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Folly with Caddie
CASE STUDY #21 Folly with Caddie
CAMERA: Hasselblad 503c LENS: 120mm macro
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FILM: 120 Fuji RVP
EXPOSURE: f/8 at 1 / 15 second
LIGHTING: Luz 800ws pack; one head with a beauty dish
Assignment This portrait was taken for New York Magazine. The subject is Caddie Huffman, costar of the hit Broadway musical The Will Rogers Follies.
Visual Objective My goal was to capture the bright lights and excitement of being backstage at a Broadway musical.
Posing Caddie was a natural to photograph. I tried many poses with her, but having her sit on her dressing table was the best. With all the clutter and bright lights in the background, her scrunched-up position tightened the frame and drew the viewer to her great smile.
The Story When the photo editor at New York Magazine called, I learned they needed a shot taken the same evening, before the show, and film the next morning. I arrived an hour before Ms. Huffman went on stage and had to setup and shoot within a half-hour. Knowing this beforehand, I decided to keep it simple and use one light with the beauty dish. This turned out to be the right thing to do. Her dressing room was about 8 x 8- feet and filled with costumes and props; there wasn’t much room for more than two people, let alone lights and an assistant. I shot four rolls before I felt I got the shot—and before I ran out of time.
Tips When photographing a celebrity, getting friendly with their publicist can increase your access and provide some real insight to the person you are photographing. (In this case, I even got two complimentary tickets to the show.) Also, when you know you will be limited by time, it’s best to work out all the details before you get to the location.
After packing up, I dropped the film off at the lab and rushed a clip test. I judged the clip that evening and rush-processed the four rolls for morning delivery. The following morning I edited the film and sent my selects to the photo editor—very different than the digital workflow of today, but just as time consuming.
beauty dish
LIGHTING CASE STUDIES 65
