AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: Rushin' off to Baltimore! DATE: 2/27/2006 10:15:00 PM ----- BODY:
OPM call and conference. Overall room of people and screens in background. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE: Document a government conference taking place in a large convention center ballroom. PRE-PRODUCTION: My assistant and I were just wrapping up a big morning shoot, when this last minute call came into the office. My Office Manager had called me telling me that I needed to be in Baltimore, an hour away, asap for this client. The vehicle was loaded with our lighting equipment, but once the signed paperwork came in for what ended up being four days’ worth of assignments, off to Baltimore we went. THE ASSIGNMENT: This was an annual conference that the government held, and for some reason, someone had forgotten to book a photographer, which is not uncommon. My responsibility was to capture all of the major presentations, wide, as shown here, as well as close-ups of each of the dias speakers, and participants looking on. POST-PRODUCTION: The client wanted multiple copies of the CD’s to deliver to all the stake-holders at the event, so during the post production process, it was easy to incorporate that request. FINAL ANALYSIS: While this last minute assignment did create some turmoil and rescheduling for other office projects and obligations that essentially took me out of the office for the remainder of the week, I was happy to have the assignment none-the-less!
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: A 9' Seamless in a Really Small Room! DATE: 2/27/2006 10:14:00 PM ----- BODY:
Setup of white seamless with edges of room visible and one grid softbox, and vertical of Scott Eblin. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE: This home-based business-owner wanted both headshots and full length shots of himself that he could use for marketing and on his website. PRE-PRODUCTION: We arrived to his home, and set up a 9’ seamless in his living room. It was a three light shoot – The main on him from camera left, a kicker light from behind him camera right, and the final one – to blow out the seamless, was behind it. THE ASSIGNMENT: We were able to have the subject review all the images after each setup by having the digital workstation on hand. Suit changes and tie changes ensued, but it was all with the end goal of ensuring the client’s image was depicted how he wanted it. POST-PRODUCTION: The shadows, which appear in these outtakes, show that retouching was necessary to remove them. We delivered final selects via a CD after the client reviewed the images on a web gallery. FINAL ANALYSIS: This client had a very specific vision for the results he wanted, and I appreciated his objectives and enjoyed the challenge of making it happen.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: B Ball and A Cover DATE: 2/20/2006 10:13:00 PM ----- BODY:
vertical of GWU team for WSJ. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE:This assignment was for the Wall Street Journal, and the GW Colonials basketball team were doing better than expected, It was decided that the Final Four special section was to feature the team on the cover. PRE-PRODUCTION:The challenge at hand was how to dramatically depict eight people, in a group – vertically. I scouted the assignment before hand, locating power outlets, and determined the best way to not only light – evenly – eight people in a staggered manner, but with enough depth of field that they would all be in focus, as well as enough watt-seconds of power to light the entire gym. Working with the Sports Information Director, we determined two days prior, what the best locations were, and I shot scouting shots and sent them to the Art Director. Having four assistants on hand made this shoot go smoothly. THE ASSIGNMENT:The day of the assignment, one of the players was injured, but expected to play later in the season. He did not suit up for the practice, which took place just prior to the shoot. We arrived, and simultaneously lit the on-court shot, as well as the seating shot. Once the players were done, we pre-positioned them in each location, and had them done, in both locations, in twenty minutes. POST-PRODUCTION: The processing of the files to an online gallery, followed by delivery of final files was what was called for on this assignment. FINAL ANALYSIS: The AD knew approximately what she would be getting, but of course, the fidelity of the final files enhanced her happiness with the shoot. I was pleased we were able to seamlessly execute two shoots. Assignments like this are always a challenge, and meeting – and exceeding – client needs is especially rewarding.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: Steps Across the Capitol DATE: 2/20/2006 10:11:00 PM ----- BODY:
Steps across America finishes their walk past the Capitol. Man with John Lewis on steps impromptu, and group walking, strong visuals. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE: The client was just wrapping up a cross-country walk to raise awareness for a particular cause amongst the leadership on Captol Hill. We wanted them to be walking around the capitol. PRE-PRODUCTION:A discussion with the client ensued, about best locations and timing for “best light”. THE ASSIGNMENT: After meeting on the East Front of the Capitol, participants engaged Congressional Leadership (shown here, Rep. John Lewis, D-GA) for talks. Following that, the walkers walked west around the Capitol where I had to to continually shoot and then race ahead of them to pre-position for the next shot. Different angles with the Capitol present were made so the client had options to choose from. POST-PRODUCTION: Following the event, we returned to our office, and processed several images for the client, and delivered them within an hour or so so that they could promote the walk. FINAL ANALYSIS: A combination of flash-fill, and lens choice made for a nice variety of images from this event. Making sure that the Capitol dome was in each image was a challenge, but I was glad that it worked out so well.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: The Ubiquitous Conference Room DATE: 2/20/2006 10:09:00 PM ----- BODY:
