Yeah, that Gulliermo, the one directing The Hobbit. You might have heard of the other movies in the series, you know, the ones about that ring?
Anyway, Chuck's currently working on "The Strain," which will be the first of a three book series he's writing with Guillermo. I'm not much of a horror novel guy myself, (or horror anything, really. Let's just say that I sprinted back to my hotel room after watching "Saw" late one night at instructional ball. Sprinted. In flip flops. Because at 25 I was afraid of what exactly? Right. So. Moving on...) Chuck's also working on a new crime novel also due out this year, much more up my alley. If it's anywhere nearly as much fun as his last crime novel I read, "Prince of Thieves", we're all in for a good ride.
Personally I'm a sucker for good crime and spy novels, but I'm fascinated by anyone that can sit and create a book from essentially thin air. As a photographer, my images are subject dependent, subject driven really, so to be able to create a story from one's imagination is both impressive and compelling to me.
At one point I noticed Chuck's storyboard and asked him if he wrote with the ending in mind, or if it would sneak up on him. He basically said that half the fun was in the surprise of not knowing where the story was going, and in being unconstrained by trying to guide the book to a specific finish.
It's something that makes sense creatively, on multiple levels if you think about it. Photographically you can't be afraid to throw out an idea that's not working and take a shoot in an entirely different direction - and often those least planned shots end up being the best ones.
For any of you following my Flickr stream you probably noticed a recent onslaught of self portraits and shots of my model, er dad. I spent a few hours over the weekend testing out some lighting ideas for some shots of Chuck, only to scrap one idea completely in favor of shooting a flash through a bedsheet. Yes, we're just that high tech over here at douglaslevyphotography, what can I say?
This first shot went pretty much as I'd planned it, with Chuck just making himself at home in front of the foam core, er, camera. (High tech, I told yah).
For the second shot I'd initially thought to do something darker - you know, horror and crime etc. - but that wasn't working out as I'd envisioned and I noticed some great light streaming in from through Chuck's sliding glass deck doors.
Never one to leave well enough alone I shot a few frames at F/2.8 and ISO 1000 of sunlight, but felt like I could, well, enhance things a bit with some flash. After I threw my SB-800 at half power on a stand outside his window and strung my bed sheet up with some gaffer's tape, we were talking F/4 at ISO 800. Brighter, but by a chisel's amount, not a jackhammer's.
After I got home, my day just kept getting better and better. I stumbled across this and almost made myself VERY, VERY, VERY poor in the process. I mean, it's only the greatest rock'n roll album of all time after all, but I restrained myself (for now). I guess I will have to make due with a new album in a few weeks.
And with that, douglaslevyphotography is closed for the holiday. My year in review and best of 2008 posts will have to wait until next year, but they're coming, I promise. Happy New Year!
0 comments:
Post a Comment