Romney Votes in MA during Rep. Primaries

Belmont, MA 030612 Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney voted alongside his wife Anne Romney at the Beech Street Center in Belmont, MA which Romney lists as his permanent address. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET BEHIND THE SCENES: Candidates like Romney move around with an entourage of media, public relations personnel and campaign staffers. A lot of times it is these staffers who make the calls as far as who do they let in to an event or not. Such was the case yesterday. The traveling media was allowed in before he arrived and I was told to wait outside until they made a "decision." Romney walked in and at the last minute I called out to the staffer and asked, "so you are just leaving the Boston Globe out?" He kind of looked at me sideways and said, "Follow me." By the time I got in all the front spots on the small stage where members of the media had been told to stand were already taken. I squeezed in a corner and hoped for the best. I managed to get the shots but the Globe decided to go with an AP photo instead. The photographer who made the photo is part of tight-pool traveling the campaign. Pretty much the same photo only his was taken from five feet to the left of my position... I don't make the calls, I just take them. TECH STUFF: 70-200mm 2.8 and 16-35mm 2.8, WB AWB and Cloudy, ISO 1250-640.

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Boston Weather

Boston, MA 030112 Boston residents experience a plethora of weather changes in a matter of 24 hours. From rain, to flurries to a light blanket of snow. (Essdras M Suarez/ Boston Globe) BEHIND THE SCENES: I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't know of any other business other than meteorologists that pays so much attention to weather changes than newspapers and newspaper sites. When the weather is as erratic as it was today I have an editor who simply calls me and says to me, "Essdras! the beast must be fed! Whatdoyougat??" Thus I'm always looking for little details in daily life which I might find visually appealing such as the girl trying to catch snowflakes with her tongue, the lonely walker in a snowscape or the ladies whose eyes kind of match that of the pattern found in her umbrella. TECH STUFF: 70-200mm 2.8, ISO 800. WB cloudy, camera mode Aperture priority to begin with then Manual.

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Jason Segel

Cambridge, MA 020312 Hasty Pudding Theatricals Haravard University's 2012 Man of the Year Award recipient was comedian Jason Segel which received on February 3, 2012 the Pudding Pot during the annual event which included a roast by members of the famed histrionic troupe. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET
BEHIND THE SCENES: This is the third time in 10 years I've covered this event. I did Ben Stiller, Charlize Theron and now Jason Segel. As it is the case with most recipients, Segel was a good sport and even donned a muppet brassiere and a Miss Piggy wig. The good news about working for a prestigious well-known organization like the Boston Globe is that people treat you well when you say who's your employer. In this case the PR people at Harvard went as far as saving labeled-seats with our names on it. There were only about four major media outlets allowed and the Harvard photographer. On the one hand this is very good because you are assured a good shooting position. On the other hand once you sit down you can not move from your assigned position. TECH STUFF: Nikon D3s, Canon MarkIV, 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon lens, and 16-35mm 2.8 Canon lens. ISO: 2,000- 4,000, speeds 1/125th to 1/40tth of a second. WB: Auto. EXTRA NOTE: Mr Segel suffers from tall-man syndrome. He never looks up. The spotlights being used in the venue never quite hit his eyes, thus the raccoon-eye effect.

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Mixed Bag

FOOD, SPORTS, FEATURES AND WILDLIFE: These is pretty exemplary of the range of assignments a photographer working for a newspaper gets to experience. These images were shot between last Friday and today 012512. BEHIND THE SCENES/ HOW THINGS WORK: Most of us staff photographers at the Boston Globe are required to be able to photograph whatever is needed on that day at that moment. We all shoot food, some better than others. Others shoot sports, I don't do it that often and that is why when sent to cover a track meet the photo I ended up liking the most was that of the start-gun going off. But when it comes to weather, that my friends is the "great equalizer" among the staff members. It doesn't matter who you are or what your perceived specialty might be we all have to pay the piper when it snows, rains, when the sun comes out,when the sun hides,etc, etc. The frog image I made during an day off visit to the zoo. TECH STUFF: the only technical aspects worth mentioning here is the two food shots were shot on location with two off-camera strobes at a crisscrossed pattern at about 11 and 4 on a clock face. Speed is maximum synch-flash speed for my Mark IV 1/320th of a second, lens: 60mm 2.5 macro.

