La Maison de Melissa
Seeking French inspriation, whether from behind the lens of a camera or looking over the top of a spiral notebook
Seeking French inspriation, whether from behind the lens of a camera or looking over the top of a spiral notebook
BLOG.MELISSALYNNHOFFMAN.COM
Assisting
A guy named Zac who graduated from the SOJC a year or so ago came into class this morning to talk about his experience as a professional commercial photography assistant. He absolutely loved his job; I could tell just by the tone in his voice. When he walked, I'm not kidding, he bounced a little. Living the dream, I guess.
The speed flash I ordered for my Pentax K20 came in the mail today - I spent the afternoon setting up and shooting a story on Bikram Yoga with my good friend Parker. I'm his associate editor at Ethos Magazine. He ran around the studio in stocking feet while I acted as his assistant, straightening the makeshift cloth "yoga mat" under the model and using the inside of his rain jacket to reflect light. The photos turned out stunning. We shot against an all-white background, and the cloth under the model was bright red. The light kit had a gold umbrella, which neither Parker nor I had gotten to play with yet. The gold light cast upon the scene was breathtaking. I can't wait to see the photos in print. Look for it at http://ethos.uoregon.edu in January.
Zac told us about an assistant who was fired over forgetting a cup of coffee! It was fun being Parker's assistant for the evening; although the worst thing he asked me to do was climb a ladder to help him take down the background paper 
Perhaps I Spoke Too Soon
Flash photography has always been terrifying to me. Too many gadgets, I guess; too much to think about. While my phobia of flash is sort of endearing to, say, Andy, my boyfriend, it isn't really conducive to having a strong photography portfolio. So I signed up for J330: Workshop for Lighting, Concept, and Image. Dan and Rebecca are making us step outside of our existing boundaries as journalists, which includes developing multimedia skills as well as enhancing photography and video skills. Dan has been telling us how wonderful the dyna-lite kits are and how much fun flash is, but I had trouble visualizing the appeal in class. I can shoot great pictures without flash, so why bother?
Well, I stand corrected. Flash is the coolest thing since canned soup, if you ask me. The way light bounces is incredible, and to capture that instantaneous burst with the click of a shutter, why, it's a superpower.
Parker and I set up the dyna-lite kit under his friend's carport, because, well, it's Oregon, and sunshine one moment can turn into a downpour the next. The space was bordered by a really neat wooden fence, behind which grew tall shoots of green bamboo.
We practiced setting up different lighting situations and shooting each other. Here are my favorites:
The fence behind him has a really cool effect - and the halo around the tips of his hair create depth.
Andy saw this picture and said, "wow, I am really interested in that picture." Parker's expression is what does it; it's a little dark. I should lighten it in photoshop.
Drama drama drama
About Melissa Lynn Hoffman
Melissa Lynn Hoffman is a writer, photographer, and Paris aficionado in Eugene, Oregon. Her work has been published in Ethos, Oregon Quarterly, and The Oregon Daily Emerald.