How can you expect to be a good Ghostbuster without zappin’ one, right?

This shot was set up at the top of the staircase above the lobby on the mezzanine.  I wanted to use this area because it had a little more open space and the fact that it had interesting shapes that I new I could use to bounce shadows everywhere.  This would give the image more depth.

I asked Erica to act like she was giving her best ZAP while showing off the cool backpack.  These guys put a lot of work into it and I wanted to show it off.   I place my SB-800 off camera again.   This time on the floor pointing toward the Mrs.   I thought this would help give off directional light I would need if I’m going to edit some plasma beams in later.

Tada!  Looks like I got a nice strong directional shadow I wanted so we packed up and left for the day.  As in the case with Ann (our hallway ghost) I needed someone to play Ghostbuster bait.   Niles, Ann’s husband and fellow actor, stepped up to the plate in full costume.  Feigning surprise in a defensive posture I captured Niles with, you guessed it, more directional off-camera flash.

Into editing we go!

So I made a layer cake in Photoshop once again with all sorts of bells and whistles.   Plasma rays are fun.   I could make dozens of these things they’re so easy and never get bored with it.   In this case I decided the Niles was going to get it wrap style as seen in the movie.   I almost added a vortex of light surrounding him but I thought maybe I would reserve that for a future shot (maybe) when a Ghostbuster can actually use the “trap”.   Keep it simple, Joey.  Okay.

Enjoy!   … and don’t forget to scroll down for the first part.

So my wife approaches me with an interesting project.   How she gets involved in these types of things I’ll never know but somehow it always involves using her imagination.   Sometimes it’s plays, sometimes it’s commercials, sometimes small parts in movies.   As it so happens her latest interesting offer came in the form of a calendar shoot.   Oh no … not bikini clad vixens (I could only hope) but rather to appear in the Louisville Ghostbuster calendar.   huh?   Yeah I know.  That’s what I thought too.   Turns out to be a few guys in a local chapter of the popular movie’s fan club.   My wife mentioned to me they would like her to be featured in the new calendar as a “Ghostbuster” in full uniform and said she would like me to do a themed shoot with her.   The Louisville Ghostbusters would provide the uniform and gear.   They wanted me to put my own imagination to work to come up with a decent portrait for their calendar.   

Cool.   I love ghosts and I love creating images so finally I get a chance to marry the two.

The logistics were simple in my head.   I needed to shoot in an environment suited for the theme and I needed ghosts to later insert into the photo.   We didn’t have much time so my wife suggested a spot she’s previously used for a zombie flick she was in and we headed downtown, Louisville.   We arrived (sound buzzer) WRONG.   The area was off-limits and gated up.   Hmm.   Well damn.   Now we have these guys dragging Ghostbuster gear all over town looking for us over the phone and no place to do the shoot.   Quick thinking lead me to suggest the Seelbach Hilton hotel in downtown, Louisville.   The Seelbach has plenty of ghost stories and is rich in local folklore.    I’ve visited the Seelbach on several occassions, the latest being on a walking “ghost tour” by a local story teller Robert W. Parker.   aka Mr. Ghostwalker.   I know, campy, right?   … but it was a lot of fun and I love a good history lesson.

I digress.

The Seelbach agreed to let us shoot and upon arriving, making introductions, etc. we were given free-reign over the mezzanine leading around the lobby and to the famous Oak Room.  (Al Capone’s old hang out by the way.  Secret passageways.  Automatic doors that blend with the wall.  Fun stuff)

The most interesting angle I could find was that leading to a hallway where guests could catch an elevator.  Dark stained walls.  The smell of old wood and steeped in mystery.   We had a winner of a site.

I composed my shot by placing my SB-800 flash unit on a nearby table pointing towards the model (the wife) and diffused it using something out of Gary Fong’s kitchen.   I also used the green flash gel, not to equate white balance but to actually knock it off balance with a green cast.   Hey it’s supposed to be ghostly, right?

My Nikon D80 was tripod mounted and I used my faithful 50mm to shoot at f/2.8.  The idea having our Ghostbuster in focus awaiting an approaching spirit.    Piece of cake.   I grabbed multiple exposures for proper light balance while I was there.

My wife also has a married couple of friends that are responsible for the Whodunnit Murder Mystery dinner plays.  I couldn’t think of anyone better, already having costumes for hauting hotel hallways I asked them nicely to pose for me and they obliged.   Ann is our first ghost that you will see here.

Several layers of careful retouching in produced this which I present to you today.   My wife the Ghostbuster.

More to come …

There’s one picture in my galleries that I get more responses then any other photo and that’s my downtown Louisville skyline picture. The tragedy is that after a hard drive crash a couple years ago I lost the original and was left with only a low resolution copy from my website; a resolution too low to make quality prints. Well, after yet another request for a print of the image I decided last night to head to the riverfront and recreate the photo.

Bound and determined I grabbed my gear and got in my car. A bite to eat for some energy and I made my way to the river. But a disaster awaited me upon my arrival, the trees on the edge of the river had grown out and now completely obstructed the view of the water. NO! I couldn’t recreate the image without a view of the water! So I did what any good (and maybe somewhat insane) photographer would do… I got in the car and headed to Wal-Mart to buy a hacksaw. And, before you ask why, it’s because Home Depot was closed. (Cause I KNOW you were going to ask). But Wal-Mart was great ’cause I got to watch a fist fight break out between two older ladies. Oh, the fun at Walley World.

My girlfriend acted as my lookout as I braved my way down through the brush and thorn bushes, hacksaw in hand, to find and destroy, pulverize, demolish, and/or obliterate the trees that stood in my way from the perfect shot. Yeah, ok, maybe I’m being a little dramatic but you have to understand my determination here! The sight had to have been somewhat humorous to the people in their cars up on the hill. A grown man in flip-flops, standing in the water, cutting down a tree with a Wal-Mart hacksaw.

I got my shot! ..Just to let you know.

(You can check out larger version in our nature gallery here.)

And here is the original that I was trying to recreate;

My first post to the blog and I thought I would start things off with a fun trip to the zoo. It was a wonderful day; warm, sunny and a light breeze, so my girlfriend and I headed out to the Louisville Zoo to catch some shots of the animals.

I hauled my large camera bag out and we had a nice walk around the park.. well, that is until I pulled my back. Word of warning to other photographers; get a ROLLING bag if you are hardheaded like me and insist on hauling your entire arsenal of gadgets with you on a 4 hour walk. I won’t complain, however, because the time I’ve spent out-of-commission the last couple days gave me some time to set up this blog :).

The photos turned out alright. I didn’t get everything I wanted because the animals were lazy and, apparently, didn’t realize I was coming for their photo shoot. I could have gotten a nice close-up of the orangutans but some middle-aged lady thought the zoo was her personal exhibit and spent 30 minutes with her face pressed to the glass giving them kisses (I guess no one told her how disgusting it is to have your face pressed against the glass at a monkey cage).

Anyway, I’m posting a few of my favorites here. You can check them out in our nature gallery.