Lough Key Photoshoot

I had this idea, following on from the picture in the previous post. That picture was, for me, a proof-of-concept image, taken and processed quite quickly to see if could be done and look realistic. However, almost immediately an idea grew that would suggest a darker or more threatening mood. Then, with the camera club being invited to display in the Dock, the impetus was there to bring the idea to completion.

With the location already decided in my head, all I needed were models, costumes, lights, make-up and hair, and helpers to shift things around. I borrowed some dresses and costumes from the local drama society, some flash-guns from some friends and arranged for make-up/hair. My daughter, Róisín, agreed to model for me. his aught me by surprise because normal I get a dirty look when I point the camera at her. I think the words "dress up" convinced her. I didn't tell her that she would be up a step-ladder balancing on one leg though. In the end, Make-up and hair was unavailable and I had to do some modelling myself. It was a bit of a pantomime, acting out the individual characters. Many thanks to John Walsh who turned up as a spectator and ended up as gofer, holder, technician and camera-man. I am sure we gave all the passers-by something to talk about, and there were a lot of passers-by.

It is always good to look back and see how it could have been done differently. I had wanted to use one of the flashes to provide some backlight and some illumination on the figure in the background. However, I had it set to "remote" using Nikon's CLS system, ie, triggered by the flash attached to the camera. Unfortunately, it was out of line of sight and too far from the camera to trigger. If I had set it to "slave" (or SU4 as it is called in the menu) it would have trigger from the light illuminating Róisín on the wall. Ah well, by our mistakes we learn.