The Dancing Dead

 

“It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark....”

So sings Michael Jackson in his 1982 classic Thriller.

Well, I don’t know about being evil, but the Dead that are dancing in downtown Riverside certainly are lurking.  Their dancing and the tales told about the Dead are just the kind fun that makes the Annual Ghost Walk such ghoulish fun. 

Zombinas: Alexandra Estrada, left, and Kristin Lindsay, right

This Halloween, the California Riverside Ballet’s annual fundraiser celebrated its 20th year.  Its a time when Zombies stroll, troll, and shimmy in the hallows of old Riverside.  It's a time when fans can soak up a chilling ghost story of a local urban legend.  It's a time when folks downtown can wonder whether they did OR didn’t just see something floating over your shoulder.  It was just what we needed for a cover story for Riverside Magazine.  And for a fan of terror like myself, this shoot was right up my alley.

Zombie/Dancer Ayden Lyron

An early cover idea at the Old Coroner's office

I’ve always loved the Zombie genre.  From George A. Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead, to Playstation’s Resident Evil to AMC’s The Walking Dead, I can’t seem to get enough of Zombies. Our approach was two-fold.  First, we started with the cover.  Back in September, we met a group of Dancing Ghouls at the CRB offices in downtown Riverside.  I began with a a few shots using on-location lighting.  With Zombies, like photography, going minimal goes a long way:   a little make-up, some torn-up clothes and a two-light setup with a gel.

In the field, we made our way to the old Coroner’s building on Orange.  Again, we used ambient lighting combined with a wide-angle from below to give that “they’re coming to get you” feel.  As the sun went down, I moved to an Pocket Wizard remote setup using my SB-800’s.  What really gave us that cover quality shot was when I put a green gel on the background strobe to light up the ivy.  (See below) That was what we needed to put us over the top and move us from Scooby-Doo to Creepshow. And talk about creepy, that place may not have had ghosts, but it had plenty of pigeons, spiders, and bats to keep us in the mood.

Ashleigh Williams: Dead or Alive??

And speaking of mood, being in a spooky mood gets everybody halfway there to having fun.  It also helps to put me in a great position to pay some solid homage to some of  my favorite horror flick favorites.  The gentle but brooding play of light and shadow.  A slight tilt of the head.  That look of emptiness that is displayed in every good Zombie.  

The Ghost Bride of the Mission Inn

One of my favorite shots was taken on the north side of the Mission Inn.  It featured Bronwin Prentice of King High School in the role of the Ghost Bride of The Mission Inn.  The shot, taken with my 80-200mm, was made possible with the high ISO capability of my D700.  I was one of the rare times I have ever shot at ISO 5000- not THAT’S Sacre.  The grain I felt actually added to the content of the image.

The Zombie Dancers start out innocently enough---

and then they break into the funk of forty thousand years!

Its always fun to shoot the stuff that you are into.
And in this case, I survived the pressure of
delivering a cover shot on deadline, got file shots for next year, got to mingle
with the ghouls, and lived to see another day!

‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night! 

Eerily close to the final cover shot

A little green goes a long way!

Veterans Valentine

The best part of my job is when I can witness-not necessarily capture with my camera- a moment like this.

Quiet.  Personal.  Intimate.

The man kneeling is Army Sgt. 1st Class Joe Verdusco.
The man in the wheel chair is 58-year-old Air Force veteran Andrew Hawkins.

And here in this hallway, as the sergeant tried to cheer up this man in the wheel chair, I realized that these two men were potentially on opposite sides of their military lives.

Verdusco was one of the active duty members of the military who came to deliver some of the almost 2,000 Valentines cards to veterans at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda February 16, 2011.

Young Navy recruits wait to deliver Valentines cards.

As I walked up and down the halls of the hospital, with personnel of the Army, Marines, and Navy, I realized that I was among members of an exclusive club:  those that would lay down their lives for our country's freedom.

In the course of my assignment I witnessed hugs, smiles, and salutes not from patient to visitor but from brother to brother.  These men and women were family.  There was an automatic affinity present in the meetings in these halls today.  It was a place where the past, present, and future mingled.

A veteran gets a visit from a U.S. Marine.

In the hand of one sergeant, was a collection of Valentines cards not unlike those my kids would make at school.  In them were the love, wishes, and prayers for those we call soldiers.  For the veterans, it was a double blessing.  Not only did they have these kind words from the schools and churches in the community, they got these messages hand-delivered by active duty in uniform.

This vet felt like he was receiving the Medal of Honor.

