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Hothouse in the Alley
CASE STUDY #38 Hothouse in the Alley
CAMERA: Hasselblad 503cw LENS: 80mm
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FILM: Kodak Tri-X
EXPOSURE: f/8 at 1 / 2 second
LIGHTING: Profoto Acute 800ws pack with strobe head and large Plume softbox
Assignment I was asked to photograph the trio Hothouse, a swing and Dixie band, for publicity and their upcoming CD.
Visual Objective Although shot in Philadelphia, I wanted to create a late-night New Orleans style.
Posing I started with the classic golden triangle composition. I positioned the tuba player and the guitar player first. Then I had the clarinet player balance on the chair to create the top of the triangle.
The Story Before the shoot, tuba player Eric Henry gave me the CD so I could get some ideas for the shot. Immediately, I thought “New Orleans nightlife.” In my scouting, I came across this alley behind a restaurant called Magnolias (where, ironically, they served New Orleans cuisine). It seemed like the stars were aligned.
We all met at the restaurant, whose proprietor was happy to help with the shoot, and took some bar chairs to the alley. While I positioned the musicians, my assistant set up the light. I then set the camera on the tripod, plugged in my cable release, metered the light, and I shot a Polaroid. The Polaroid looked good, but I played around with the shutter, speed slowing it down to bring in more ambient light.
We were moving right along when suddenly I saw police lights flashing in the background. The police asked us to move because we were blocking the alley and did not have a permit for the shoot. They were right, so we stopped. Besides, I knew I had the shot.
Tips For night shoots, be sure to pack a cable release. This will help prevent camera shake, and it lets you look at your subjects directly (not through the viewfinder) so you can talk to them while you snap away.
Also, get a permit from the city (either at the film office or city hall) to photograph on the street. In almost all public spaces, when you put down a tripod you need a permit.
large softbox for main light
LIGHTING CASE STUDIES 99
