Indonesia; the Sequel

This November I had the opportunity to travel to Indonesia for a short-term work assignment.  A beautiful country filled with very kind and extremely polite people.  During the trip I happened to encounter a man I had photographed two years previously and was thankful to have brought my camera again.

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From March of 2008 to March of 2009 I lived and worked in Jakarta, Indonesia.  My job took me to a number of different islands and cities in that awesome country.   I took hundreds of photos and brought back many wonderful memories.  

Charter Boat Captain - Pelabuhan Ratu, Indonesia

Andy and Anggie - Ancol, Jakarta, Indonesia

Port Life - Sunda Kelapa Harbor, Jakarta, Indonesia

In early 2009, I was working in Semarang, Indonesia, and stopped for lunch at a KFC there (very popular fast food chain there).  At the entrance to the restaurant was an older gentleman selling peanut clusters and I knew the moment I saw him that I wanted to get his photo.  Fortunately, most people in Indonesia love to have their picture taken.  As we left the KFC  I purchased a bag of his peanut clusters and asked, through my language assistant, if I could take his photo.  He agreed and I quickly snapped a photo.

2009

Fast forward about two years.  

I loved living in Indonesia.  The country is interesting and beautiful, and the people very welcoming.  I had longed to go back ever since I left in 2009.  I had the pleasure to do just that this November.  Once again, I found myself eating  lunch at the same KFC (just about every day for 8 days straight) because it was very close to where we were working and the traffic is terrible.   On our first visit to the KFC I immediately wondered about the old gentleman and looked for him, but, to my disappointment, he was not there.  On about the 4^th day that we had lunch there we pulled into the parking lot and to my delight, there he was!  As we left (again, through my language assistant) I told him that I had taken his photo 2 years ago and asked him if I could do so again.  He agreed with a big smile. 

This time, I took a bit more time, had my language assistant hold a reflector to add a bit of fill light to the dark side of his face (camera left) and took a series of five images.  My favorite:

2011

The Greatest Generation

My daughter is an art student in her senior year in college.  Her focus is in illustration and she has a project this semester in which she needed a tightly cropped photo of my dad for reference.  I shot the photo for her last week and while I was at it, decided to get a portrait of him.

Quick story on my dad.  A member of the Greatest Generation, he is a WWII and Korean Conflict veteran and Corsair pilot.  He enlisted in the Marines immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and found himself pulling guard duty on the tarmac of an airstrip in Pearl Harbor after being deployed immediately following boot camp. 

As he watched the airplane traffic, he quickly realized that he didn't want to spend the entire war on guard duty.  He asked around and learned how he could apply for flight school.  He took a correspondence course in math (used in navigation, etc.) in order to increase his chances of passing the entrance exam and then pestered his CO for permission to take the test until he was allowed.  He passed and the rest is history. 

By the end of WWII he was a Captain and pilot of a Corsair, in his opinion the best all-round fighter of the prop engine era (what else would you expect?).  He re-upped when the Korean Conflict fired up and spent additional years flying the Corsair in Korea until his honerable discharge. 

As of this writing he is 91 years old and known for his wit.  He is famous for saying; "I've been through two wars, two wives, four kids and a whole host of medical problems!"

In honor of my father.  Truly one of the greatest.

Hi Powered Corvette

Hi Powered Corvette.

My sister and her boyfriend, Ron, came down for a weekend visit from St. Louis.  Several years ago I had photographed Ron’s highly modified collector’s edition Trans Am for him.  He has since obtained a Corvette that he has begun to enhance with suspension and power train modifications.  (Yes, it’s fast…!) After lunch, the girls were all talking and he wanted to escape so we decided to head out and get some photos of his new ride.

Here is the final result.

Read on to see how this image was made.

One of the things I enjoy about digital photography the most is that if you don’t have access to a suitable backdrop, or time does not allow (as in this case) for a drive to one and the coordination for suitable lighting, you can fake it.

