"The Play’s The Thing"

"The Play’s The Thing"
©David A. Ziser

OK, I borrowed the title from Shakespeare's play, “Hamlet”, but I think it works perfectly because this “Inspiring Volunteer” was honored by our own Cincinnati In The Park panel.

Just as in yesterday’s portrait from the same series, I wanted to photograph the honoree in the surrounds of the Playhouse – the main foyer area seemed to be the perfect place.  The banners hanging from the ceiling represent the plays of that season’s line up.  I also framed up the Playhouse sign in the background to finish my composition.

Positioning the subject directly in the center of the composition, I thinks works just fine too.  He is clearly the center of attention in the portrait with all the other elements playing the secondary role in this image.

The lighting from the spots above served as a nice accent light on the subject’s hair. My flash, which was brighter than the ambient light, came from camera right about 7 feet away at 1/8 power and served as my main light in creating a nice directional and defining lighting on his face.

Camera specs:  Canon 5D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 47mm, F5.5 @ 1/50 second, ISO 800.  Enjoy! -David