Shel Belinkoff wrote:
>
> William Johnson wrote:
>
> > " Tom Paxton at the Freight ", by John Francis.
> > [...] Another alternate shot that would be fun
> > would be something with a wider lens (100mm??)
> > that would show the performer and also enough of
> > the club so that we could see the environment of
> > the "Freight & Salvage". As it is, there really
> > isn't a sense of "place", it could have been taken anywhere.
You've unerringly put your finger on what I'm least satisfied with
when I look at this shot - it's a picture of Tom Paxton, not a
picture of Tom Paxton at the Freight & Salvage.
>
> You're absolutely on point here, Bill. The amount of background and
> environment included in a portrait establishes a context, a sense of
> time and place, and is often critical in telling a story. Some
> portraits require that additional information to make them work
> right, others don't require as much information. An example of a
> portrait that doesn't need such context is John Hope's portrait of
> "Frank". That's a photo that's strong enough - or rather, that
> shows a certain character - that additional information could be
> distracting and lessen its impact.
>
> If I recall, John had some other shots that he took that night, some
> showing other people on the stage.
Not that night - a week or two earlier (with my first ever roll of
Delta 3200; the Tom Paxton concert was the second roll I've shot).
I'm pretty sure Shel is talking about these shots:
http://reality.sgi.com/jfrancis/temp/Frame02.jpg
http://reality.sgi.com/jfrancis/temp/Frame35.jpg
> > My point is that with this good subject, and
> > your good low light technique, there is a lot
> > of good photos to be made, but I'm not sure
> > that any would be better than this. Good Job!
>
> John's not a "people shooter" and his best work, from what I've
> seen, centers around picking out a specific subject from a field of
> possibilities. While this is sometimes good in motor racing, it's
> not always ideal in portraiture (see your comments above). This
> could be considered an excellent photograph depending on its
> purpose. For example, it could be a good album cover, where there'd
> be a fair amount of additional information given about the singer
> and the event. It would be a great photo in the context of a photo
> essay, where there were other photos that detailed the venue a
> little more, and perhaps included some additional musicians and
> things going on on stage or in the audience. It's not a bad photo
> at all, but, depending on its purpose, it might be better.
This was, to a certain extent, forced on me by the conditions. The
lighting for Tom Paxton pretty much picked out a single figure on
stage. There was a second person sharing the stage, but he sat
far off to one side (making it almost impossible to get both figures
in a single shot), and was considerably less well lit (3 or 4 stops).
I've tried, several times, to get a longer shot showing the backdrop
behind the stage (where the name of the venue is visible), but so far
I have not come up with anything I like. I suspect that the best
shot probably comes from being up nearer the front of the stage, and
using a 50mm lens - shots with a long lens make the people look small
by the time I've expanded the field of view to include the name.
If I manage to get a seat there for one event I'll see what I can do.
(The drawback, though, is that I won't be able to move around).
As Shel says, I'm not primarily a "people shooter". Nor do I shoot
a lot of black and white (in fact these two rolls, plus the roll I
shot for the Normal B&W PUG, are the only rolls I've shot in 30 years).
But I found that several of the PUG B&W portaits made a stronger
statement than the colour ones. And although I found the grain
from Supra 800 (pushed twice and rated at 2500) not too intrusive,
I definitely feel that I prefer the results from using Delta 3200.
I'm quite pleased to get a shot which I've always thought of as an
'album cover' type of image. I'd like to get one on display as part
of a series at the Freight (once they move into their new home),
but I agree that there needs to be an establishing shot to show the
venue as well as merely shots of the various performers.
I do have some other shots where he is more obviously singing
into the microphone, but I chose the almost wistful expression
inb this shot as best capturing the mood of the evening.
--
John Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] Silicon Graphics, Inc.
(650)933-8295 2011 N. Shoreline Blvd. MS 43U-991
(650)932-0828 (Fax) Mountain View, CA 94043-1389
Hello. My name is Darth Vader. I am your father. Prepare to die.
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