Mark Taylor

Saxophonist, Mark Taylor is one of the first musicians I met and worked with when I moved to Seattle in 1994. Over the years he has always been among my favorite musicians to work with as well as one of my best friends. In addition to being an incredible musician, he is one of the most down to earth, good-natured people I know.

I have a fairly long list of potential subjects for the Leading Questions project. The main consideration for me when selecting my next subject is whether or not a have I concept for their photo. This one came to me when shopping at a joke store with my kids. I saw a bin of these Chinese finger traps and immediately thought they might make a good prop for a picture. Seconds later, it occurred to me that it would work well for a photo of Mark Taylor. Mark has a great sense of humor and an expressive face, it was easy to imagine him going along with it.

It's probably a good time to mention that I really try to match the photo concept with the subject, and my biggest fear is that a subject might find what I consider a humorous concept to be something that they feel makes them look foolish. That's the last thing I'd want. I really want them to be comfortable with what they're doing and how they are being represented. If a subject feels misrepresented in a picture, then I have failed in my basic objective, trying to express an element of who they are.

That said, I'm glad Mark liked the idea of the photo and we had fun shooting it. Mark had a broad range of expressions and was doing his best to avoid laughing when I snapped a shot. One of the things I found interesting is that Mark had never seen these Chinese finger traps before, something I thought every child had been a victim of at some point in life. He took them home with the intention of terrorizing his own children.

I thought quite a bit about how I wanted Mark's shot to look. I knew I wanted it to be a studio shot as opposed to on location. I recently saw an image that photographer Platon had taken of Annie Liebovitz and thought it looked good on a not quite black background, so I decided to follow this route as well. I initially considered using just one light, but decided that I might be able to create more tension in Mark's expression with light that emphasized highlights as well as shadows. A single light would have created correctly exposed skin tones accompanied by dramatic shadow, with the light scheme I chose, you can see that there is an emphasis on the strong highlights on the sides of Mark's face as well as nicely contrasting shadows on his wrinkled brow. I think this makes his expression "pop" a little more. Finally, the additional lights did a great job separating Mark's black shirt from the black background. (Actually, the shirt is mine. I made Mark wear it because I thought the little bits would add a nice element.)

To light this, I used a medium soft box directly in front of Mark, above and on axis with the camera. It was metered at f/11. Directly above Mark is a small soft box, lighting the top of his head and shoulders, metered at f/16. On each side of Mark is a four foot strip light, directed straight into his arms. These were both set at f/16 as well. Mark was actually sitting on the floor of my studio and there is a large, white circular reflector on the floor directly in front of him.

I shot multiple takes with my Canon 5D digital camera and then shot a roll with my Mamiya RZ67 using Kodak Portra 160 NC. I could have easily used the digital or film files, in this environment, they looked very similar and it was not hard to get the digital files to match the color of the film. The shot I chose is a film shot, it was simply the best shot. Sometimes, the 20 seconds moving from one camera to the next is enough to change a pose just enough to make the difference.

Here's a link to the interview: Leading Questions
Here's a link to Mark's site: Mark Taylor

Technical info:

Shot with a Mamiya RZ67 w/110mm 2.8 lens at f/11, 1/400th of a second, using Kodak Portra 160 NC film rated at ISO 100.

The lighting was provided by a medium soft box on axis with the camera as key, a small soft box over the subject's head and 4' strip lights on either side. A large, white, circular reflector is on the floor in front of Mark, helping to lift the shadows just a touch.

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Jay Thomas

Trumpeter/saxophonist, Jay Thomas was kind enough to collaborate with me on the third submission to the Leading Questions Project. Jay has an international following and is among the most significant figures on the Seattle scene. Equally at home on trumpet and saxophone, he is a true, lifelong student of jazz, always pushing himself to new levels. I chose Jay for this project, not only because of his stature on the Seattle jazz scene, but because he is known for his clever and quirky thought process. I think this is clearly seen in his interview responses.

My initial concept for this project was to photograph Jay with the I-5 ship canal bridge looming behind him. This struck me as a good choice for Jay as the bridge is a prominent feature spanning Seattle's Lake Union that also seems connected to Jay, at least in my mind, as he lives very close to it. For some reason, I've always put the two together. Additionally, I think I might subconsciously see a romantic relationship between jazz and bridges, probably a seed planted by Sonny Rollins' 1959 recording The Bridge.

Early fall in Seattle is generally a time of rich, red sunsets. When envisioning this portrait in my mind, I could see the red light of the setting sun, cast upon the bridge's steel structure. This was naturally dependent upon cooperation from the weather, the last thing you can really depend on in Seattle. After a number of rainy, overcast days, Monday the 22nd of September looked promising. I called Jay and arranged to meet him that evening, allowing plenty of time to set up before the red rays of sunlight would pass.