Radio One CEO in conf room. includes setup shot. ADD Mag Cover CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE:This image was of the CEO of a local radio station conglomerate, for a trade magazine cover. PRE-PRODUCTION:We were planning on “finding the shot” once we got there. Such, sometimes, is the reality of an editorial assignment. Beyond bringing our full complement of lighting, which can solve just about any lighting situation, we were prepared for whatever eventuality we would come upon. THE ASSIGNMENT: We were shown to the conference room, and that was the only option we were given inside. In image #1, you see the setup. We had to move the sideboard out from the wall to put a geled light behind it, because otherwise, there would be little depth to the image. We had a white ceiling, and mottled brown walls to work with.. Further, I wanted a light low and pointing upwards to add a little rim light to him, to further separate him from the background. Lastly, a softbox with Lighttools grids installed made sure that the softbox light would not spill onto the background. In addition to this, we took the CEO outside, and had a single lightsource, with the building in the background. POST-PRODUCTION: Delivering a gallery of images to the magazine for review, followed by final clean up and sizing to spec of the chosen images was what was involved in our post production for this assignment. FINAL ANALYSIS: In the end, the client chose the outdoor shot, and ran this one inside. We had left room for the magazine name at the top, as well as negative space for their story teases, as we normally try to do when we know it’s a cover assignment.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: The Floutist DATE: 2/20/2006 10:08:00 PM ----- BODY:
James Galway practicing at XM in P1. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE: PRE-PRODUCTION: THE ASSIGNMENT: POST-PRODUCTION: FINAL ANALYSIS:
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: An empty press conference DATE: 2/20/2006 10:07:00 PM ----- BODY:
NPC cigarette press conf, empty seats. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE:The objective was to cover what was happening on the dias at this press conference, of course. Further, it was necessary to make the event appear to be well attended by the press, and to service the images to news media outlets following the event. PRE-PRODUCTION: I am familiar with the venue – the National Press Club, quite well. This is one of the larger rooms to hold a press conference in. Here, instead of the standard podium image, you see the room challenges, since it’s near empty. THE ASSIGNMENT: There are two tv cameras, but beyond that, it’s empty. The angle towards the podium, is actually best shot from the back, down low, shooting between the shoulders of the four men on the left, so they create the appearance of a well attended event, when shot with a zoom lens. Photographing the event from all angles is important, from a documentary standpoint so that the client can see what they had, after the fact. POST-PRODUCTION:We had to deliver images of the dias activity immediately following the event, so the digital workstation was required. We selected an image that was of the principal of the event, captioned, and moved the photo to the wires. FINAL ANALYSIS: We were successful in placing the images with the wire services, and the client garnered the exposure they wanted, as it was picked up from there with other news outlets picking up the story from the wire services.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: Air to Ground to Air Again DATE: 2/20/2006 10:01:00 PM ----- BODY:
me in the air, over top of the helo with reflective river, and man walking towards sunset us139 blue sky. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE:The objective of this assignment was to highlight the capabilities and beauty of the helicopter for use on a prominent magazine cover. Air-to-air, and on ground views would be needed. . For this aircraft, we were focusing, in part, on it’s use over mixed terrain, for construction surveys, and so forth. PRE-PRODUCTION:Flights that involve aircraft always require a great deal of pre-planning. The first is to determine the flight path, as the terrain you will be flying over will be your background. If it’s to be of an aircraft in use around big cities, because it’s quieter, then flying over the mountains won’t be as effective. As this was to be an air-to-air shoot, pilot coordination was critical. There were times when, had there not been careful collaboration between highly skilled clients, we would have crashed. Further, the use of a gyroscope to diminish the vibrations that the helicopter would cause was an absolute must. THE ASSIGNMENT:Once on site, we had our final briefing before going up. In addition to the pilots being in communication, so too did I have total communication with both. Usually, it’s best to have the helo with the camera on board stay stationary – flying steady and straight, and give the other helo directions to maneuver. Further, we’re operating without the door, hanging out from the side, so my legs are constantly subjected to 100+ mph winds at temperatures that approach zero, so planning accordingly is critical. More so, I wear a double harness strapped to two hard points in the aircraft, with about 1-2 feet’s worth of play outwards, so not only can’t I fall out of the aircraft, if one harness failed were this to occur, the second would not. In the vertical image here, the helicopter has a nice juxtapostion with nature and the river, as well as remote construction. Further, issues such as negative space at the top and bottiom/sides for standard magazine elements like the magazine’s name, as well as story teasers was necessary. In addition, choosing the right shutter speed of about 100th of a second ensures that the blades are slightly blurred, but still visible, is critical. A shutter speed of 500th of a second would freeze the blades mid-air, making the helicopter look unnatural, and seemingly about to fall from the sky. In the second image, as the sun was setting on the tarmac, I was making heroic images of the bird as the last rays of the sun was hitting it. As luck would have it, the flight mechanic was walking towards the bird to check on something. This single image, with perfect foot position, enhanced by the wide angle lens, just makes the photo. POST-PRODUCTION:Processing the images at a resolution that met the magazine’s specs was the goal. Secondarily, was the image needs for the client, however, shooting raw files, it was no problem to process, and then re-process to a different specification. FINAL ANALYSIS:I love being in, and around, helicopters almost as much as I love photography in general. I take the opportunity whenever I can to do so, and when it leads to a magazine cover, and the hours are on the client’s dime, it’s all the better.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: Groups and Steps DATE: 2/20/2006 10:00:00 PM ----- BODY:
