G&M Distributors is Galesburg-based, the local-regional Anheuser-Busch InBev distributor. The staff a fine, hard-working group of professionals. I’ve been fortunate to make photos for them for a few years. Holiday parties, anniversary celebrations, website work, and the annual, recent, team meeting.
The location for the meeting has varied. With a second facility in Dixon, IL, sites have included Princeton, Langley, and the Galesburg plant, which is where the most recent event occurred. Each location has required a different approach in technical terms. The Langley location was outdoors and didn’t require much extra at all. The indoor venues…Well, there’s always available light. Digital cameras can handle, with quality, high ISO ranges, unlike film, which lost quality at higher speeds. But the ambient light in most places is flat and dull. One could use a phone camera and get “decent” results with existing light. I aim for better than decent. That’s where auxiliary lighting comes in. A flash brings out detail and gives color contrast, that “pop” that catches the eye. Wanting to provide G&M my best, all it took was extra effort.
The space used for the gathering is part of a warehouse, approximately 144 feet long and 30 feet wide. The ceiling is high, maybe 30 feet. The area breaks into two sections, the larger portion is where the stage and tables are located. The smaller is for socializing. The existing lights are ceiling mounted, daylight balanced but not powerful.
Lights! Lights are the answer. Off camera flash units. Lots of them. Having worked this same room last year, I made mental notes as to how I would handle this year. Similar, but with one extra touch to “raise the bar.”
To do so required a six light set up, using four, Alien Bee 800s (320 watt seconds each), and two Nikon SB speed lights. The Bees were used to light the main area and the speed lights were implemented to light the “social” area. The speed lights were the extra component this year, as I noticed too much light “fall off” in the social area last year. It was too dark.
The Bees were set up at the four corners of the main area, their light stands extended to their maximum height of 12-13 feet. Seven inch reflectors were used and they were angled to around 45 degrees and bounced into ceiling to soften the light. The output on each was set to 1/2. The power for three of four of them came from Vagabound Mini lithium battery packs, I found a wall outlet for the fourth unit. The two speed lights were set to quarter power output and placed across from each other to ensure even light coverage. All lights were triggered by remote, six receivers for each light and a hot shoe mounted transmitter for each of two cameras.
I’d budgeted an hour to set everything up, but was surprised to look at my watch and see it had been done in just over 30 minutes. It was time for a “test shot.” Playing off experience and intuition, I set a camera to what I believed would be “close” to a proper exposure. ISO 400, 1/125th of a second, and f4.5. I fired a test shot and the exposure was spot on! I allowed myself a smile. 42 years of this stuff and I am learning to know what I’m doing!
The set up has a drawback or two. I have, at times, wished for taller light stands. Wide shots may expose the flashes, depending on the shooting angle. I attempt to compose wisely, thinking of how lights and stands can be be cropped out.
The two speed lights did exactly as hoped, adding light to the east end of the space. A third speed light would have been helpful and was in my bag, but I didn’t have a seventh light stand.
A second drawback… The flashes do cause some “washout” on the projection screen, but I shoot everything in RAW format, allowing for bringing detail back into the highlights.
Here are six from the event. The first is a scene-setter with five of the six flashes circled in red. The fourth from left is one of the two speed lights, aimed back towards the social area. The second speed light is out of view but is camera-left behind me.
A little self-promotional plug to conclude this blog. If you hire me (and if you have photography needs I hope you do) You WILL receive my best effort!
