Barbie...click to (relatively speaking) enlarge
Seems like my prospects have shrunk over the past little while. I took these for a friend yesterday. I’ve been wanting to learn studio shooting and this was a small step in that direction…literally. Another learning curve to ride, too.
I never connected with Barbie in my distant youth. I was more involved with Famous Monsters of Filmland at the time and building models of Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and the like. Having said that, these outfits – a friend of mine found them at a garage sale recently – really are quite amazing, as well as being collectors’ items. The detail and execution, along with the quality of materials used, is quite something.
Interesting to shoot them, as well, as I went “mini” on the lighting, with two Nikon SB800′s and an SB910 hooked into an ORBIS ringflash, and a cheap ($30) and completely unadjustable wide mini slave light. Given the proportions of model to lighting Barbie probably would’ve burst into flame in the real world. Shot against epson singleweight matte paper on a kitchen counter. A fair amount of post work in Lightroom as well, to adjust white balance and exposure after the fact. Oh, and Barbie’s support in a number of the photos is a beer glass – are we surprised?
Jane Archibald as Semele...click to enlarge
Here are selected images from the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Semele, currently on, and well worth seeing, at the Four Seasons Centre here in Toronto.
The set is gorgeous, the costumes beautiful, and performances wonderful. Jane Archibald will send chills up and down your spine. And there are more than a few “oooohhhhh” moments throughout. It runs until May 26th.
This is the last performance of the season. From a shooting perspective, it’s certainly been a stretch, a challenge, a terrific opportunity, and a hard act to follow. Now it’s show season for me, as I prepare for the Riverdale Art Walk in June, and other shows to follow over the summer months.
The Mighty Leviticus ... click to enlarge
Recently I shot goings-on at the Atlas Obscura show at the Comedy Bar here in Toronto, put on by Great Canadian Burlesque. A little bit of tassel twirling (and more), a little bit of circus, and an added helping of the bizarre, served up in a very small and packed performance space on Bloor West.
Click on the icon at the lower right of the gallery to enlarge the images.
Alan Held & Gun-Brit Barkmin in The Florentine Tragedy - click to enlarge
Here is a selection from the images I took at the dress rehearsal for The Florentine Tragedy & Gianni Schicchi. The challenge with these is balancing getting caught up in the performances – which were wonderful – with the need to capture images. I’ve also been attending earlier rehearsals to get an idea of what’s happening, when and where, but that in itself can be a distraction.
Having said that, I thought the idea of two short performances, one somewhat dark and serious, and the other, light and humorous, worked well, for me and clearly, for the audience.
Dark and light were also significant technical considerations from a shooting perspective here, as well as large and small. The Florentine Tragedy was, for the better part, quite dark, and set in relatively small parts of the set, while Gianni Schicchi occupied a large part of the stage on a more complex set.
These images look better larger, and you can see them that way by clicking on the small icon at the lower right of the screen.
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