Category On Location

Inspire Portland: Meet Michelle

October 26, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, Inspire Portland, On Location

The path to inspiration takes many twists. If any of those dark and windy turns are located in Maine, chances are that Michelle Souliere probably can tell you all about them.

Along with her husband, Tristan, Michelle is force behind the Strange Maine blog. She’s also a writer, having published a book on the subject of strange things Maine last year. She’s a speaker, radio personality, and a business owner, running the Green Hand Bookshop on Congress Street. She’s also an artist with a fine-arts degree from MECA.

Above all Michelle is a Mainer, and she loves to tell people jsut how odd, spooky or downright wierd Maine really is.

I suspect that’s why she made the suggestion of shooting her photo in a cemetery, which I readily accepted. The shoot went well, at Evergreen Cemetery, and I learned a few things. One, take extra batteries. Two, fog is hard to shoot. Three, kerosene lanterns are very messy. So, thanks, Michelle, for being so patient with us during a long shoot with fickle props.

I like the final image chosen—dark, ominous, with Michelle shedding light on the darkness. She was a lot of fun, and has some cool things to say in her interview on the Inspire Portland site. Check it out!

A man named Corky

October 13, 2011 1 Comment read Blog, News, On Assignment, On Location, Projects

My former next-door-neighbor Mike worked for a very mysterious-sounding tech company named Kepware Technologies. Every so often, Mike would disappear to for a week or so and come back with tales of travels to Germany, Portugal or Eastern Europe for his job. I recall a night at his place involving a couple of Russian business partners and some vodka. He explained what they made—software drivers—leaving me as confused as before.

I thought again of Kepware when I started Inspire Portland after reading some articles about Kepware’s successes–and founder Corson “Corky” Ellis’ involvement in the promotion of entrepreneurship in Maine through ventures like the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development’s Top Gun program I thought, I’ve got to meet this guy. At a minimum, he might be able to explain what Kepware does in a way that my feeble brain can understand.

Two days after he agreed to the shoot, I found myself in the headquarters of Corky’s operation, above the Post Office in downtown Portland. He looks a little like my good friend and photographer Brad Armstrong. We had a good conversation, and Corky emphasized two things repeatedly: one, the success of Kepware is entirely due to the efforts of many talented people besides himself; and two, that he is very concerned about the state of technology education among secondary school students. From his perspective, the best way to keep and attract high-paying tech jobs here in Maine is to get our kids more interested in science and math. He sees technology education as the key to creating a technology economy here in Maine.

The shoot went well and I had the run of their amazing space across from City Hall. Corky is one of those talented entrepreneurs who actively chose to live in Portland and now, some 15 years later, is employing more than 60 people in highly-skilled jobs. Almost as important, he finally explained to me what Kepware actually does in terms I can understand, comparing it to the printer drivers you download to allow your computer and printer to talk…just on a much bigger scale.

Read his interview and see the photos at Inspire Portland. I chose the lead image because it seemed the least contrived, and the most revealing in terms of his expression. You ask questions about what people carry in their pockets, and it tends to get people to drop their guard a bit. See the outtakes and lighting scene shot in the gallery below (sorry, iUsers, you’ll need Flash).

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=’G0000T2rGs5tTr8k’ g_name=’Corky-Ellis’ f_show_slidenum=’t’ img_title=’casc’ pho_credit=’iptc’ f_link=’t’ f_send_to_friend_btn=’t’ f_fullscreen=’t’ f_topbar=’t’ f_bbar=’t’ f_show_watermark=’t’ f_htmllinks=’t’ f_mtrx=’t’ fsvis=’f’ width=’600′ height=’550′ bgcolor=’#AAAAAA’ btype=’new’ bcolor=’FF0000′ crop=’f’ twoup=’t’ trans=’xfade’ tbs=’5000′ bgtrans=’f’ linkdest=’c’ f_constrain=’f’ f_bbarbig=” f_enable_embed_btn=’f’ f_show_caption=’f’ f_smooth=’f’ f_ap=’f’ f_up=’f’ target=’_self’ ]

Just in time for Halloween….

September 23, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, On Assignment, On Location

I recently had a fun shoot for an e-book project called The Witch’s Code by author P.J. Mann. Earlier this week, the book was published for sale online, so I thought I’d share the cover as well as some photos that didn’t make the final cut. This is the first time I’ve gotten to work directly with my good friends Arielle Walrath, Kevin Brooks and Sean Wilkinson of Might & Main. As it turns out, after searching for an appropriate model who also would fit the author’s well-defined notions of the main character (uh, let’s see…a 20-something female detective from Salem, Mass., with wavy long brown hair, who can channel her inner witch….). After everything was said and done, it turned out that Laura Flood —my makeup and hair stylist of choice—was perfect (and willing, which was definitely a plus). I also have to thank South Portland P.D.’s Steve Webster (a bona fide real detective) for his expertise and help as well.