Jay played his horn as I got my equipment in place. I took a number of test shots and then informed Jay that we would just need to wait a few minutes for the sun to begin setting. It dawned on me that this would be a good time to load a roll of black and white film that I had put in my pocket on the way out the door. I shot through the roll, watching the sun gradually diminish. After a few minutes, it became clear that we weren't going to get the sunset I'd hoped for. I continued shooting, working with the digital camera as well as shooting a couple rolls of color film. This really was my only chance to get this shot and it became clear to me that it wasn't going to be the one I had envisioned. I kept shooting, hoping that something else from the session would work, but I wasn't feeling optimistic. I told Jay that we had probably gotten what we were going to get and called it a night.

When I got home, I went through the digital images and found a few that I liked, but didn't feel that any were quite what I was looking for. This image is one that I played with:

In fact, when post processing I was even able to add a bit of the red sunlight to the side of the bridge that I had hoped would be there. I wasn't crazy about the trees in the background and felt that in combination with the wide focal length, that the picture was pulling my eyes all over the place. It just didn't come together for me. So, I just hoped that the film would yield something better.

When I picked up the processed film, I was pleasantly surprised, finding several images that really struck me as strong. The color images were nice as well, but the black and white frames had something special. Obviously, you can see above that I chose the close-up shot of Jay as the lead for the project. It is not the idea I went in with, obviously there's no red sunlight, there's no color for that matter, you probably wouldn't know that the structure behind him is a bridge. But in the end what really matters is that there is a strong connection between the viewer and the subject and I really feel it from this picture. It really communicates what I see in Jay, the person. The direct view into the eyes of a guy who is all about his music and the journey through life that he follows with his horn. That's Jay. And, he's really blowing here, not pretending. I don't think Jay would look right pretending to blow.

So, the lessons to drive home here are: don't be so married to your idea that you aren't willing to try something different on the fly (in fact try some different things even when your original idea is working) and don't call it a success or failure until you've seen the files and film. You never know what might be there. In the end I learned something new and important for myself, always put a roll of black and white in your pocket on your way out the door.

Here's an alternate image I considered:













Here's a link to the interview: Leading Questions
Here's a link to Jay's site: Jay Thomas


Technical info:

Featured and second alternate image shot with a Mamiya RZ67 w/110mm 2.8 lens at f/5.0 1/15th of a second, using Kodak Plus X 125 film rated at ISO 80.

Alternate color image shot with a Canon 5D w/EF 24-70 2.8L USM lens at ISO 100, f/6.3 1/10th of a second.

The lighting for all shots was provided by a four foot octabank with a White Lightning X3200 strobe, powered by a Vagabond II.

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Clipper Anderson

Next in the Leading Questions Project is bassist, Clipper Anderson. Clipper is an incredible musician and really personable guy. Clipper laughs often and places a high value on friends and family.

This shot came about in mid-July of this year. Clipper and I were scheduled to play at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival with pianist, Randy Halberstadt. I thought this would be a great opportunity to use this interesting location to get a portrait of Clipper.

Within our busy schedule we had about a two hour window on Friday afternoon, July 25th, to get the shot. The problem was that I hadn't come up with a strong concept. It is my desire that the images for this project have a lot of character.

We were staying at Fort Worden, an interesting old military base that was used for the filming of the movie, An Officer And A Gentleman. There are a number of cool buildings, open fields and so on to work with. I walked through some of the buildings hoping to find the right room, but nothing was striking me. 10 years ago, these buildings had beautiful wooden floors, high ceilings, rows of old windows, in a word, character. As I looked through the rooms, I was disappointed to see that a bit of modernization had taken place, substituting the old and interesting with new and generic. Industrial strength carpet lined the floors, and the walls looked like they'd been painted with surplus colors from a Starbucks. Not the vibe I wanted.

I could see Clipper in a couple of poses, the one above, humorously playing his gigantic bass like a guitar, a stronger stance with the bass away from his body, I just needed to find the right location.

With about an hour before I was scheduled to meet Clipper, a concept came to me. I had heard that there is a Goodwill store on the outskirts of town, so I hopped into my car and quickly raced out to find my prop, an old hat. 99 cents and I was in business. I raced back to the fort, called Clipper and asked him to put on a suit and meet me with his bass at the end of the Fort Worden Pier . I raced down to the pier and started making multiple trips out to the end, carrying a C-Stand, a tripod, a Vagabond II, digital cameras, my Mamiya RZ67, an octabox, a drum stool and worst of all, 3 20-pound sandbags. (you know that feeling when you are already wiped out and you haven't even started shooting?) Normally I would have carried my gear on a cart, but the bumpy planks of the pier weren't going to accommodate such easy access.

