Gear Head - Mobile

Orange County Photographer Greg Garcia's Equipment
This is a follow up to Gear Head - AC Powered. Most of the content will be the same. So, the reason for this entry? This will answer the inquiry for an environmental location shoot without any access to electricity.
I have organized my gear so with a couple swaps in lighting, I'm still good to go. The primary DSLRs I use are the Canon 5D and the Canon 5D Mark II. My lens arsenal consists of a Canon EF 24-70mm 2.8, Canon EF 70-200 2.8 IS, and a Canon EF 85mm 1.8. I find I get most of my work done with those three lenses. For metering I still use my Sekonic handheld and I use a Calibration Target for Custom White Balance. This is probably the absolute bare minimum I would take to any shoot.

For Lighting on a "Mobile" shoot, I use JTL MobilLights with battery packs. I have a Quantum Q Flash with a Turbo Battery pack and the Canon 580EX that I can mount to a stand with a shoe mount trigger, that plugs into my wireless receiver for off camera lighting. I'll use the Q Flash or 580EX to lighten the load if we are hiking the gear to a remote location or if I need a quick accent light to pick up some detail. I find this works really well for me even in a multiple light set up.

Keeping with the same JTL Lighting mounts enables me to use the same light modifiers as I would with the VersaLights. Depending on what is needed for the job, I have a large 60" Convertable Umbrella and a number of smaller umbrellas that are Silver, Translucent and White Reflective. I have a 21" Beauty dish that I have enjoyed using as well as a number of soft boxes including the Photoflex Platinum Series Strip Dome Q39, for controlled light placement. With those tools, I've been able to satisfy the needs to get about any job done.

Stone

Stone, originally uploaded by greggarciaphoto.

iPhone image

Bastard Winos - Live @ Fitzgeralds - Storm Called Me

Ashlee

Ashlee and I have worked together before and she is a joy to work with. This was no exception. She had been wanting to update her images but had been carrying a busy schedule and not able to book a session. Finally, she had a clearing in her schedule, and contacted me the evening before, to shoot. We both had a small window in the afternoon so we scheduled a shoot in a near by park. We wanted to capture a loose outdoor feel for her shots. I knew of an area with high grass that would make a great location for her images but it was a little bit of a hike. Between our window of opportunity and also coordinating hair and makeup last minute, we found ourselves chasing daylight. The sun was low on the horizon and I knew we would never make it to the area I had intended for the shoot to get the results that I wanted. Ashlee being gracious said not to worry we can reschedule for another time. I agreed but why let this go to waste. Lets shoot! So we did. These images were taken on the side of the road on Parker St. in Orange. They were shot with the Canon 5D at 400 ASA f2.8 @ 1/30, hand held. The top image was one of the first frames shot. That warm edge of sunlight on her cheek was only there for a moment. That was the last kiss of sunlight before it was gone.

At this point, it was literally getting darker by the minute. I turned Ashlee around in the second image and got her out from under the trees to get more light on her. I was already shooting wide open and at 1/30 of a second hand held. I didn't want to shift my ASA any more because I didn't want to pick up anymore noise. With my Sekonic hand held light meter I moved out toward the street until I got my exposure back to 1/30. With the sun behind her and below the horizon, we got a really nice wrap around light and because the light still had direction, it gave her hair separation from that background. Placing Ashlee in front of the treeline gave me a nice edge in the shine of her hair. If she was placed with sky behind her, that highlight would've bled right into the sky. We shot until it was too dark and we couldn't take the mosquito attacks anymore, which didn't take long. It was a short and fun shoot and we were happy with the results.

Ashlee is great to work with and if you're interested in working with her you can contact her via:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/ashleenicolem 

The King Mixers

The King Mixers at the Fox and Hounds English Pub in studio City. I believe they play there every friday night. I recommend having a few pints and checking them out if you’re ever in the area.

The King Mixers

After our Crafter Guitar shoot, I called up some friends in the area and we ended up at the Fox & Hounds. The Fox and Hounds English pub is a Studio City, California landmark where British Ex-pats join the young locals (and wayward visitors who stumble upon it) for pints, darts and sports from around the world. This evening, The King Mixers were playing. This band took their time getting started but when they did, I was really glad we stumbled in. These guys play Beatles, Cars, Queen and an amazing version of Baba O’ Riley by the Who. When they play, they do not merely “cover” the songs, they interpret the songs with their own piss and vinegar. I thoroughly enjoyed these guys and I would recommend checking them out if you’re ever in the area.

Hobo Camp

Orange County Photographer Greg Garcia in New Orleans

I spent a week or so in New Orleans staying in a Double Barrel Shotgun, in the area by Armstrong Park. We didn't have any electricity or water to speak of. We were lucky enough to run an extension cord from the neighbor that lit a single lamp so we could see after dark. Water would trickle out of the bathtub faucet, so we would collect the water in cups and tubs for usage later. We converted an old washing machine into a BBQ so we had a place to cook. We called this the Hobo Camp. It was pretty much open to whoever wanted to stay there. There were always interesting characters coming and going. They didn't seem to mind me or my camera. Enjoy!

Images shot with the Nikon FA and Nikon 6006 on Fuji Reala