Ron and I went to the Springfield downtown area and found a suitable parking garage.  The upper floors of the garage were uninhabited and we located an area with some decent, although far from perfect, light for photographing a shiny car.  Although the ambient light was great for shooting Ron, the reflections on the car were a bit of a problem.  The spur-of-the-moment nature of our photo shoot left me with few solutions.  If I used an open sky, the highlights on the top of the car were too harsh, so I opted for keeping a roof over us to even the light and give it more direction from the side rather than from overhead.  The downside was the reflections on the engine hood of the overhead structure of the garage roof and the highlight of the skyline, from camera left, on the side of the car.  I could have solved this with a couple of large bed sheets; one over the car and one to camera left, but I didn’t have any with me, (only camera and tripod) nor the time to set them up if I had.   Enough with the excuses.  I mention this simply as a critique and an exercise in problem solving. 

Even with my choice of a more directional light from the side, I still had to solve the problem of too much separation in the tonal range of highlight and shadows.  This problem I could solve by using my tripod and taking multiple exposures and combining them using the process known has HDR, or High Dynamic Range.  This combines multiple images, all taken at least a full f-stop apart, into one image.  A tripod is necessary to keep all images in register (perfectly aligned).  The two images below show the two extremes of this series of images of the car. 

The over exposed images capture the detail in the deepest shadows while those correctly exposed (or nearly so) capture the intermediate detail and the under exposed images capture the highlights.  Because I wanted to make this a more realistic-looking composite I wanted to stay away from the typical HDR look, so my post processing was geared toward that goal.

After I had the images I needed of the car, I placed Ron in position for a couple of different poses and scale reference.  In the image below, I positioned him in the beam of the headlights that would add some realism and help separate him from the background.  I planned to re-position him slightly in post, but not much.

As with the rest of the family, Ron and my sister are firearm enthusiasts and both hold conceal carry licenses.  Ron wanted to get a shot of him with his Browning Hi Power (in my opinion one of the finest 9mm semi-automatic pistols ever made).  He rendered the gun safe and we double checked it before removing it from the car and shooting the images.  Safety first. 

After processing the images of the car and of Ron, I then chose two likely stock images to use in making the background. For this project, I wanted something simple and…  isolated.  I chose a stock photo by Night Fate Stock (thank you!) from the Deviant Art web site and a sunrise photo from my own stock images.  Post processing allowed me to make the sunrise look like a moonrise.  Finally, to add a little texture to the overall image, I used a stock texture by Wojtar Stock, also from Deviant Art.

A quick note about the Deviant Art website: 

If you want to practice your own montages and manipulations, this is a great resource for stock images provided by other photographers/artists.  Be sure to read and follow the individual rules of usage by the author of the image(s) you use as well as the general rules of the site.  Some of the contributors are more restrictive than others, but since they are providing their images for use, I think it only fair to abide by their wishes.

Captain Rick Goman

Rick Goman is an American Civil War reenactor.  I met him through the process of working on a photo assignment through photographer David Hobby’s blog, Strobist.  Every couple of years, David runs a series of contests that he calls Strobist Boot Camp in which he gives assignments with a concept and rules for lighting.  His blog is read world-wide and people enter the contest from many different countries.  This was my first foray into this friendly competition and really enjoyed the process of having to come up with the subject idea for the photo, make the connections and set up the shoot. 

Very accommodating and a pleasure to work with, Rick is also a wealth of information on the Civil War.  Coincidentally, he is a history professor.  All of the uniform elements, weapons and accessories he brought to the photo shoot are authentic reproductions, all the way down to his spectacles, which actually contain the same type of glass used during that era and are corrective.

The photo above was my entry into this Boot Camp assignment.  The follwoing are a couple more from the shoot.  df

Set up:

·         Key:  Canon 580 EX, 1/4 + 1/8 CTO gels with dome diffuser, inside 16 x 16 softbox and through a diffusion panel.  Camera left, approx. 1½ feet from subject.  Power setting: 1/4 + 1/3 Stop.

·         Fill:  Canon 580 EX, 1/2 CTO gel with dome diffuser, inside LumaQuest Softbox III.  Camera right, approx. 5 ft from subject. Power setting: 1/64

·         Accent:  Photoflex 39 x 39 Soft Gold panel reflector. Subject left and behind.

·         Misc:  Black scrim, subject left, to reduce ambient fill.

Where There's Smoke...

Now that I work out of my home, I don’t get a chance to get out much during the week and find that my “chores” build up to critical mass.  I then end up have to take an afternoon of running around town to get at least some of the items marked off of the top of the list.  Friday was such a day and I decided to take the camera with me.   

