The Moment It Clicks: Photography Secrets From One of the World's Top Shooters

softbox. One pop and the room filled with light. He sat on the bed, alone with his thoughts.

    [ 2 ] Pocket Wizard: A highly sophisticated radio-triggering device used for firing strobes and remote cameras. Think of it as a really fancy garage door opener. (Just kidding. These are seriously effective field units.)

    How to Get This Type of Shot

    When you do this, use one strobe head. If you put up two lights, you might have double shadows, which is something the sun does not do, it being a singular light source. If you have to use two heads and two packs for power reasons, make sure the second head is clamped to the same stand as the first and line it up exactly.

     

    Jan Demczur
    Make Your Day Longer
     

    “You can extend your sunset working life dramatically by putting your subject next to a body of water.”

    Make your day longer. Now that doesn’t sound desirable. But it is if you’re a photographer desperate for as much golden hour as you can get. One way to do that is to use water.
     
    Ever notice how the streets in the movies are always wet? Did it always just rain?

    Nope. But the water truck just went through. Streets glisten when they’re wet. They look cooler. You pick up f-stoppage.
     
    When doing flash at the edge of sunset, you’re desperate to get that beautiful sky and face of your subject. Not too tough, actually. Hit him with some light, crank your strobe up at +2, underexpose the sky. No biggie.

    But then, where is your subject standing? In a black hole, most likely. The green grass looks like the dark side of the moon and your environment is, well, gone. (Holy mudhead, Mackerel, more Science High! It’s…gone!)

    Okay, okay, most people reading this book won’t remember
Firesign Theatre
. And of course, if you were a Firesign fan, you’re lucky to remember anything. ‘Nuff said.

    But I digress.
     
    You can extend your sunset working life dramatically by putting your subject next to a body of water. The water remains almost the value of the sky exposure and stays right with you till the sky is almost gone.
    Better to Ask for Forgiveness
     

    Some people think photographers get direction from some mystical, Oz-like, all-knowing editor: “Use the force, Luke.” Given such divine direction, brilliant, jaw-dropping photos effortlessly proceed.

    It’s a bunch of bullpucky.

    “As a photographer, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.”

    Got a call in the middle of the afternoon, New York time, to go to Los Angeles and shoot World Series hero Orel Hershiser—the next day. I flew that night. I wasn’t gonna turn down an assignment like that. “What kind of picture are you lookin’ for?” I ask.

    Exact quote, I swear: “Well, I just thought you’d have him in a studio on a pile of dirt with some light coming down on him. You know, because he’s a pitcher.”

    Hmmmm….
     
    Hershiser got the nickname “Bulldog” from Tommy Lasorda. It was all I had going in terms of an idea. I called an animal talent agency and rented the bulldog from the Jake and the Fatman series. He was so ugly, he was cute. His trainer brought him to Dodger Stadium. Orel loved it. I put them on the pitcher’s mound, faces close together. We smeared bacon grease on Hershiser’s cheek—the dog went nuts, and the hero of the World Series had a ball.

    Sometimes you receive inspiration and direction, divine or editorial. Most of the time, baby, you’re on your own.
     
    When you rent from an animal agency, it gets very pricey, very quick. A dog, like this bulldog, goes for around $1,000 (in L.A. anyway, where this was taken). The average range is about $500 to as much as $8,000. I know the $8,000 is right because as of the writing of this book, I’m renting an elephant. Her rate (in New York) was $8,000, and the kicker was, I couldn’t use her because she was already booked. I kid you not (I wish I could get $8,000 a day). Because she wasn’t available, I found an elephant in L.A. (named Suzie) that was only $6,000 a day, plus overtime. I kid you not.

    How to Get This Type of Shot

    The shot here was taken on the pitcher’s mound at Dodger Stadium at around 3:00 p.m. To get the solid blue sky behind him, I underexposed the sky by two stops, and lit Orel and the dog with a strobe and an Octabank softbox to the left of my camera.

     

    Orel Hershiser
    People Will Think You’re Crazy
     

    While I was in the planning stages to shoot Michelle Pfeiffer with the National Gem