Rangefinder Magazine
December 2004
Click Here for printable version of this article.
Rf Cookbook by Jen
Bidner
It Took 17
Photo Sessions to Create One Group Portrait!
When Joe Elario got the assignment to photograph the Albany
(New York) Police Department, he knew he was in for a challenge. The problem
was not the subject per se, because people photography is his specialty,
and he runs a successful wedding photography business, And acts as the official
photographer for the Albany Mayor’s Office.
 The first challenge was the
business of policing. The department couldn’t
simply shut down for the afternoon, while all the members of the force posed
for the picture. And even if you could leave the streets and phones unattended,
there were multiple round-the-clock shifts to contend with.
Joe decided he
was going to have to shoot the image in batches and have it digitally combined
in the end. Little did he predict that this would take 17 shooting sessions
over a two-week period. The largest group was about 35 people; the smallest
was a single detective who rushed in as Joe was starting to break down
the set.
The second challenge was to find a room large enough for him
to set up bleachers and lights, and leave them set up for the duration. The
solution was an old armory, with the height and depth he needed. Unfortunately,
it also had a particularly unattractive gray background wall. But since
the image was being digitally stitched anyway, substituting an innocuous
brick background wouldn’t
be much of a problem.
He made the decision to shoot each group in the
center of the bleachers, so he could focus his lights on the area and
have consistency. His plan was to leave the lights in place, so there
would be absolutely no accidental changes in the lighting from shooting
session to shooting session.
 The main light was created from three
Elinchrom 600w/s flash units with normal reflectors positioned at camera.
The reflectors were each softened with Rosco Diffusion panels. Three additional
Elinchrom flash units were placed toward the rear of the group to produce
a hair/rim light. These were also diffused in a similar manner.
The third challenge
was the horses. In order to photograph them under the same lighting, the
bleachers had to be moved. Luckily the young police recruits (dressed in gray
in the final photo) were on hand to carry it out, and then back in after the
shoot.
The final digital magic was done by a company that specializes
in it, called Miller’s Professional Imaging (www.millerslab.com).
The final print was printed 23 inches high and stretched eight
feet. It is proudly displayed at the police headquarters.
INGREDIENTS
• Camera: Hasselblad 553 ELX with an 80mm lens
• Flash: Six Elinchrom flash units with normal reflectors and Rosco diffusion
panels
• Film: Kodak Professional Portra 160VC
• Background: Digitally created brick background
• Digital Manipulation: 17 exposures combined into one (ranging from one
to 35 people per exposure)
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