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Elizabeth Banks

Boston, MA 012012 Actress Elizabeth Banks was in town to promote her new movie Man on a Ledge. We photographed her at the Liberty Hotel on January 2012. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/G BEHIND THE SCENES: In the course of my job I have gotten used to photographing people from all walks of life. From US presidents to actors to regular people. So I just don't get star struck anymore. However I apparently can still become "beauty struck." Banks possesses such a natural and radiant beauty it is kind of hard to look at her for too long when her full attention is upon you. Thankfully, she was really nice and a professional when it came to being in front of the camera. The whole shoot took about five minutes and not because that is what I was allowed- sometimes that is how much time you are given with movie stars and alike- but instead it was that short because that is how long it took me to make the photo that I wanted. Some days my job is just that easy. (:-) I also knew she had been doing interviews and photo shoots all day long and that I was the last one on her schedule so I didn't see the need to keep her longer than necessary. I got what I wanted really fast and I believe on quitting on a high note. TECH STUFF: I had originally set up a mono-light with a medium rectangular soft box but I also kept paying attention to a shaft of light coming from a reflection off a building and through the window. When I saw her up close I knew immediately she was the kind of subject who could handle such dramatic light and I was correct. ISO 500, aperture 2.8, speed 1/500th of a second, WB sunshine. Cameras MarkIV and Nikon D3s, lenses 17-35mm 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 EXTRA TECH: While using aperture priority- my favorite mode- the matrix metering in the camera wanted me to use a 1/160th of a second at 2.8 I know the limitations of my gear so I used that to my advantage and increased the speed to 1/500th of a second to expose just for the highlights. (for those old school shooters you may recall this is how we used to shoot chrome.) Thus creating the dramatic effect seen on these images.

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New Hampshire Primaries

Manchester, NH 011012 Presidential candidates made a stop by the Woods School in Manchester, NH on the day of the New Hampshire primaries. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET BEHIND THE SCENES: I hadn't been asked this time around to cover much of the candidates as they campaigned up until today: the day of the primaries. My assignment was scheduled for noon and I was to get John Huntsman stopping by this school. The other candidates had already come by and everybody else had a claim on the "good spots." So I did not panicked but instead I looked around and made a tactical decision to stand across and above. A position where at the time there were no other members of the media and I just hoped for the best. As luck has it, the best did happen and I got a couple of great images of Huntsman with his wife with the supporters and media in the background. Later I got Ron Paul being escorted out by his staff and Manchester police officers.

Just as in martial arts, when covering an event with other media: You don't fight the flow you go with it.

The other two shots: The PETA activist driving around dressed as pigs was just too good to pass up. And the Sanctorum broken-down truck could be interpreted in many different ways. Bottom line when you are in the "on mode" while shooting you should pay attention to everything since everything can make a picture.

TECH STUFF: two cameras: Nikon D3s, MarkIV/ two lenses Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 and Canon 70- 200mm 2.8 with a 1.4TC. ISO 400- 640. Speeds 1/250th- 1/800th of a second. WB: Cloudy.

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Last Day of the Year

Boston, MA 123111 A gaggle of Canada geese displace a seagull as they land on the Charles River, a friendly feline vies for the attention of passersby from his South Boston store window display and a florist loads a truck with white-feather center pieces for a new year- motif wedding later on the day. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe staff)/ BEHIND THE SCENES: This is the first time in about five years where I am not scheduled to work the late shift on New Year's. Therefore I am going to miss all the preparations for Boston's First Night celebration, its parade and the fireworks. It really is okay since I get to spend time with my lovely wife instead at a friend's restaurant. Anyway, I only had one official assignment today and it was to photograph a restaurant in South Boston. I took it upon myself to look for features since I know the latter are always well appreciated by the photo editors. Sometimes these kind of photos also known as "no-stories,""stand alones," "enterpise photos," or simply "features" are hard to come by if you look too hard but sometimes like today they are everywhere you look. It is in days like this one, I appreciate even more what a great job I have when the world around me is my visual playground. TECH STUFF: two cameras: Mark- IV, Nikon D3, 24-70mm 2.8 Nikon lens, 70-200mm 2.8 Canon. ISOs 400 to 1,000. Speeds from 1/80th of a second to 1/25oth of a sec. Apertures 2.8- 5.6.

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