David Stephenson » lighting

Kernel of light

David Stephenson — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:45:05 +0000

We had a great time playing with our cell phones during the Kernel retreat held this year at Rough River Dam State Resort Park. Here’s to a great 2009-2010 year at the Kernel.

Bring it.

Lessons in life and basketball

David Stephenson — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:56:13 +0000

Update: Coach Sallee passed away today, Jan. 23, 2009. I will try to think of his positive message as often as I can.

•••

East Jessamine Coach Ralph Sallee, while battling late-stage cancer, kept teaching lessons in life and faith while bringing his girls’ basketball team closer.

This is the second video I’ve shot and produced using the Canon 5D Mark II. It started with reporter Mike Fields asking the well-known and much-loved coach if he’d be willing to talk to us about his fight with cancer. I thought it might make for a nice video and I knew I could get good frame grabs for the paper.

I lit the interview and recorded it using the 70-200 2.8 IS on a tripod. The light was a single White Lightning 800 with a large softbox. The modeling light was the source, so I set the white balance to incandescent.

Frame from video

We arranged to shoot his next practice for some b-roll and so I could interview some of his players. This all was happening right around Christmas break, so I couldn’t shoot a game for nearly three weeks. The third time I photographed coach Sallee was during his team’s rivalry game against West Jessamine.

Each time, coach let me put my Sennheiser wireless lav on him which worked out quite well for the audio. In the loud gym during the game, it peaked out a few times, though.

Production in Final Cut Pro went very smoothly this time now that I have all my settings worked out.

Overall, I think the video came out pretty well. I’m happy to be able to give Coach Sallee a voice and to document a place and time in his life that I hope they will cherish.

The full story can be read on Kentucky.com.

Many thank-yous to coach, his wife and family for letting us tell his story.

Frame from video

Ringflash: The Rollergirls next door

David Stephenson — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:37:47 +0000

I love the look of the ringflash. Who doesn’t really, but I’ve never had access to one until Tim Gruber let me borrow his for a freelance gig. He had the Alien Bees ABR800, which is both compact, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use on location.

I discovered our local Rollerderby team quite by accident. They had been around for a couple of years and we had never done a story on them! I couldn’t believe it. But, I didn’t want to do the story I had seen so many times before – you know – fast action in bad light. I thought it might be a good time to try out the ringflash (borrowed again but from a different friend), so I concocted the idea of diptych portraits of the women.

Most of the time I used the Vagabond battery pack (also borrowed from yet a different friend. OK, so I don’t like to buy things before I try them). I’d have to say I like them both and hope to use them again when the time is right.

So to make the package a little more complete, I did really quick 5 minute interviews, condensed to 30 seconds or so each, and put it all together in Vuvox (I’m a big fan of Vuvox, btw).

The Rollergirls of Central Kentucky are a diverse group of women (and men) who enjoy the aggressive competition and comraderie of the sport. For some, it is an extension of their everyday lives. For others, it is a chance to be someone else.