Obama, the Future President

There’s a saying: “It’s the journey, not the destination.” I normally subscribe to this little nugget of wisdom, but this was not the case in my effort to photograph the future president. For me, the journey sucked but the destination was great.

I was based in Virginia for about six months in 2008 on a yacht project. The presidential campaign in was in full swing and I heard that Barack Obama would be at the Virginia Beach convention center for a campaign rally on the weekend. It would be a great opportunity to see him speak and be apart of something exciting.

More shots below

How to Photograph: Stage Lighting

This is a shot of a Balinese dancer during a traditional Barong dance performance. Photographing shows in stage lighting is challenging. In bad stage light, it can be a nightmare.

With stage lighting, I normally shoot in Manual mode. Spot lit performers against dark backgrounds will fool a camera’s meter every time.

The subject will end up overexposed. Stage lighting is usually very uneven around the stage particularly in small third-world venues where I tend to hang out. This means it’s tough to shoot all over the stage. So I look for the best lit spot on the stage, which is often the center but not always. This is the zone where I want my subjects to be.