I shot the Irradio boys last week for my upcoming photo show. They were really patient with me, even though I was holding up their practice, so I was able to get a few different compositions in. This is my second favorite shot from the session.



Want to see my favorite? Come to my show and see it (and Irradio) in person. If there are any bands that want to get this type of group shot, just let me know.


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Photo geekery:

I didn't have a big parking lot to work with this time, we shot on a sidewalk with a fence on one side and Kettner Blvd on the other. Because of the cramped space, I wasn't able to position the flash pops as far away from the band as I would have liked. This is why their faces are much too contrasty for the effect I was going for. Only Dan in the middle came out lit properly.

By popping the flash too close to the guys on the sides, they got a bit too much light while the guys in the middle got less due to falloff, thanks to the inverse square law. I've been doing one pop right behind the center person the past few shoots for some separation between the middle people, and that was a bit too hot as well. Next time I'll try to remember to point the flash at the person's back instead of straight up. The reflecton will create a larger area source, and I should get softer light that way.

I learn so much after each one of these shoots and having to explain my thought process (if only to myself) keeps me motivated to do it slightly better the next time. I still end up learning 5 things that don't work for every one thing that does, but maybe I can get that down to a 4:1 ratio by the summertime.