LESSONS FROM THE WAY BACK MACHINE
Annual Report – Engineering.
This image illustrates two techniques that helped make an effective story telling image.
This location was very cluttered and messy. This is a common problem for location assignments, so try using a telephoto angle of view to eliminate the mess. Additionally, using a silhouette for one of the elements in the story can add to the overall effect of the image.
I started by identifying the visual elements of the story – arranging the elements with a telephoto angle of view to eliminate the mess and dirty clutter.
Next was to light the scene without showing any clutter. Lighting the engineer, the circuit board and antenna was first. A rear kicker light was added to the engineer for separation from the background. The subject of the testing was a large-scale object in the back. I decided not to light the object, but lit the walls behind it to create a silhouette. The engineer and the testing remained the prominent message.
Granted, the craft of photography (creating the view and lighting) can be time consuming. You must be mindful of the message and the reason for the image. You must create the mood and image quality that available light photography would never be able to match.
This image was created for an anniversary, retro issue report, captured with a Hasselblad and roughly 4000 watt seconds of flash power. All images were converted to black and white. Nowadays, this could be executed with a high resolution DSLR, with a higher ISO and smaller lights. But, the concepts and techniques would be the same.