The smiles on the faces of some of these veterans helped me imagine how much it meant to them. Being here today reminded me of how little it takes to make someone feel special.  Today, it was a card.  A hug.  A visit.  A little bit of conversation.

In between frames I was able to chat with some Vietnam vets.  These guys were so polite, and so nice.  I could tell that down deep these men had a peace inside them.  They were enjoying what they had fought for.  They very much appreciated the support coming from these cards today.  What really moved me about these guys, was that as bad as they had it in Vietnam, they were more concerned about G.I.s doing back-to-back tours in today's campaigns. 

Two Vietnam veterans get a special visitor.

A Valentine that made a difference.

Whether it was veteran of a past war or a new recruit, what these men and women shared was a pride in their service and their country.

That’s not an easy thing to capture with the camera’s eye.

But I’m glad I saw with my own eyes.

Army veteran Ken Munson, 53, left, gets a visit from Sgt. 1st Class David Paez

The Berlin Wall

Sometimes history comes to you.

I love history.  I love seeing what once was.  I love learning about the human experience that is woven into the fabric of events that mankind set apart as meaningful.

On this day, I had the opportunity to photograph literally a piece of history:  The Berlin Wall.

Some days, news photographer’s day blazes by and they glance at the words of their assignment sheet.  I must confess this was the case today.  I think I picked up the words, “park”, and “dedication ceremony”, and something about a “wall”.  While I was at first humbled by the fact that yes, I was shooting a park dedication ceremony, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that its centerpiece was an actual chunk of the Berlin Wall made into a memorial.

American Flags graced Ronald Reagan Park in San Bernardio

It was a perfect scene for me:  American flags everywhere and lots of people, which meant lots of faces.

The City of San Bernardino had purchased the last piece of The Wall available by public auction.  Today the City, and members of the City of Berlin and the Ronald Reagan Library were dedicating Ronald Reagan Park and the section of The Wall.

My friends know I often don’t live in the current era mentally or especially musically.  I typically choose to romp around in my fond memories of growing up in the ‘70’s.  But, as I began shooting today, I was suddenly whisked to the Reagan era.

City of Berlin representative Anke Otto-Wolf, stands at center.

The sign reads, "Attention!  You are leaving West Berlin"

I remember watching on TV Reagan defeat Carter on election night 1980.  I remember him being shot in 1981.  I visited the White House in my only trip to Washington D.C.  in 1982.  I remember not understanding all the policies and politics at the time, but laughing and smiling at the president's jokes.  I remember Reagan coming off like a friendly grandfather figure.
I also remember his famous words challenging Mikhail Gorbachev:  “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

I chose to make my main photo of the wall.  Walls represent so much.  They block in and they block out.  This wall had built in all the struggles it represented:  East vs. West, Freedom vs. Tyranny, the U.S. against the U.S.S.R.  What struck me most was the paint ball splatters from the people of West Berlin.  It captured a rage and a beauty all at once as if it was a work of art. 

This was one of those times when the subject does all the work for a photo.  I merely shot from a low angle, getting lots of sky so as to add to the magnitude of my subject. (see top of page)

The image of Ronald Reagan was on the front of the Wall

This shoot gave me pause to reflect on our great country, and the great freedoms we as Americans both enjoy and at times take for granted.  As I looked at that paint on the wall, I could hear the voice of freedom.  Even when that voice is held back, it is still there making itself known.

A Great Day For Melissa K

 Having been a news photographer for so long, its nice to have another outlet for my creative juices.  That’s what Riverside Magazine provides me.  I get to shoot
fun, creative, and colorful work on a deadline that has some breathing room. 

I’ve always been interested in studio lighting and on-location lighting.  And when I got approached to do the Feb-March cover for the magazine, I jumped at the chance.

My subject was 20-year-old singer-songwriter Melissa Kirk.  Having a healthy local fan base, and local critical accolades, she and her band are on the brink of national attention.  My directives were to get something sultry and sexy in a Scarlett Johansson kind of way.  Check!

A magazine cover shoot offers different considerations not found in newspaper cover shoot.

First of all, you have more time.  Secondly, your image reproduces better.  And thirdly, your great A1 photo will be out of the minds of most readers in a day.  At least the magazine image may last a little longer.

This girl doesn't take a bad picture.

The shoot for Miss Kirk began the prior week over lunch with her manager and father Michael Kirk.  Given the directives for the shoot, I felt it best to out the expectations for the shoot over lunch.  I always like to get to know my subject a little bit whenever I can.  After bonding on 70’s rock music with dad, we talked about all of our respective careers.  I ultimately let Melissa know we would be doing whatever she was comfortable with.  I like my portrait subjects to know that while its their image, we build the picture together.

