A GIFT | Dan Biggerstaff Photography

Occasionally, I see a potential photograph that I consider to be a gift – something where the elements of color, light and gesture all seem to come together, almost magically. I said a potential photograph because to turn it into reality you have to at least have a camera.

Recently, The Thirty Fifth Annual Telfair Ball was held here in Savannah. There was a light check the night before the ball to which I accompanied my wife; she was The Chair of the event. Even though she would prefer me not to, I must give especially her, all the other volunteers, and the staff at the museum kudos for all of the hard work she devoted to the ball, and the resulting success. Equipped with with my camera (Nikon D800) and tripod and a 24-70mm, f2.8 lens, I was not sure what I would see at the light check. As we were walking towards the Jepson Center (where dinner would be served), this (potential) photo is what came into view. The ladder on the left was used to adjust the projection above the entrance to The Art Center. Life-sized styrofoam and plywood silhouettes of musicians were constructed to promote the theme of the event. The light, color, and gesture were all enhanced by the street light outside the museum. The only thing missing at that moment was the music. The particulars include ISO 200, 24 mm, f5.0, and 1/8 sec. The self-timer on the camera was used to minimize shake.

Part 2: The morning after the ball, we were driving by the museums and saw that the silhouetted musicians had been moved near the entrance of the Jepson to be soon disassembled for storage. We drove home to get my camera and to the office to get the lighting equipment. By now it is 11 AM, with the museum opening at noon – short on time. There is plenty of natural light coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Jepson, but I wanted to create a feeling of night time to go along with the theme. The single light source was a Profoto B1 monolight with a magnum reflector and medium-blue gel. The camera is handheld at ISO 200, 45mm, f10.0, and 1/320 sec.

After repositioning the silhouettes on the stairway leading to the second floor, this was the final shot using the same settings.