On the way home I noticed a large billow of dark smoke coming from the west side of the city, obviously from a fire.  Not appearing to be a big one, but recognizing the temps were in the upper 90’s and heat index in the 100’s, I thought I might be able to capture some shots of the firefighters enduring what they do to serve our community.  Fires seem to never be comfortable places no matter what the weather, and the heat and humidity of a Midwest summer can be even more dangerous to the firefighters than the fire itself.  Fighting a fire in a heavy coat, overalls, hat and gloves in triple digit temps can take a toll on a body.

I could see the smoke dissipating as I drove towards the source and suspected some type of vehicle fire.  I arrived to find a gutted motor home, the fire out and, fortunately, no one injured.  It was a typical summer afternoon: hot and humid with a high sun and nearly the worst lighting conditions a photographer can hope for.  

Terrible, harsh sun and dark, hard shadows.  AKA: Ugly light.

I captured a few images of the overall scene in full, harsh sunlight.  The activity began again as they started the final work of eliminating any remaining smoldering places.  I clicked away hoping a decently lit shot would avail itself.  When all seemed lost, I saw one of the guys enter the motor home with a hose.  I found a vantage point from the rear of the motor home, looking through the blown out rear window, and access to a nicely lit shot.

Lighting:     Sunlight, through the burned out roof of the motor home, filtered through an overhead tree canopy.  The fire-blackened walls served to reduce the reflected light and provide for some nice highlights from the overhead light. 

Exposure:    ISO 400, 1/400 sec. @ F 2.8, +1/3 stop exposure compensation. 

                   Aperture Priority mode using Partial (spot) metering.

 Exposure:    ISO 400, 1/200 sec. @ F 2.8, +1/3 stop exposure compensation. 

                     Aperture Priority mode using Partial (spot) metering.

I normally shoot in Manual mode, but in rapidly changing light conditions I will use Aperture Priority in combination with spot metering and use the exposure compensation dial to adjust for the situation. I find I can do this fairly quickly and faster than when in Manual mode.  The auto exposure, combined with the spot metering, usually gives me a good starting point in the changing in light conditions rather than having to dial it in when using Manual and then adjusting for the conditions (expose towards shadow or highlight). 

Remember:  The camera metering system wants to give you a flat, 18% gray.  Not conducive to an interestingly lit photo.

Remember Haiti?

The news has long moved from one natural disaster to another or to yet another nation under civil unrest.   Most of us have forgotten about a small nation, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere: Haiti.  When mentioned it is usually in the context of the 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010.  The unfortunate, cold, hard fact is that long before the earthquake Haiti was a country of despair, hunger and poverty – and it continues to be one.  The earthquake simply awakened the world to the plight of Haiti, unfortunately, for a very short time.

I first went to Haiti in 1994 as one of a group of police instructors and again in 1997 to review a training program.  My experience during the second trip (another story) made me state, to anyone who would listen, that if I never went to Haiti again it would be too soon.  My good friend, Steve Ijames, who spearheaded my initial venture to Haiti has always held a compassion for the people of that country and has worked to bring Project H.O.P.E.'s efforts to the people there.  Steve traveled to Haiti the day following the earthquake as a security advisor to a relief effort and a month later I found myself in Haiti again.  This time with a totally different focus and feeling convicted for ever saying I didn’t want to go back.

Through contacts within Project H.O.P.E. we traveled from Cap-Haitien to the Haiti Home of Hope orphanage in Pignon.  The purpose of the trip was to plan future building projects to help both the orphanage and other local humanitarian efforts in the area.  These photos are a few of those I was able to capture in the day and a half we were there.

Peterson

Peterson and his younger brother were orphaned by the earthquake.  They wandered the streets of Port Au Prince for approximately two weeks before they became separated in a crowd.  Peterson, unable to locate his younger brother, was taken in by a Canadian medical relief team who fed him and gave him a place to sleep at night.

When the medical team was to return to Canada they could not find an orphanage or any other agency able to take care of, and responsibility for, Peterson.  Determined, they were finally placed in touch with Bill and Jennifer Campbell of the Haiti Home of Hope orphanage who agreed to take Peterson in. 

