Head of the Charles Regatta 2010

Cambridge, MA 102310 Competitors take part in The Head of the Charles Regatta on October 23, 2010 in the Charles River. More than 20 nations took part in this year's competition. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET BEHIND THE SCENE: It started as a beautiful crisp clear autumn day that kept getting colder and windier as the day progressed. So I just shot for about three hours. I had three cameras on me: one with my 24-70mm, another one with the 70- 200mm and the last camera had on a 300 2.8mm with a 1.4 extender. TECH STUFF: The light was so bright I shot everything at ISO 200, lens varied,and exposures were mostly on the fast side to capture peak action. MORE TECH STUFF: on the shots of the rowers with the bridge behind them I had to take control of the camera by putting it in manual mode and not my regular aperture priority mode. Had I stayed with the aperture mode the camera would have kept slowing down the shutter to compensate for all the dark areas in the background. However I knew I could add drama to the image by using a faster shutter speed and by exposing for the highlights. Remember cameras are so smart they are dumb.

New Boston Ballet ballerina

Boston, MA 101210 Keenan Kampa of Oak Hill, Virginia recently joined the Boston Ballet as a recent graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia – an unprecedented honor for an American student. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ G
BEHIND THE SCENES: I recently photographed a group of new Boston Ballet dancers and remember being awestruck of how much Keenan look like the quintessential ballerina. She reminded me of one of those tiny ballerina dolls on top of a music box. So I was ecstatic when I got the assignment to photograph her for an upcoming profile the paper is doing on her. I had already photographed her once while practicing so this time I wanted something different. I was a little disheartened when offered yet another dance studio for the portrait photo shoot. But my intrepid Boston Ballet PR showed me these boxes and suggested I take look at this setup to see if it might work. I'm always saying that two heads are better than one so I was happy she was present to suggest it. TECH STUFF: I'm currently at an interesting point when it comes to lighting. My Elite 1200 pack just blew up a week prior and what this means is that I have been forced to become a minimalist and to embrace the one-light effect of my back up lighting kit. So these images were made with one square soft box, 36" x 48", coming from above and slightly to the side;thus, I kept her looking up most of the time to avoid harsh shadows from the overhead light. ISO: 100, Speed: 250th sec, Aperture: 9.0, WB Flash.

Giant Pumpkin Contest Topsfield Fair Oct. 2010

Topsfield, MA 100110 Fifty-six hopefuls entered this year’s giant pumpkin competition at the Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, MA on October 1, 2010. Many crossed their fingers as the long months of work boiled down to the weigh-in. At the end Steve Connolly and his wife Nancy Connolly (Cq) of Sharon were crowned the winners with their 1,674.5lbs entry. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe staff)/ MET

Iphone Tip

I have been asked by a few people if there are any tools to help decide certain settings in the camera based upon the photo conditions. There are lots out there. I recently came across an iPhone app called PhotoHelper. It seems pretty cool and useful. Check it out at photohelperapp.com. I contacted the developer and they told me if I knew people interested they would get me a couple of promo codes. I can send them to you for download in the iTunes Store if you write to me at esssuarez@aol.com

After the Shooting

Dorchester, MA 091710 Boston Police representatives, members of the local clergy, parents and their children attended a meeting on September 17, 2010 at the Dorchester High School cafeteria to address parents' concerns after a shooting occurred the previous Tuesday during the Eagle Pop Warner (5- 7 year olds) team practice. The children had to take cover while a gunman ran through the field while firing forcing parents and coaches to dive on top of the children to shield them.(Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET BEHIND THE SCENES: At first I was not exactly sure what was I supposed to get out this assignment since it sounded as if THE photo happened when the gunman ran through the field. However once I arrived and saw the parents' faces and the haunting look in the children's eyes it became obvious to me that I was there to show our readers how such wanton acts of violence can affect a community. TECH STUFF: Shot with two cameras like I always do. One w a 80-200mm 2.8 and another one w a 24- 70mm 2.8. ISO varied from 1600 inside to 5000 outside. Aperture, I stayed pretty much with shallow apertures throughout the whole time since in this case it was about isolating my subjects from the background. I pretty much stayed between 2.8 and 5.6.

