Eric Cuellar: Drums in the Studio

[DwightMcCann]

Eric Cuellar is the leader of the band I am involved with. As with many "hobby bands", Shalonda and A Touch of Soul is a many times resconstituted amalgam of talented but also otherwise employed musicians. I have worked with a couple of similar groups and know how tenuous they can be. SATOS is already having birthing problems.

I am doing photographs and a website for them. I made them pay $250 up front for hosting and domain name and a couple of Dreamweaver plug-ins. In exchange for my ongoing contributions of website and images they are going to do a couple of gigs (probably a couple a year) for me: one for a neighborhood party and one for my daughter's Daycare Center's annual fundraiser. It is a good tradeoff for me.

Eric is very talented, both musically and managerially ... he works for Verizon during the day. He is very proud of his heritage, music and drums. I found out he has wanted a good image of his drumset forever, so when we gathered band members for individual head shots I told him to bring his set. After we did three band members and one other member with instruments, Eric set up his drums in my studio. I fiddled for about 30 minutes with lights, shot the drums alone, and then had Eric come in and play. I've never been big on the drummers in the country bands I am most familiar with but Eric is a Jazz/R&B kind of guy and I had to put the camera down and just listen for about five minutes ... I was stunned by the sound.

After we shot, I downloaded to my computer and we reviewed the images, sorta. As I brought each image up he said, "Oh, I really like that one, let's use it. Oh, I really like that one, let's use it!" When we got to the end he said, "I want all of those (about ten images) on the website!" He won't get that but just watching his face light up made the hour or so of effort worth my time. I then powered up my Epson 7800 and printed two 8x10's for his wife. :D

So, here's an embedded image from their website of Eric and his drums:
http://a-touch-of-soul.com/images/PhotoGallery/EricCuellar/SATOS-0206-600.JPG

Oh, the image is essentially untouched except for cropping a strip light flashhead out of the upper right corner, resizing and sharpening, but it is fairly compressed for the website.

[Actionphotog]

Nice photo, great lighting

[DwightMcCann]

Thanks, Graeme. The lighting is four heads: 2'x3' softbox to the right, 9" x 3' strip light in upper right corner (to help light Eric and pull him off the background), 16" beauty disk on the left and reflector with barndoors very high left. The background is black seamless paper.

[Screamer]

Overall clean image. But, I find the glare on the glasses distracting. I know from previous posts that you are trying to work on the eyeglass glare thing. I've been spending *a lot* of time in the studio lately and can appreciate the challenges.

I don't know what they are looking for overall and their personality. But did you try a couple of different angles? Perhaps in an attempt to get in a little tighter on him? It sems like there might have been an opportunity to frame him and still convey the fact that he is a percussionist. I feel this would showcase him a little more, and not so much his drums. By the distortion of the kick, it looks like you used a wide angle. Unfortunately, with him in the center he looks far back. Dropping lower and shifting the angle might of helped with the eyeglass glare too.

[DwightMcCann]

Overall clean image. But, I find the glare on the glasses distracting. I know from previous posts that you are trying to work on the eyeglass glare thing. I've been spending *a lot* of time in the studio lately and can appreciate the challenges.

I don't know what they are looking for overall and their personality. But did you try a couple of different angles? Perhaps in an attempt to get in a little tighter on him? It sems like there might have been an opportunity to frame him and still convey the fact that he is a percussionist. I feel this would showcase him a little more, and not so much his drums. By the distortion of the kick, it looks like you used a wide angle. Unfortunately, with him in the center he looks far back. Dropping lower and shifting the angle might of helped with the eyeglass glare too.
Well, he was really after pictures of the drums rather than himself, but when he saw himself, too, he wents nuts. :rolleyes: You're suggestion of getting tighter on him is excellent ... I was too focused on keeping lots of drums in the image. I actually have some from farther away with a lot of lights in the image. The glasses are simply a problem, but he doesn't even notice them in the images. And, yes, in order to get everything in the image with my small studio (effective working area is about 10' x 10' ... the seamless is 9') I used my 16-35mm f/2.8L but stripped EXIF for the website I think. So, I think your suggestions are excellent but it seems this is what he was after. Thank you. :D

[Croasdail]

Have you though of just turning the lights around and bouncing them so they are more difuse - getting rid of the reflection in his glasses? I know it sounds counter intuitive... but it does work.

