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Location photography – In the airport

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Location Photography by Michael LoBiondo

Location Photography by Michael LoBiondo

 

I seem to be in a lot of airports these days and it reminded me of a location photography assignment we had inside an airport.  I have photographed at airports before and when the airport is your client, things are easier.  You get your bags checked but you’re in a line of one.  Then you can go many places the public can’t because you have a security person attached to your hip.  Many things have changed over the years.

This assignment was for Black Enterprise Magazine and Keith Haywood is an executive for this Bojangles at the end of a concourse at this very busy airport.  A perfect application of using small flash.  The logistics were tricky because I had to go through the TSA check-point and they put my two bags through the ringer.  I had packed light (no pun intended) but it still took 15 minutes.

The question was how to show busy airport concourse, restaurant, subject, and not get run over by the crowd.  I positioned my light stand in the middle of the concourse loaded with the small Canon EX580 flash with small soft-box and had my assistant stand next to it in the wave of oncoming people.  I found a pole to kneel behind.  Wait for the crowd, shoot a bunch.  Reposition, wait for the crowd,  you get the idea.  We did five positions in about 40 minutes during the ebb and flow of passengers coming and going.  No one ran over the light, my subject, my assistant or me.  Couple of close calls with folks on their phones!!  Then, on to chicken and biscuits.

Gotta’ go and catch my flight.  More later….ML

Curlys Flags in Ocean City New Jersey

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Photo by Michael LoBiondo

Curlys Flags wait for customers

It’s been a long time since my last post but here is an image from one of my favorite places in the world, Ocean City NJ.  Actually, I love most beaches, boardwalks, and grand strands.  I grew up not far from Ocean City and a few weeks ago, I was shooting a job in South Jersey.  Just so you know, only someone from South Jersey distinguishes South Jersey as different from the rest of the state.  Not enough words to explain it, just go with me here.  I had an extra morning so I drove to OC in the morning before they got busy and started to charge you to “use the sand”.

Photo by Michael LoBiondo

nothin’ about nudity!!

There’s still a lot you can do on the beach.  But sand does get everywhere!  I love the beach in the morning.  I have great memories of being in the station wagon with my mom and driving to OC in the morning and being back at home by lunch.  Now I drive a mini-van.  See how far we’ve come!

Being on the beach before the crowds get there allow me to scrounge around and get access to pictures that I might not have when there’s a lot of people around.  Hence, Curlys Flags.  5 minutes after I took this, the attendant came out and scattered the flags everywhere.  I will be posting some other shots on my facebook page.  Please friend me if you haven’t already.

More later…

ML

Big Pipe for New York City

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Photo by Michael LoBiondo

86 inch pipe and welder

We shoot a lot this time of year for annual reports and we go to a number of great locations.  This is a pipe foundry in Bristol TN.  They are making water pipe for New York City and this one tops out at 86 inches.  That’s a bunch of H2O!!  This one section is about 40 feet in length.  Think of all the pipe you have to form, weld, and haul from Tennessee to NY.  The sections have to fit on a flat bed trailer to ship.  It’s almost inconceivable the amount of pipe they have to manufacture and move to New York.

I love these situations because the light is funky and I can get dramatic and crazy with lighting.  The trick was to have a light at the back of the pipe and then position the model to block it.  There is also a small light coming through the side portal and then one front light.

This was processed in Lightroom and then layered to give a slight grungy look.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

More later…ml