Street Photography Magazine

1/125 s, we used a tripod to avoid producing
camera shake.
The mixed light sources and the large
variations in the scenery made it difficult to
find a white balance setting that worked for
every shot, so we began each new sequence
by making a test shot with a gray card. We
performed any necessary fine-tuning later
during RAW conversion. In particular, the dark
brown walls inside the wagons gave the
interior shots an obvious color cast. However,
the mood we wanted to create didn’t really
demand 100-percent authentic colors, and
some of the images actually benefit from the
slight color casts produced by mixing daylight
and flash. The setups we used for some of the
shots are shown in the illustration on pages 60
and 62.

Special Challenges

Dust and fingerprints on the subject can be
problematic on location shoots, and were a
recurring problem during these sessions. Rust,
coal dust and the decades of dirt that had
collected in the wagons presented a real
challenge, and we had to clean everything at
least once each time we changed location. We
had glass cleaner, Q-tips and cotton gloves
with us, and we frequently used a blower
brush to remove the fresh dust that fell from

the ceiling every time we moved things

around.

The reflections on the highly polished

surface of the guitar presented another

challenge on this particular shoot. We

differentiated between ‘natural’ and

unwanted reflections and used deliberate

highlights created using our softbox to

accentuate the shape and the classy nature of

the subject. A surface only appears shiny

when a light source is reflected in it, and we

welcomed the reflections caused by parts of

the scenery – such as those in the wagon

wheels – as an additional artistic element in

the resulting images.

It took a lot of hard work to get everything

set up so that the reflections we wanted

were exactly where we wanted them, while

keeping the unwanted ones at bay. You have

to be patient in situations like this and, as well

Location Workshop | Guitar Shoot

In order to accentuate

the texture of the

background and produce

edge highlights on the

strings and the head, we

also used the softbox as

a lateral light for detail

shots

ISO 200 |1/80 s |

f5.6|24 mm

We increased the

camera ISO setting to

400 to compensate

for the low levels of

available light. Our

flash/softbox setup

then provided the

main light.

ISO 400 |1/125 s |

f4.9|28 mm