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.

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.

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.