The Creepy Barn - Part 3
About a month ago my services were requested for covering a very popular OCR event: Run for your lives 5k. Race Pace Photos hired me to join their team of excellent photographers. In this post, I will go over the equipment and other preparations for the event. This is Part 3 of a four part post.
Lunch
After sprinting incessantly across Zone 8 for 6 hours, I grew tired and headed back to the tents. There I met one of the organizers, who was more than happy to provide lunch (tasty chicken pitas are awesome!). Afterwards, I was instructed to shoot for the barn for a different pace and style of shoot. Heading through the crowds of participants, I arrive to a large structure near the staff parking.
The Barn
Peering inside the foggy, desolate farm housing, I quickly scouted the zombie participants. The front gate keepers inform me that a recent wave just went through, giving me enough time to scout the entire barn. On the entrance and side of the barn there are fog machines that are manually triggered on command. The barn features stables on the sides near the entrance, where stumbler zombies hid, creeping through the stable doorways as runners went by. There were more zombies around the middle area, all stumblers.
As a side note, we received a visit from the owners. There were quite nice and happy to have us there.
Zombies
Another wave started approaching. The zombies quickly got into their positions. The runners froze right at the entrance as the zombies disappeared into the fog in front of the entrance. I get to the back of the group of zombies gathering around the stables, getting ready to shoot the chaos that follows.
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| Zombies gonna get you! |
Camera Settings
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Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 6400
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/4.0
Exposure Time: 0.005s (1/200)
Strobist
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Strobe: 580EX II at 1/64 power from camera right
A gust of windows passes between us and the runners. One runner sprints towards the barn. Another quickly gains courage and speed. Suddenly, the whole group stampedes into the barn: there is safety in numbers. I start to quickly take shots of the action. However, I realize that the shots were coming up completely white washed.
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| I had to bump the darks on this one a bit too much! |
Camera Settings
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Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 12800
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/4.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/400)
The reason behind this was because of two factors: the fog and its relationship with the light, and the distance between the subject and the camera. To fix this, the best option is to turn off the fog machine in between the photog and the subject, and to get closer to the subject to minimize the distance. I asked one of the zombies to turn off the middle fog machine, and this fixed the issue beautifully.
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| At least it is not Doom 3 dark |
Camera Settings
---------------
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 6400
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/64 power on camera
Studio lights versus Portable flashes
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| Close, but no cigar. |
Camera Settings
---------------
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 6400
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/64 power from camera right
This time I made a different choice concerning lighting. Instead of using a studio light, I used a 580EX II. These lights are more portable and they can be placed in locations that studio lights do not have access to. Because I was going to be mobile, I needed to use pocket wizards to trigger the flashes and not rely on the Line of Sight requirement for the 580EX II. The only issue with the setup is that I have to set the settings for the flash manually: I cannot send the signals through the IR receiver. This makes setting the power on the flashes a challenge.
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| Jumping to safety. |
Camera Settings
---------------
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 12800
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/64 power from camera right
This setup is put to the test when the next wave comes through, and it worked very well. The only kinks are the fact that not all subjects are exposed correctly, and I can only shoot in a narrow area. This is why one has to pick the most photogenic spot with the most opportunities. The spot I picked gave me the most out of the zombies and the areas available.
Promo shoot
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| The zombie gang. |
Camera Settings
---------------
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 800
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/4.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/32 power from camera right
Lightroom settings
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Clarity:
As I photographed the zombies, I noticed two notable zombies: they had a really good look to them. I realized that they would be good for promotional material for future events. I asked Tari and Lauren to pose for a few shots.
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| The zombies are ready for the prom. |
Camera Settings
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Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 6400
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/5.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/32 power from camera right with a Big Bounce
Lightroom settings
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Clarity:
Soon I realized that they were enjoying the shoot, and I started to take more creative photos.
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| Tari being scary o.o |
Camera Settings
---------------
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 400
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/4.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/32 power from camera left with a Big Bounce, by VAL
Lightroom settings
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Clarity:
I had Tari become a VAL, and started shooting Lauren against the back lit entrance with my 580EX II and a Big Bounce attached to it.
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| Lauren showing her scary side! |
Camera Settings
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Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 400
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/4.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/64 power from camera center, above head, by VAL
Lightroom settings
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Clarity:
Sometimes, you have to just go for it and ask them to be an impromptu model. The results are always good! to it.
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| Possible zombie race promo? Why yes. |
Camera Settings
---------------
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO 12800
Focal Length 24mm (24mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/200)
Strobist
---------------
Strobe: 580EX II at 1/64 power from camera center above head held by Tari
Lightroom settings
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Clarity: +50
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