The morning began about 9am with a shopping trip to the store for some snacks and to the mall for some last minute costume jewelry.  The editors wanted a subtle Valentines themed palette for the photo.  Hence, I was in search for red accent pieces. 

Make-up artist Christina Gaudy arrived an hour before shooting time and worked on Melissa for about 45 minutes.  I ran test shots with assistant for the day and fellow photographer Micah Escamilla.  Finally it was time to get started.

Christina Gaudy goes to work.

Melissa K's mom can say, "I knew her when

Like most of my other portraits, the set-up takes the longest time.  This was no exception. Like-wise, the studio portrait is an end result of the willingness of the subject and the preparation of the photographer.  We had the make-up, the rock music on the boom box, and we had the girl.  Melissa took to the task at hand like a professional, providing a variety of expressions that made shooting easy.

The challenge of a shoot like this is exploring all your ideas in the time frame you have. Two or three hours seems like a long time at first.  But between make-up breaks, costume changes, and changing the light set-up, it all goes by very fast.  Time becomes your ally in decision making and helps to keep the shoot moving.  The process allows you to choose between good ideas and the best ideas.  And yet, you will still get those unexpected photographic moments that will end up in your final edit. 

Technically speaking, I used a white paper backdrop lit by two Norman lamp heads for the background. Melissa was lit by two lamps with umbrellas, and a red gel on one side to give her a little bit of heat factor.  We ran the gamut of moods and expressions from sultry and sexy to fun and playful. What the editors want to see is lots of options and Melissa and I certainly provided that.

Magazine work provides a nice departure from what I do for the paper.  Instead of having a security guard tell me, “You can’t come in here”, I get to deal with a mom telling her daughter, “Ask the photographer if this is TOO much cleavage.”  And, instead of a breaking news situation where my parameters are dictated by a scene unfolding, I get to work in an environment where I am in control.

This one was too sexy to print.

 After about 100 laughs, and 12 GB of images we finished the shoot just under three hours.  I think spending some time with Melissa and her dad over lunch helped tremendously.  Having mom present during the shoot pretty much made the whole thing a family affair.  Those were the little things that helped relax Melissa in what was her first magazine shoot and provide me with the most natural pictures.

In the end it was a great day for Melissa K.

And I was just happy to be along for the ride.

A view of the final cover shot!

The Nutcracker

 

I wept when I made this picture.

Sometimes, as a photographer the beauty overwhelms you.  And this was one of those times. The moment was The Waltz of the Snowflakes at the close of Act I during the California Riverside Ballet's premiere performance at the Fox Performing Arts Center December 9, 2010 in Riverside.  I have always been drawn to the bittersweet, whether it be the music of Beethoven, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin”, the closing scene of the Titanic or in this case the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky.

 Maybe its the artist in me, but as tired as I grow of an overly commercialized Christmas, I never grow tired of the music nor the performance of the Nutcracker.  When done right, the ballet captures the child in us all-at least it should- and tugs on the heart strings of even a veteran Scrooge-which I have tended to be on more than one Christmas.

Christmas time for me brings the emotions of the end of the year, when everything seems to ratchet up to a flurry of activity.  This was a long year for me, and it seemed that there was a lot of struggle not only personally but professionally.  This was the year that there was a lot of conflict in the particulars with my side work:  the long droughts of no calls, the negotiations, the politics of working in a small community.  And yet like many of my gigs this one came in a last minute call.  Since I happened to be on furlough that week from my day job, I just happened to be available.  So there I was with my camera, my emotions, and God’s provision once again.

One of the best parts of photography is when you can completely lose yourself in the work.  Its found in the capturing of the images and in the embracing of the obstacles to a great photo set before you. Its found in letting your life away from your camera simply disappear for a time.  There in the dark of the Fox Theater I had plenty of all of that. 

I was challenged by the hot theater gel lighting which would set my meter in many directions.  Also, this production of the Nutcracker was a minimal one and used a digitized backdrop.  This looked great in person, but was a tad green in my camera.

I found there were two synchronicities at work.  The first was that I was working as a photographer, yet enjoying the performance as a fan. This helped me get better pictures I think.  The second was the pure beauty and strength of the dance corresponding perfectly to that bittersweet music.

It truly was the best of both worlds. 

What else should I have expected from Sugar Plum Fairy Land?