Fitzy's Barber Shop. Ft. Edward, NY
Pat has owned Fitzy's for 48 years. He's a Vietnam vet and is serving 3rd and 4th generation clients. He's a strong standing individual in his community and the recession has had a modest if any impact upon him. Here's how I went about lighting Mr. Fitzsimmons:
using a mini diy softbox on a Nikon Sb-800 flash, I shot him against the front window of his shop using the sun to expose the background and the mirrors along with the light interior to help with the fill light.
Next is Joe Kaye. He owns Laminate and Frame on Ridge St in Glens Falls, NY. He's a nature photographer and a framer. His photo work includes photos stretching across the entire Adirondack Park....which is a nice chunk o' land btw. With this recession Joe has been hit hard. He's had to drop prices and try to keep everything in house order wise. His shop is almost like an apt these days because of the long hours he's putting in to stay afloat. There's a sofa in the back, along with hangers full of clothes and a mini fridge along with boxes of cereal and dining ware all over the back of the shop. For him, I devised not only pose, but also a natural light effect to emphasize how he has been struggling. Here I used a Nikon Sb-800 speedlight with a diy mini softbox and again, used the available window light along with light colored walls and mat board to create fill light. I also used a higher ISO to give it a "grungy" look. I used ISo 400 and I'm shooting with a Nikon D300 with a Nikor 35mm f/2D lens for all shots.
My next shoot was with my uncle. Here is Kevin Girard of Hyatt Machine in Ft. Edward, NY. He has owned the company since my grandfather had passed away and left it to him. Kevin is almost a mirror image of his father. They are two of the hardest workers I have ever met in my entire life. Both working strenuous hours and juggling a family. The recession has hit Kevin right where it hurts. His clients are seeking cheaper labor and also trying to be more productive within their own companies, making the parts Kevin does. Kevin, like his father stands strong on his own and won't crumble due to this. So for him, I presented him in a strong, dominate pose in front of his machinery representing how I feel of him as a person, also as an entrepreneur. I used natural sunlight coming through the large garage door he has in the front of his shop, along with a medium white reflector and a Nikon Sb-800 bouncing into it for this shot.
My next subject is Projectionist Jerry Aratare. He has been a projectionist since 1958. He moved to Glens Falls, NY from Vermont just to take a job doing this back in the late 1950's. Just recently he has opened up the Park Street Theater on Park St. in Glens Falls, NY. He not only owns and runs the theater, but he is the projectionist still along with that he runs the cash register, ticket booth and everything in between. Opening a small movie theater in a small town has been an obstacle in it's own but, Jerry is getting by. He runs new feature's during the day, and on weekends, he's showing old school horror films (which btw, I love to death!) Because of the problems that come from running a small movie theater in a small town against the corporate movie theaters without the issue of recession I felt Jerry would be a great person for my project. So....with that said, I photographed Jerry using a Nikon Sb-800 with no diffusion to create dramatic shadows and highlights to show his dedication to his craft. He's using original machinery from his heyday's and cutting his own film also. I have tons of respect for people who will go that extra mile like Jerry.
And now for my first subject of this particular project, Peter Brock owner of Sam's Diner on Dix Ave in Glens Falls, NY. Pete has owned Sam's for around 25 years now. He bought the diner from the original owner in 1985. The diner has been in this location for around 50 years or so now. I grew up in an apt less than a block away from the diner and have always had an itch to go in and see what it was like. I finally rounded up the nerve in January of this year more than 25 years after living in the cramped confines of the Ridge St apt. I found that this business was so much more than just your everyday diner. It offered more than just a meal and a bill, it offered companionship, a friendly atmosphere and just an overall sense of tranquility. I wasn't there more than 5 mins before customers were bullshitting with me and telling me things that people at a bar wouldn't dream of saying. It was just an amazing experience and it made me wish that I had done it so so much sooner. Soooooo, with this shoot it was my first, my baby, my experiment.....and it couldn't have gone any smoother than it did. With all that I have said, I HAD to show how great of a place this was and how important this place was to my community. Pete is a great, great guy so for him, I had to show him in an epic form, low camera angle, bright light. So I shot him with a Nikon Sb-800 with a scrim to the right to stop spillage on the aluminum wall without any diffusion. Also to show the "crowd" I shot wile patrons where there mingling with his employee's. Due to the recession, if it wasn't for his regular crowd, Pete would have some problems. But due to the way he has run this business, he really has no worries.
So that's my blog for today, I want to thank www.lighitngdiagrams.com for the lighting diagrams. Keep up on my site www.mattgrangerphoto.com for new and upcoming work, also for the new website layout to be coming soon! Thanks for reading!
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