Peterson has not seen his brother since they were separated.   The brother’s whereabouts is currently unknown.

Mika (Mee-ka)

Mika was one of 40 children being helped by the Haiti Home of Hope orphanage when I was there.  Mika’s feet had been pinned in the rubble of her house when it collapsed during the earthquake and she lay pinned for 8 ½ hours before she was freed by neighborhood rescue workers.  It was then several more days before she was able to receive medical attention and by that time her feet were so badly injured that the overburdened Haitian doctors said that both feet would have to be amputated.  Fortunately for Mika, she was airlifted for treatment to a small hospital in Pignon where there just happened to be a group of U.S. doctors on an annual medical mission trip.  Several of the doctors were orthopedic specialists and after multiple surgeries and skin grafts they were able to save most of her feet.  The Campbells, in their continual spirit of giving, provided Mika and her mother, Daline, with food, shelter and medical attention over the weeks and months it would take until Mika’s feet could heal enough to allow her to travel and she and her mother could return to Port au Prince.

Mika and her mother are the only members of their family to survive the earthquake.  Mika’s father and all her siblings were killed.  These photos, while graphic, show the resolve of a little girl who has lost not only most of her family but much of her feet as well, looking at her amputated toes and portions of her feet with a matter of fact acceptance. 

The Campbells, while supported by their home church and other donations, are faced with situations and needs that far exceeded what comes in.  Project H.O.P.E. has returned to the orphanage and built a dormitory and a kitchen to assist in housing and feeding the growing number of children there.  This was done through volunteers who donated both their money and their time and labor, most of whom are not carpenters, masons, or electricians.  They are simply people with a heart to give back.

Pastor Aknov

Work continues in the countryside surrounding Pignon and efforts are underway to finish a church that was started by Pastor George Aknov.  Project H.O.P.E. has raised the funds and volunteers to complete the work on a new church/school.  Steve Ijames will be taking a group this summer to put the roof on the building.

Mr. Tousaint Chivaley

Tousaint is a helper of Pastor Aknov's.  Although he looks like the strict schoolmaster in this photo, he smiled the entire rest of the time we were there and grinned like a kid when I showed him his image on the back of my camera.

The existing church/school house in which Pastor Aknov teaches 125 children using his own funds and what supplies and materials he can locate.

New church built to this point by Pastor Aknov using his own funds.

If you are someone who wishes to give back, I urge you to contact Project H.O.P.E. and give whatever you are able.  Nothing is too small.  $25.00 can buy much more in Haiti than you can imagine and go a long way to improving the lives of people so very much in need.  If you would like to travel to Haiti and take part in one of the projects please don’t be shy.  It does not matter if you can’t swing a hammer or don’t even know which end to grip.  There are many tasks that are easily learned and the joy of helping in an effort like this can’t be described by the written word.  The contact numbers can be located on their web page at the links throughout this post.  They will welcome you.

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MEP

Master Exercise Practitioner.

Kevin Guthrie is one of a hand full (less than 300) of certified Master Exercise Practitioners (MEP) nationwide.  This shot was taken at a recent training session where Kevin was certifying Exercise Evaluators to take part in large scale simulation exercises designed to test the capabilities and readiness of governmental emergency services capabilities (police, fire, medical, etc.) in their response to natural and man made disasters or terrorist events like 9-11.

These exercises, known as Full-Scale Exercises, take an unbelievable amount (months) of preparation, planning and training and huge numbers of people to pull off.  Their value is made apparent when disasters strike like the tornado in Joplin, Missouri.  As it happens, Kevin was providing this training in Springfield, Missouri, about an hour's drive from Joplin.  The Greene County Office of Emergency Management hosted the training, planned before the tornado.  They were heavily involved in the relief efforts in Joplin as were most of the Emergency Management offices in the Kansas/Oklahoma/Missouri/Arkansas border area.

Set up:

• Key:  580 EX speedlight with dome diffuser in a 24x36 softbox, camera left about 3' from the subject.
• Fill:  580 EX speedlight with dome diffuser in a 16x16 softbox, camera right and 7' from the subject.
• Accents:  Gridded, Sigma EF 530 DG Super, camera right and behind subject about 10' away.  Another 530 DG with dome diffuser directly behind the podium, pointed up, about 5' from the wall