The finished cover, with post-production provided by Might & Main is pretty cool–definitely my favorite photo of the bunch. Here are a couple of others I liked a lot (Laura is holding her hand out as if it contains a glowing spell as in the final finished book cover). Great job all around, and a way fun shoot on location in the bewitching city of Portland.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=’G0000MQ6.CZKhtiw’ g_name=’Witch-Code’ f_show_slidenum=’t’ img_title=’casc’ pho_credit=’iptc’ f_link=’t’ f_send_to_friend_btn=’t’ f_fullscreen=’t’ f_topbar=’t’ f_bbar=’t’ f_show_watermark=’t’ f_htmllinks=’t’ f_mtrx=’t’ fsvis=’f’ width=’600′ height=’550′ bgcolor=’#AAAAAA’ btype=’new’ bcolor=’FF0000′ crop=’f’ twoup=’t’ trans=’xfade’ tbs=’5000′ bgtrans=’f’ linkdest=’c’ f_constrain=’f’ f_bbarbig=” f_enable_embed_btn=’f’ f_show_caption=’f’ f_smooth=’f’ f_ap=’f’ f_up=’f’ target=’_self’ ]

Ebook photography

September 7, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, News, On Location

I’ve had the pleasure this year of working on projects for several authors (both traditional print and e-book). Several were environmental portraits of the authors themselves—shot on location—for their printed book projects. The third is a conceptual image for an established author who is branching out into a series of e-books.

Whether for traditional, physical books printed on paper or those destined exclusively for ebook readers, these types of images need to be impactful and must fit the genre and author’s personality. A couple of the authors are career emergency services workers, so a certain grittiness was called for due to the subject matter—namely crime scenes and emergency calls.

The E-book, a Twilight-esque fiction novel, was all about a striking image—in this case sexy but dark—that would get the attention of potential readers. I’ll show that image when it’s actually published and the book’s for sale. Now that Border’s gone, you’ll need to get your books somewhere…

[photoshelter-img width=’400′ height=’621′ i_id=’I0000MhChkU_4m0o’ buy=’0′]

Lose the gear and become a better photographer

August 16, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, News, On Assignment, On Location

[photoshelter-img width=’400′ height=’627′ i_id=’I0000EHrXNHkbRsc’ buy=’0′]

I love nothing more than getting a visit from the UPS fairy, bearing boxes of the latest gear or light modifier.

But with experience comes the realization that a great photograph has less—much less—to do with fancy gear or expensive equipment and much more to do with what’s going on with the person behind the camera.

In short, it ain’t about the tools you use. It’s how you use them.

When I first learned how to use studio lights on location, I was so excited to bring out my lights and stands, position the subject, etc. I would spend a lot of time worrying about details like exposure and light shaping and correspondingly less time engaging with my subject. Invariably, the result looked technically sound but lacked soul.

On the other end of the scale were the seat-of-your-pants moments as a newspaper photojournalist. With just two cameras, a couple of lenses and a flash I was able to focus on capturing the moment. Sometimes the photos were grainy, or were shot in less than ideal lighting conditions, but the content and moment elevated them far beyond the realm of the average “pretty picture”.

Once I did a week-long assignment covering a wilderness teen camp–you know, the type of program where troubled, out-of-control teens are whisked away in the night to find themselves deep in the wild, learning discipline through hard work and routine for weeks or months on end. This one was isolated in a remote area of high Arizona desert, and everything I needed was packed on my back for the daily marches to each night’s new camping spot. Within an hour of hiking, I slipped while fording a river, dunking a camera, a lens and smashing another on a rock. I shot everything for the next five days with a backup Nikon FM2, a 24mm and a 35-70mm lens while the wet gear rusted inside a plastic bag.

And the photos were great. Limiting myself to a couple of lenses and a single camera body helped me focus on getting the moment, gave me less distracting choices and ended up helping me get a very strong photo story. I also learned to start a fire with a bow and stick, but that’s another story.

