocky (pun intended), and king of the coop, too bad he's only about half the size of all the other chickens. That comb of his is sharp, and I don't mean in the aesthetically pleasing way either; just click it to get a full size, this sucker is sharp!

Rugged and worn, this cat has had a hard life.

Scan 2: Sleepy Barn Cat

This sickly little guy and his scruffy face just wouldn't leave me alone. I saw the barn door/window light coming in, and this image instantly clicked in my head. If this cat were human, I'm most certain I'd find him in Central Park snuggled up with some newspaper in a cardboard cabin.

 "Hey Gary, I'm thinking about getting a dish..."Scan 3: Ducks' Conversation

There are two reasons human beings keep other animals around. The first is for consumption, we're hungry and most of us believe that literally every other organism is below us on the food chain. The second reason, however, is that we look for the small, glaring bits of human nature within other animals. Some people can really project this feeling, crazy cat ladies, and others merely find entertaining pieces of humanity, Lolcats. I believe I'm treading the fine line in pointing out that these two ducks appear to be having a discussion, probably cable vs. satellite.

Bob really needs to get a Brita filter.Scan 4: Bob Drinking from the Sink

This old indoor/outdoor barn-cat doesn't have much of a playful disposition or face, for that matter, but he does have an unusually high curiosity for dripping water in the sink. Being the devil's advocate I am, I went ahead and turned the faucet on just enough to make any environmentalist burst into tears. But the adorable lapping of said wastewater makes it ok, right?

She's this happy to see everyone, no joke.Scan 5: Maizey, the Happy German Shepherd

You will be hard-pressed to find any German Shepherd as inbred and as happy as my dad's dog, Maizey.  She was originally intended to be a guard dog, but she proved too friendly and now spends her days running about a three acre yard.

Wow, she actually looks kinda cute. Scan 6: Mitzi at the Window

Ah window light, you seem to compliment the Hasselblad so well. This gorgeous light even has the power to make this neurotic, sheds as a defense mechanism siamese cat look cute and contemplative.

Something Good: These two weeks were a joy to shoot. I was just having fun, composing on the fly, and spending literally no time post-processing these images. Heck, most of the images came out incredibly sharp.

Something Bad: Despite my warning at the beginning of this post, I'm bound to get flamed by my photography buddies. It happens, and I'll simply take my lumps.

Something Learned: Almost all of this post's work was done from a crouched or prone perspective. I've felt that my viewing angle has lately been confined to the position of +/- one foot from my chest. I think this has changed and will continue throughout the duration of The 52 Project.

Next Week: Some VERY interesting, different, and fun work courtesy of a NYC based photographer, Abish. Definitely stay tuned for this one.

The 52 Project, Week 7: The Abandoned House

Closing in on the 2 month mark with The 52 Project, I still don't feel like I'm hunting around for things to shoot. If anything else, I'm growing more and more confident in finding a single subject to "spend" a roll of film on. This week's installment, the abandoned house, is something I've wanted to explore at a close distance for nearly 10 years.

Ever since moving to rural Deshler, OH in 2000, I've driven by this ominous looking house along State Route 235 nearly every day of my life. I'd always wondered what laid within, but not until I was driving by a few weeks ago did I consider just pulling over, going in, and making a shoot of it. And here it is. 

I like how the house has an "angry" face.

Scan 1: Angry House

I've never been much of a landscape guy, and in my photos, it has to show. The lines aren't quite there, nor are all the elements of the house. From a landscape point of view, it's not that hot a photo. But from a portrait photographer's point of view, the expression in this "portrait" is spot on.

And through the front door you can see...

Scan 2: Rooms Falling Apart

Like the caption states, as you walk through the front door, you're greeted with destruction. Three floors worth of neglected property are tumbling down around you. Certainly in its day, this was quite a house; right now though, I'm still pretty awestruck.

This doll is too creepy for words.

Scan 3: The Creepy Doll

While originally composing this shot, I was trying to focus on the unique forms displayed by the stripped stairs and falling ceiling. By the second frame, I was knocked back by the eerie little doll left at the foot of the stairs. Including the original idea with this terrifying toy was only natural.

Note to self, frame within a frame works.

Scan 4: Through Shattered Glass

You can see a bit of this image through Scan 2, but the framing conveys a completely different mood. Seeing as this whole roll was an experiment in "things I barely ever do", I thought "oh what the hell" and tried framing something within its own frame. The Hasselblad's ability to naturally vignette and soften the corners definitley helped.

 Something Good: I went outside the box this week, and in a few ways. I never usually trespass for the sake of photos, I never usually shoot landscapes, and I've never shot expired film. For the most part, it looks like going outside my comfort zone paid off.

Something Bad: The film was expired, and doesn't quite react like perfectly good film. Once a film has been sitting in your fridge for more than few years, there's no guarantee that the film will display its typical properties. The starting film was 160NC, and it largely acted as such, but there were a few exceptions. I typically overexpose by 1/3 stop just for good measure, but apparently a little overexposure in this expired stock from 2005/2006 just blows way, way out.

Something Learned: Intense care for your expired film is key. Looking a little more into my exposure problems, there are numerous precautions to take when shooting more "unstable" films. Live and learn; hopefully the latter, though, because I've got 29 more rolls of this stuff. x___x

Next Week: I just got back a batch of 5 rolls of film and have some major catching up to do. Not sure what it'll be from, but there's a good chance it'll be grainy film or expired film. No matter, they all look good.