9am as the sun rises a group of paramedics on the stairs for AAA. stars of life. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE:Each year, across the country, paramedics save lives, and when those saves are remarkable, for one reason or another, their company nominates them to be a part of a trip to Washington to meet with their members of congress, to share their stories. The objective for this picture was to create a lasting memento of all those that came, from across the country. PRE-PRODUCTION: As this is an assignment I have done annually, I am familiar with the details leading up to the assignment. However, issues such as permits, and so forth, must be handled. Also ensuring that the group lines up prior to stepping onto the steps, by height, is critical. THE ASSIGNMENT: This shoot typically takes less than 15 minutes to accomplish, organized properly. As the subjects disembarked off the bus, they were instructed to line up tallest to shortest, just out of camera position. One by one, they are lead to the top of the steps, and, skipping a step in-between rows, lined up. Details like “hands behind” and “no sunglasses” makes for a uniform and attractive portrait. POST-PRODUCTION:The client, each year, hands out just over 100 10”x20” prints at a dinner the evening this picture was taken, so we must immediately begin the process of making what amounts to a 10” x 167 foot print, in just a few hours time. The logistics of this must be closely monitored to ensure that the time commitment is made. FINAL ANALYSIS:Each year, we are excited to see this client return. And, since they do, we know that they’re happy. To date, we’ve not had a rainy day, and because of the time of day that this photo is taken, an overcast day is preferable to sunny, as the sun would be just above the tip of the Capitol, with the subjects backlit, meaning more work to handle the dome and sky issues that would arise.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: LL dresses in The Finest! DATE: 2/15/2006 09:59:00 PM ----- BODY:
CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE:For this assignment, the objective was to capture LL Cool J’s second on-air visit. I had previously made a similar image the first time, but on this visit, he was wearing much more casual clothes, and his visit today was, in part, to promote a new CD as well as his new clothing line. PRE-PRODUCTION: Making sure that the studio was properly dressed with signage, logos, and so forth was necessary. Further, reserving my position (seen from this photo) so that members of the guest’s entourage did not take that spot, or come between the camera and subject, was important. Further, making sure that the bottled water that is ubiquitous did not have the label prominent. THE ASSIGNMENT: When LL arrived, he was whisked into the studio, and the interview began. It was necessary to use our Jacobsen Blimp, as this was an on-air interview. However, there’s no accommodation for a flash hotshoe, so that had to be wired out of the soundproof box to make it useful. I had to wait until the on-air talent asked him a question that got a good reaction, and further, that included a gesture. This happened a total of three times, and waiting for just the right one meant camera-to-face the whole time, but it was worth it. POST-PRODUCTION:This image needed to be turned around immediately for the company’s PR department to be able to send it out to garner publicity, meaning we had to have our digital workstation on hand to review images, prepare and have an approved caption done, and then send it out via e-mail. FINAL ANALYSIS:The client was happy, as was I. The critical challenge for me, was I was competing against myself for a photo that was as least as good as the previous visit, if not better. Honestly, this is as good as, but not better than that.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: READY2EXPORT: Holly & Liam, Abe & Mary DATE: 2/13/2006 09:57:00 PM ----- BODY:
Holly Hunter and Liam Neeson doing letters from Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln for LOC Lincoln Comm. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE: The objective was to depict the celebration of Abraham Lincoln, as a part of events being held by the Lincoln BiCentential Commission. Each year leading up to Lincoln’s BiCentenial, noted actors would come to the Library of Congress to read the writings of Lincoln, and his wife. The challenge was to depict this visually, when the subjects are standing at podiums which hold the written words, on a stage that has a black background and single images projected on a screen. PRE-PRODUCTION: We had the opportunity to review the staging, and make some slight modifications to the two podiums, and choose our seats before the audience filed in, ensuring that we had the right angle to juxtapose the readers and the various images that accompanied their performances. THE ASSIGNMENT: There were other images that took place backstage before and after the program, audience reaction shots, and so forth. However, this image, with the reader performing Lincoln’s lines speaking, makes the point clearly. POST-PRODUCTION: The standard color temperature for the projector is daylight, and the performers were lit with tungsten. Here, you see the uncorrected image. The color correction was made to work around the technical limitations of the sensor (i.e. it can’t match tungsten and daylight, as the human eye does). FINAL ANALYSIS: This image exceeded client expectations, because of the powerful juxtaposition, and I was pleased with the results as well.
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----- -------- AUTHOR: John Harrington TITLE: Snow Day! DATE: 2/12/2006 09:55:00 PM ----- BODY:
natasha, nose to the camera, with D and K outside. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVE: PRE-PRODUCTION: THE ASSIGNMENT: POST-PRODUCTION: FINAL ANALYSIS:
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