The importance of raising questions

July 19, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, News, On Location

Trisha, Mike and Josephine Rideout of Huntington Ave. in Portland, ME. Josephine, 5, with her pet chicken, Maryanne.Photo by Brian Fitzgerald.Rideout FamilyPhoto by Brian Fitzgerald.Rideout Family (Brian Fitzgerald/Â© Brian Fitzgerald) — Who is this girl and why is she holding a pet chicken? (©2011 Brian Fitzgerald)

I have a photography mentor whose advice I often replay in my head. One of the sayings I most remember when I’m shooting my editorial portraits or more conceptual work is, “Leave them with questions rather than answers.”

This seems antithetical to my upbringing in newspaper photojournalism, where the success of a news photo hinges on the ability of the viewer to clearly digest what’s happening in the image with as little help from the caption as necessary.

But it only seems that way. The bread-and-butter of the community photojournalist isn’t spot news or hostage standoffs or even sports. Rather, it’s a big helping of portrait profiles with a side of found features (so-called “wild art”) and the occasional self-assignment photo essay or story. Every now and then, an illustration.

It’s in these non-news situations where my mentor’s advice rings true. A successful photo is one that isn’t totally literal. A great photo doesn’t tie up every loose end and dot every “i”. Whether because of an interesting expression, body language or other reasons, a photo that leaves something unresolved in the viewer’s mind is the one you’ll bet they’ll look at for a while before moving on to Dear Abby. They might even come back later to study the photo to try to figure it out themselves.

To boil it all down, I think that when you have an image that forces the viewer to fill in the blanks a bit—you may just have an image that can touch people. One master at this was the great portraitist Yousuf Karsh. He photographed many of the most iconic images of famous people in the 20th century, from Fidel Castro to Albert Einstein to Andy Warhol. You just have to view the iconic portrait of Sir Winston Churchill to see what Karsh was able to do (the backstory on this particular photo is fascinating and a worthwhile read). Looking at his images, the viewer is compelled to try and guess what the subjects are thinking at that moment. It’s as if you can see their souls and a little of their dirty laundry, too.

It’s an approach I always try to keep in mind when shooting images for certain clients, or for myself. Special thanks to Josephine, above, and her chicken, Maryanne.

Memories from the front lines of 9/11

July 1, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, On Assignment, On Location

[photoshelter-img width=’600′ height=’419′ i_id=’I0000hX.030xcCIs’ buy=’0′]

Steven Kanarian, BS, MPH, is an accomplished EMS professional with over 25 years' experience including paramedic, EMS supervisor, FEMA USAR Medical Specialist and EMS educator. (Brian Fitzgerald)

Steve Kanarian was at work on September 11, 2001. Since his job was as an EMT with the New York Fire Department, Steve’s view of the devastation was a bit more up-front and personal than for most other New Yorkers. Lieutenant Kanarian (ret.) lectures on EMS topics, terrorism response and does corporate keynote speeches. He’s also a writer. His book, The Downwind Walk: A USAR Paramedic’s experiences on September 11, 2001 takes you to the front lines of 9/11 and delves into lessons learned from a quarter-century with the nation’s premier fire department.

Steve contacted me after getting referred to me by another client. Once he saw my work, he wanted to move forward because he liked the gritty style of my environmental portraits and my familiarity shooting law enforcement, military and other paramilitary organizations.
In talking with Steve I determined he needed professional headshots, a portrait for his book and soome lifestyle images showing him training firefighters. Since we couldn’t do it in NYC, we ended up shooting in Maine—first in our Portland studio, then in a few locations we set up and arranged beforehand.

Note: most photographers I know have a running file of locations that they can tap for future shoots. When Steve and I spoke, I knew I’d have to shoot in a narrow, grafitti-covered alleyway located in Portland’s Old Port. We ended up shooting my favorite portrait of the day there. Steve was happy to do it, and commented that it was cleaner than the NYC equivalent: “It doesn’t smell like urine,” he remarked. I think the simple portrait captures some of the drama and gravity of his job.

After a few hours of shooting, Steve and I had a great time and ended up with a handful of images that give him great flexibilty when building his brand. Great job, Steve!

Meet Charlie

June 3, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, On Location

Michelle Souliere, owner of the Green Hand Bookshop in Portland, ME. (Brian Fitzgerald) — Charlie Widdis, assisting this week in a cemetery.

I don’t use assistants.

What I mean is that I tend to do a lot of things myself on assignment. Call it a remnant of a career spent as a newspaper photographer. Back in the day, when I had a photo shoot for the newspaper’s entertainment section, the only assisting I got was from the reporter that I pressed into service holding a reflector.

That was okay by me. It was quicker to just do it myself.