[DwightMcCann]

Mark, no, but that is another grand experiment ... actually I wanted shiny highlights on the chrome as he shined everything before and after assembly, but I never thought about bouncing off my nice white walls! Thanks.

[johnstoy]

Since I'm not a professional, my first impression is not as in depth and critical. I see this as a real good photo of a drummer, featuring his set. It's a beautifuly presented instrument...I think the glare affect is good all around.:cool:

John

Gear List: (all Canon): 30D Body, 50mm 1.4 USM, 50mm 1.8, 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 kit stock-not USM, 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS USM Wide Angle Telezoom, 75-300mm III 4.0-5.6 Telezoom, RS-80N3, several CF SanDisk Ultra II 1.0GB cards, several tripods, mono pod.

[DwightMcCann]

Thanks, John ... I think the crits were of presenting the drummer and all make good sense and I will be experimenting with the bouncing light!

[Croasdail]

Highlighting the kit is an interesting aspect to this. I worry that the bounced light will be to difuse to get the chrome to pop for you. You would think a spot light just on the kit to get some reflection from the chrome would work, without throwing the rest of the balance off. Kind of like creating a catch light for portraits, except this time your are trying to keep it away from the subjects eyes. But I am way out of my league when it comes to multiple lighting setups. I am taking a class on that this fall. Your so very very close... and I only say that because for you the bar should be relatively high. Most others would have gotten an unconditional thumbs up from me.... cheers.

[DwightMcCann]

Um, please remember when setting my "bar" that my expertise is in situations where there is "No Flash Allowed!" :-)

[René Damkot]

Nice image, but I'd darken the left side and lower left corner. Gives more emphasis on the person.

[DwightMcCann]

Rene, Eric was actually after an image of his drumset. After I shot a few frames from different perspectives without him he sat down to play for a few minutes. That's when I shot this image. For the purpose of this image he is very secondary ... but then he liked it so much that he nearly exploded.

[ZipDude66]

If the client is happy it's a perfect shot! You keep saying he wanted mostly a shot of the drums. My eyes keep going back to the glare of his forehead and glasses and bright white shirt, no matter how much I try to look at the drums.

Zip

[DwightMcCann]

Zip, yup, I understand. Here's one of the light setup test pictures where I was working with the two high, back lights.

[Croasdail]

Man... you are space constrained, aren't you. Makes it tough for larger subjects like this.

[DwightMcCann]

Man... you are space constrained, aren't you. Makes it tough for larger subjects like this.
Yes, it is small, but pretty good for one or two people or one laying down. It is no smaller than a lot of guys have who must drag furniture and such to shoot in their bedroom or livingroom. And I have a GREAT livingroom that I can use with 16' ceiling and a balcony that overlooks it ... this is what I plan to use for one of the full band pictures if we ever get a full band again. I will pile them up on a couch and two club chairs I have and shoot from the balcony.

[jfrancho]

Not bad. I had a very similar set of drums previous to the dw's I use today - Premier Geniste in the same color.

[DwightMcCann]

Well, we gotta' make some sacrifices.

[jfrancho]

Well, we gotta' make some sacrifices.I don't get it?

[DwightMcCann]

I don't get it?

Sorry, that was really in response to Mark saying I am space constrained! I shoulda' quoted ... I am, as always, doing too much at once. :rolleyes:

[jfrancho]

Ohhhhh. I thought you were dissing mine and Eric's choice of oddball British drum manufacturers.

[DwightMcCann]

Oh, wait, wait ... that's what I meant! You are guys are weird!

[taygull]

i'd really like to see more of your studio stuff.....

I saw this on your webiste earlier in the week, the only thing I'd try to figure out is how to minimize reflections in the eye glasses. I guess bouncing the light is the key?

[Kyels]

Dwight, nice picture and the lighting is good. And I love the drum set. Amazing!

;)

[Servo'd]

i love the colour of the drums and the reflections.

[DwightMcCann]

Thank you, all ... I'm back on a backup, backup computer, my laptop while my big RAID5 rebuilds, assuming the bad port (drive) is really OK.