In my case I am shut into a studio, scale model workshop, and comfortable library with a drinks cabinet. As long as the supplies hold out, I am fine. The plan to distill liquor from potato peelings and old spray-painting rags is proceeding well and the still has only gone up in flames twice.
Today's Shut-in Idea comes from a photo shoot that was done last year in the studio with John Harney. He's a marine seascape photographer who is wet more often than he is dry - and wanted a page for one of his albums of pictures - or for one of the calendars he produces. He came up with the idea of a set-up photo of himself and all the equipment he uses for the shots.
You may have seen similar photos done be fire departments, military outfits, and sports clubs. They lay themselves out in precise form as if they were a G.I. Joe or Barbie play set. The work involved is considerable as there has to be a lot of precision in the concept as well as the arrangements. It is the ultimate selfie.
We're lucky in the Little Studio. The ceiling is held up with massive wooden beams, into which I screwed a Gitzo quick-release bar some years ago. The floor is vinyl tile in Nelson chequer. You can place things precisely under a camera and trigger it from the side. And light the thing with four umbrellas if need be to get an even light spread. With modern remote controls, we can see what we are going to get and then what we got without having to crawl up to the camera.
The backdrop is white
Superior paper roll from
CE. So is the camera and lens, for that matter...and there's your commercial plug for the day. The way to find where the centre of the image is going to be is to drop a builder's plumb line from the center of the lens, but don't drop it on the models or they yell. In any case, you can use the iPad or computer apps to actually see what the camera is seeing as you shuffle things about under there.
When all is well, shoot and check. You may find that strict geometry doesn't yield what you expect, so the model and the accessories may have to angle a little depending upon the focal length of the lens and the height of the camera.
I cleaned the RAW image and John did the rest. And it is a good picture of an adventurous photographic artist. Friends of John may wish to observe his hands - I am proud of that image...
Can you do it? Yes you can. Do it for you and all your gear. Do it for the family and their prized possessions. Get a standardised setup if you can or learn how to do it in the field. We'll eventually all be able to get out in the field again and wouldn't it be great to have a new idea for the sports team picture? You might need a cherry picker crane to do it, but I'll leave that to the inventiveness of the readership.
Uncle Dick
