What started as a lark for three pro photographer buddies, ended up as some heroic images, and a lesson on how a little lighting can turn daytime shots on-the-fly into powerful images.
Since 2007 San Diego photographer Justin Novak has dropped in casually on Comic Con, the annual event that is Mecca for fans of comics, graphic novels, fantasy, science fiction and film. A lot of those fans attend dressed as their favorite characters in very elaborate costumes.
Although Mr. Novak always took a camera, this year he took a less casual approach. “I had a good group of seasoned photographers with me, so we could carry some off camera lighting,†said Mr. Novak.
Off camera lighting is simply a flash or lighting that â€" as the name suggests â€" isn't mounted on the camera. The advantage is that the off camera light can be moved and aimed to reduce shadows or to increase shadows where you want them while avoiding the flat, harshly lit look that often comes from an on-camera flash. “I carried off camera lighting to really accentuate those characters†said Mr. Novak, who often gave his those characters a noir comic book sense of menace, despite shooting in full daylight.
But the first he had to enlist the costumed characters, a skill he developed by visiting Tijuana with a photographer skilled at shooting on the street. “It's just a matter of ‘Hey can I take your picture real fast?'†he said. “I show them what I have, and when they see what we can create, they are willing to pose for another minute.†Mr. Novak also hands out cards and offers to send the images to people in the shots. About 30 of his subjects followed up.
With the character's permission, he and his crew, Andy Strachwsky and Sean Diaz, would clear a space, then the lighting assistant would position a high powered flash, such as the Phottix PPL 400, at an angle to the sub ject. The sun was often used a backlight for the 400 watt flash, which was strong enough to overpower the sunlight and cast it's own dramatic shadows.
Mr. Novak shot about 200 frames over two eight hour days during Comic Com, taking just two or three shots of each character. His favorite of the day was his image of an elaborately suited Batman.
He got the shot at 7:22 p.m., still long before dark. The sun is positioned behind the subject to cast a rim of light. “The sun is right at his waist,†said Mr. Novak, who has a friend hold the artificial light off to the side. “This light the entire time is being hand held, and positioned right above the character's head, trying to do a little 45-degree lighting,†he said. “It creates highlights and gives depth to the all black outfit.â€
While he said liked the shot right out of the camera, Mr. Novak wanted to tweak the image a bit. “Since it's Comic Con, everything is a little make-believe. We decided to give a little kick t all the levels.â€
He applied a filter called “Big Sky†from Nik Software to enhance the image. “It really brings out the mid tones, it sort gives an H.D.R. effect gives a contrast boost with a little vignetting and burning of the corners,†he said. “The main thing you will see is in the sky, it creates that mood, that Gotham city mood.â€
Not that it all went smoothly. With a collection of characters and fans, there is always going to by friction. Once the pros had a shot set, fans with phone cameras tried to jostle them aside to get their own shots. “Eventually we saw it was becoming, not a hostile environment, but there were times where we were, ‘Hey, clear out, we are taking professional pictures here, give us two minutes, then you can have the character.'â€
And of course, no superhero gathering is complete without a few villains, such as the guy poking his head in to stare at the camera in the Batman shot, a kind of pest photographers call a “Photo Bomber.†Mr. Novak could easily remove him in Photoshop, but won't. “It shows you this wasn't in the studio,†he said, “this is on the streets of San Diego.†It only looks like Gotham City.
