close iframe icon
approved icon langellphotography avatar
langellphotography
Banner

Sax in the Shadows



behind the lens badge

I met a street musician, serendipitously, in Savannah, GA. I loved his look and so I tipped him if he would come and be an impromptu model for me in the cataco...
Read more

I met a street musician, serendipitously, in Savannah, GA. I loved his look and so I tipped him if he would come and be an impromptu model for me in the catacombs of Savannah, GA. He agreed and so I met him for late-day light and looked for interesting locations in which I could use 100% natural light to photograph him. We became fast friends during this time (and have remained friends ever since this evening). In this image, a beam of light emerged from between some beams behind me. It created this wonderful, rectangular light from which I asked him to play his sax for me while I shot him. Interestingly, a passerby emerged (upper left) and added dimension and intrigue to the shot. The saxophone is a historic, 1928 brass sax nicknamed, "Gilda."
Read less

Views

198

Likes

Awards

Summer Selection
Top Choice
vincentmrv
Outstanding Creativity
Argentiere
Superb Composition
danzarate
Absolute Masterpiece
gman176
Peer Award
GeraintI

Top Ranks

Freshmen 2016 Photo Contest Vol 2Top 20 rank
Freshmen 2016 Photo Contest Vol 2Top 20 rank week 2
Freshmen 2016 Photo Contest Vol 2Top 20 rank week 1

Categories


1 Comment | Report
danzarate
 
danzarate June 29, 2016
Welcome to ViewBug. Keeping sharing your wonderful photos in the Group.
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

Did you know that Savannah, Georgia has it's own version of "the catacombs?" Under Savannah's vintage brick and 200-year-old ballast-stone streets, there is an elaborate labyrinth called the "Catacombs." Back in the day, these underground tunnels connected the cellars of businesses and were rumored to transport all types of things, including illegalities during Prohibition, possible slave trade, and more. Though most of those catacombs are blocked to public access, and some even deny their existence, there are still a number of below-ground and semi-submerged ballast and cobblestone streets, tunnels, and walkways that make up part of the historic district of Savannah, GA. This image was captured using only natural light in one of these historic walkways.

Time

The late-day light is phenomenal in historic Savannah. It bends, bounces and reflects its way in and out of the cobblestone and ballast-stone walls, walkways and tunnels of the Historic District, illuminating the textures, mosses and rustic nature of this place, while also casting shadows that make a photographer drool. You have to look for lighting opportunities, but around every corner, there is a new scene that emerges with light that begs for portraiture.

Lighting

Only using 100% natural light, this image was captured via a sliver of light that came through beams in an upper-level walkway through the historic district of Savannah, GA. I'm a big fan of using shadows in street portraiture, as it creates great repetition and emphasis on the subject, plus the human eye is naturally drawn to points of high contrast, such as what shadows offer, so I used all of it to my advantage when capturing this image.

Equipment

Canon 7D, 28-135mm, hand-held. No flash or tripod.

Inspiration

Walking through the squares of Savannah, I overheard a busker playing saxophone in the middle of the day. As I approached, he was playing "You are My Sunshine" for a family with a disabled child in a reclining wheelchair. I looked on and noticed that he (the busker) had a tear in his eye as he played--obviously moved by the experience and saddened for the child. Having been an educational psychologist for years, who worked with children with disabilities for my career prior to photography, I was especially touched. After the family left, I walked up to the busker and introduced myself. We talked for a while and he was as kind as could be. The mid-day light was poor for photography, but I asked him if I could pay him to meet me later in the day down in the historic district so that I could photograph him. He was delighted. Later that evening, we met and began walking, talking, and exploring locations and light. I photographed him playing "Gilda," his antique saxophone made in 1928, in a number of places and found some of the most beautiful light, backgrounds and moments I've ever had when doing street portraiture. As a side note, when I engage in street portraiture, I typically like to introduce myself to the person(s) in advance, get to know them, get to know their story, and build a relationship. I prefer not to just shoot like a voyeur and not gain permission from the people I shoot. Besides, knowing the story is one of the most interesting parts of street portraiture, to me. Serendipity can be a beautiful thing and meeting people in such random fashion, getting to know them, and photographing them is something that I find changes both of our lives for the better. In this case, James Rinalducci and I created a friendship through photography. We both learned things about not only each other, but ourselves through this experience. A human connection transpired and for two hours, we meandered through the historic district, chasing the light and the locations with fervor. At the end of the evening we parted ways. I was given an email address so that I could share the images with him once I was finished processing the many photos that were taken. We have since kept in touch--and six years later have maintained the friendship. He's used my images for his own personal marketing needs and I was approached by a large restaurant chain popular in the Southeast USA to use them, along with other images of mine, in a 52-restaurant remodeling effort. This chance meeting turned into a long-term friendship, helped support both of our livelihoods in ways we didn't expect at the time, and further cemented my passion for street portraiture--which is my other "love" when I am not photographing wildlife!

Editing

I converted this image to black-and-white, but aside from this, very little was done. The light, subject and background were all was luckily so gorgeous that very little needed to transpire in post-processing.

In my camera bag

I usually photograph wildlife, so my Canon f/4 500mm USM IS + 1.4x VIII teleconverter, plus Gitzo Mountaineer tripod, Wimberley V2 Gimbal, and Canon 7D MkII comprises my go-to setup. That said, with street portraiture, I'm a fan of using wide to mid-length zoom lenses, such as the 28-135mm, or a 24-70, or occasionally the 70-200 (though that is a bit too attention-attracting for my preference).

Feedback

To me, light is nearly everything when it comes to portraits. In this case, I was looking for the light-- then added the subject in after-the-fact. I had him lean forward a bit and also adjust how he held the saxophone so that the light reflected on the rim of the saxophone, illuminating it from the background. I also wanted his hat to have the right light, as well as create a shadow in the image. It was serendipity, but a passerby walked through the top left corner of the scene as I shot this image. At first I didn't like it, but actually it adds more to the story, in my opinion, so I kept this shot as the preferred image. Additionally, I shot this using a "dutch angle," meaning I twisted my camera to about 30° from level so as to add a bit of edgy-ness and additional diagonal lines, which improves the composition and emotion that is evoked by this image.

See more amazing photos, follow langellphotography

It’s your time to shine! ☀️

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Already a member? Log In

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, and acknowledge you've read our Privacy Policy Notice.