In my life as a commercial photographer, things have changed. I find myself loading and unloading bags of gear containing hundreds of pounds of lights, stands, batteries and whatever else I just bought at the hardware store. Surprisingly many buildings in New England are elevator-challenged. Our studio, for example, is on the third floor and the walled-up dumbwaiter doesn’t count. We call our stairs the Fitzgerald Photo wellness program. That’s funny…but walking upstairs with all that gear aint’.

So, meet Charlie Widdis. Charlie is one of the assistants I use—yes, I still try to do most things myself—from time to time. He’s a recent USM grad and is a talented photographer in his own right. Even better for me, he can carry a lot of gear, jumps in to solve issues without being told and is fairly technical when it comes to gear and lights. That’s good because if you’ve got an assistant who can set up and break down your gear properly, you can focus on making the actual shoot.

I also use Ayla and Stepheney as my assistants, but it’s rare that I use more than one on an assignment. Then there’d be nothing to do but drink Evian and show up to push the button on the camera….

Seriously—life as an assistant is hard and definitely not glamorous. It is a great way to learn the realities of life as a professional photographer, and to learn first-hand how everything from photo shoots to a photo business works.

All assistants have to suffer the pain of being ‘stand-ins’ as I’m building a shot. Most of the photos never see the light of day, but occasionally they’re useful for a blog post or blackmail material.

Enter Charile. You might be seeing more of him here on the blog moving forward. He’ll be the guy sweating to make me—and the subjects—look their best.

Ambient light and dirty hands: meet Peter Brown

May 23, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, On Assignment, On Location, Shop Talk, Workshop

A week or so ago I found myself photographing Peter Brown, owner of Cumberland Ave. Garage (my friend Matt swears by these guys). There always seems to be an antique car or two there, Peter’s passion. On the day of our shoot, a 1921 Model T Ford was sitting, wheels off, in a corner of his garage, waiting for a little TLC.

I was there to get a portrait of Brown, but he was busy working in between my setups–it was a busy Monday with a line of cars needing work. So I started by lighting the space and photographing him within it—all small lights. In fact, I prefer working in such spaces with my small lights because of their portability and flexibility. If you’re trying to light dramatically, you want the right amount of light in the right places. Big studio lights tends to light everything you want and some things you don’t want, too.

I started by lighting the Model T—one flash in the interior, several working the inky black exterior and the flourescent -bathed shop walls cluttered with tools. My favorite is actually a tight shot (see just the headlamp of the Model T jutting into the frame. I like the look on Peter’s face and his body language.

At the end of the shoot, I did a simple three-light setup in the bay with the colorful garage sign behind him. I gelled the lights, but let his face go a little yellow just because I like the warm tones.

Sometimes the light you find is better than anything out of a can. While Peter did a weld repair, I was able to show him in action in his environment. This is the kind of stuff we’d encounter routinely on assignment for the newspaper. Quick couple of portraits, enhanced by ambient light, and an interesting angle on a man going about his business in his environment.

Traveling Light #2: Location portraits

May 4, 2011 0 Comments read Blog, News, On Location, Shop Talk, Workshop

Here’s another sample of the types of portraits we’ll be building with small lights during the upcoming Traveling Light workshop on May 24.
Location photographers find themselves in an incredible variety of environments. In the studio it’s easy to control all the variables. When you show up at a location, you’ve got to make some decisions to make regarding ambient light and background. Namely, how much of each do you want to include in the final image?

For me, location photography is kind of a reductive exercise—start with what you find, and then remove light, clean up background elements, modify your flash— until you end up with what you want. In the studio, it’s more of an additive approach: start with nothing and build up the lighting and elements to create the image.

In the case of these portraits, shot with the help of Matt and Ben of Single Source Staffing, we had about 15 minutes to do two different looks. The vivid green walls in the office were an interesting feature I knew I wanted to use, as was their cool, colorful logo—perfect for an environmental portrait.

No lighting diagrams on these—we”ll talk more about approach during the workshop—but here’s the basics: Ben (green background) is lit from camera left with an SB800 shooting through a white diffuser screen simulating window light. There’s an SB900 in a medium soft box (camera right with a 1/2 power CTO gel), placed to hit Ben slightly angled toward the back side of his head. The shadow? A happy accident. Once I saw it, I liked it.

Matt is lit by the same soft box. There’s another SB800 with a diffusion dome just to camera left, pointing at the right side of Matt’s face. On camera right, there’s a third strobe with a snoot aimed at the SingleSource logo. In this case, we underexposed the background so that there’s very little ambient light (ugly flourescent lighting) in this image.

These are two quick-hit examples of location portraits that use their environment to create interest and drama.