Yoga Masters

Newtonville, MA 091610 Five master yoga teachers opening a new studio in Newtonville called Down Under Yoga. (l - r) Justine Wilthshire Cohen (cq) dark hair, Natasha Rizopoulos (cq), Patricia Walden (cq), Barbara Benagh (cq) and Peentz Dubble (Cq) were photographed at the studio on September 16, 2010. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/G BEHIND THE SCENES: Because this a topic dear to my heart I made it a point to be the one to photograph this assignment which included coming in earlier than when my shift was supposed to start. But I really didn't mind doing it because photography has yet to feel like a burden to me. They ladies were amazing, I just wished I had more time to talk to them. It was awe inspiring to see what a well trained body can do. TECH STUFF: Shot with a 1200 Prophoto Pack and four heads. Decided to set the lights only coming from one side, the left, since it was a small room and I wanted to create drama in the photos. All the heads had different size grids on them based upon how close to the subjects the lights were positioned. The further away the bigger the grid size in order for more light to hit the subjects. Three of the four lights are on stands and the fourth is on a baby boom. The latter is positioned above and slightly from the left with a very wide grid to create a metadata baseline for all the subjects. The individual shots were mostly shot with one or two lights depending upon the pose and whether I ascertained if they needed a second light to create separation. ISO 100, lens 24-70mm 2.8, 80-200, Speed 1/60th sec, aperture 5.6 for the group shot 4.0 for individual shots. EXTRA NOTE: Remember I work for a newspaper so we are not allowed to retouch images beyond: sharpening, dodging and burning and cropping. Thus, the electrical outlet showing in the background will remain as such.

Street Scenes

Boston, MA 091110 The mid-day sun casts shadows against the back of one of the buildings in the Quincy Market/ Faneuil Hall area on September 11, 2010. Boston, MA 091010 Stoddard's Fine Food & Ale in the Downtown Crossings area in Boston is one of several eateries opening in the area. This was for a story on businesses boosting the economy of the area. BEHIND THE SCENES: Sometimes you shoot an image whose appeal goes beyond what is there. In the case of the Quincy Market shots, I first saw the long shadows and that is what attracted me to to the scene. But it was the person walking in the shadow and the pigeon caught in mid air that made the photos. TECH STUFF: The pigeon and pedestrian shots were made w a 24-70 2.8 at an ISO of 250, exposure 1/320th sec, aperture 22. PHOTO THEORY: The human eye might be the best camera in the world. What we see with our eyes is an amazing range of latitudes when it comes to light gradations. The mid-days images if seen with the naked eye would not be as dramatic since in reality your eye can see details in the shadows as well as in the sun-light areas. This is where you as the photographer rely on your experience and your knowledge of your equipment and its limitations. I took an ambient reading and the original exposure might have been something along the lines of 160th/sec at aperture 22 and the ISO of 250. That is the camera matrix metering (five point) system wanting to be in the mid range to get some detail in the shadows and getting rid of some details in the highlights. However I know from experience if I let my camera do the thinking for me the result would be a not-so appealing image. Thus, I underexposed the image by a full stop, or full stop and a third in order to create a much more dramatic image. The other aspect of the image with the pedestrian is that I lucked out since they were walking in the shaded and I knew they would just show up as a silhouette. The last point in this image is that I chose the frame in which the human subject was perfectly framed by a door frame found in the background. GOD is in the details. The other image I threw in here so you could see how an unexpected element, i.e. flying pigeon, can make a better photo. God is in the details and we should always be open to serendipity. SECOND PHOTO: Boston, MA 091010 Night scene at Downtown Crossings outside of Stoddard's, one of the new restaurants which have recently opened in the area.(Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ BIZ TECH STUFF: ISO 3200, aperture 2.8, speed 1/80th second, hand held while kneeling. (Due to many years of experience I've gotten very good at hand holding the telephotos steady even below their suggested limits for hand holding. Also going down on one knee and holding my breath while shooting helps make the image sharp.) PHOTO THEORY: In this case what makes this photo for me is the body language of one of the men in the background as he reacts to a woman entering an adjacent business.