Clipper's bass is a fine instrument, worth many thousands of dollars. He hauled it out to the end of the pier in it's case. It was very windy and the sun was blazing. He informed me that we had only about ten minutes as the bass could not be left in direct sunlight for very long. I kept him in the shade and began setting up my 4 foot octabox with a White Lightning X1600. When ready, I brought Clipper into position at the end of the pier. The sun was to camera right, just a little behind my back. I decided to place my octabank in it's path, essentially blocking the sun, casting a shadow on Clipper. I really only wanted one light source in this image. I removed the outer panel from my box leaving just the internal diffuser. I wanted a large light source but with a little bit of an edge to it.

In front of Clipper I placed the Goodwill hat with a dollar bill extending from inside. Because of the strong wind, I placed my keys and a 580EX inside, just enough weight. I took a couple of quick meter readings and then had Clipper sit on the stool. I placed a polarizer on the lens to help the sky a little and took a couple of test shots. I then had Clipper execute the two poses I mentioned. I then switched to film with the Mamiya and had him repeat each pose as well as getting a Whibal shot.

As quickly as we began shooting, we were done, I got Clipper and his bass out of the sun and began packing up.

I felt a great sense of satisfaction upon completion of this project. My concept of a bass player in a suit, playing for dollars at the end of a pier, with his instrument humorously positioned like a guitar had come off. I feel that the image has character and humor, and a unique, appealing look. Thanks to Clipper Anderson for his willingness to do what I asked of him.

Here is the alternate image I considered, taken with my 5D.













Although I like this image, I felt it lacked the humor and character that I feel Clipper possesses.

Here is a link to the interview:

http://seattlejazzscene.com/?p=775

Technical info:

Featured image shot with a Mamiya RZ67 w/110mm 2.8 lens at f/5.6 1/250th of a second, using Kodak Portra 160 VC film rated at ISO 100.

Alternate image shot with a Canon 5D w/EF 24-70 2.8L USM lens at ISO 100, f/6.3 1/200th of a second.

The lighting for both shots was provided by a four foot octabank minus the outer diffuser with a White Lightning X1600 strobe, powered by a Vagabond II.

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James Knapp

The Leading Questions project is one I have thought about for some time. I'm really excited to see it come to fruition.

When selecting subjects I try to consider not only how I think they will interview but if I feel a strong concept for their portrait. My first subject, composer/trumpeter Jim Knapp, was an easy choice. I have known Jim since 1995. I performed in his jazz quintet for some time and have always been a great fan of his compositions and playing. Jim is also a very intelligent, witty person. He really enjoys language as can be seen by some of the clever titles he chooses for his compositions.

At the end of June, 2008, I contacted Jim regarding the Leading Questions project. Because of his wit, I thought Jim would be a great first subject. I had a feeling Jim would understand the concept without my really having to explain it to him, or provide examples that might steer Jim down a less intuitive path. I feel that Jim hit the nail on the head, providing a perfect first outing for the series.

After receiving Jim's completed interview, we scheduled a photo session. I really wanted to shoot Jim with black and white film and chose Ilford FP4+ to do so. We shot Jim's photo on the stage of Poncho Concert hall at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where Jim is a professor. It had been a while since I had been to Poncho and I initially envisioned shooting Jim, sitting in a chair with the trappings of the stage behind him. I imagined curtain riggings and theatrical tools littering the background, but was disappointed to find that my memory of this stage was not accurate. It has none of the things I imagined. (Note to self, never trust your memory, always do a location scout in advance) I however, made due with the situation and instead decided to turn Jim around so that his back would face the seating of the hall.

I set my lights and did a few tests. Now, the tricky part of working with subjects not used to being photographed, is getting them to look relaxed and natural in front of the camera. There is a real art to this. When conceptualizing this shoot, I knew that I wanted to get a shot of Jim laughing. Jim tends to be a fairly quiet, low-key person, who will surprise you with a sudden outburst of laughter when something strikes him as amusing. I wanted to catch this element.

During the session, Jim was his usual self, patiently waiting for me to set up my gear, engaging in a little bit of small talk. To get the image I wanted, I gave Jim a little bit of direction regarding how I wanted him to sit in the chair and then I casually started telling him jokes. (Now, I didn't just go straight into a comedy routine, I tried to keep our conversation natural, but just happened to have a few jokes to share.) I lift my head from behind the camera so that I could directly engage him but kept my finger on the shutter release waiting for the perfect moment to fire. I must admit that I had trouble telling jokes fluidly as I was trying to watch Jim closely while operating the camera at the same time. In the end, I got several images of Jim that I really like and decided to go with the shot above as it really typified what I wanted to communicate about Jim Knapp.

Here are a couple of shots that I considered as well:



Thanks to Jim for his cooperation.

Here is a link to Jim's interview, hosted by SeattleJazzScene.com

www.seattlejazzscene.com/?p=733

This is Jim's site:

www.jimknapporchestra.com/


Technical Info:

Ilford fp4+ shot with a Mamiya RZ67. 110mm @ f/5 1/400th second
White Lightning X1600 through 4' octabox as key. Alien Bees B800 through 4' strip light to rear and camera right. B800 shot into hall in background.

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