Photographing Actors Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades
Actors Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades at an historic house in Mildura.
As a stills photographer making beautiful images of Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades, the two primary actors in Richard Gray's motion picture film Summer Coda, was high on my wish list.
Sadly I didn't get the opportunity to photograph these two famous Australian actors together until the penultimate day of our Mildura location shoot.
In fact, other than the wrap party and a few candid photos at Melbourne's Southern Cross Railway station, this was my last significant picture making opportunity on the film. And it wasn't easy.
People Photography In Mildura In Summer
I was grateful for the time I was finally given to photograph Rachel and Alex.
However, photographing in the middle of the day under a hot, blue sky is far from ideal when it comes to making striking images of celebrities.
But then that's only part of the ongoing challenge faced by stills photographers working on TV shows or motion picture films.
You're very much at the bottom of the food chain on a film set and you learn to make the most out of whatever opportunities you're given.
Like most things in life I don’t necessarily see this as being good or bad. It’s simply what it is and you do the very best you can to deliver great quality photos within the constraints under which you find yourself working.
I only mention the fact so that, if you find yourself given the opportunity to work as a stills photographer, you’ll go into the project with your eyes wide open.
Photograph Under Open Shade
So, with one chance to make great images and only hard, unflattering light available, there was only one option: head for the shade.
I love photographing with my subject in the shade. Your subject can open their eyes which brings the added benefit of removing the wrinkles and creases on the face that form when they squint.
Let’s not forget that the eyes are windows to the soul. They reveal color and character and it’s essential that you see them in a portrait. And to see the eyes they need to be open and illuminated.
Throughout this series of images I've placed Rachel and Alex in what is referred to as open shade.
In this context the word open simply means even, but not overly dense shade. You’ll often find it just a few steps in from a bright sunlit area.
So, rather than moving too deep into the forest, position your subject in gentle, even shade a few steps out of the sunlight.
Avoid Photographing Under Dappled Light
And remember that shade is not the same thing as dappled light which can produce bright, burnt out areas on your subject’s face and clothing.
Avoid making portraits under dappled light as it almost never works. Though, of course, there’s always an exception to the rule.
On a very rare occasion dappled light might allow you to produce an interesting abstract pattern that could look particularly striking in black and white.
However, it’s almost always the case that for a portrait to be considered successful, you need to draw attention to the face.
In such circumstances dappled light is more likely to provide a distraction and diminish the success of the portrait.
Aussie actors Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades photographed under beautiful veranda lighting.
The Beauty Of Veranda Lighting
The first two images in this post were made under veranda lighting. As well as providing interesting architectural backgrounds, verandas often produce an open shade that’s ideal for portrait photos.
I photographed Rachel and Alex under veranda's on either side of a house used in the film Summer Coda. Just look at the beautiful lighting, it just dances off their faces.
Notice also the color scheme. The plum-like colors in Alex's shirt are subtly echoed in the background and offset by the neutral grey of his t-shirt and Rachel's black dress.
This is how I like to make pictures: quickly and simply, with as little fuss as possible.
Rather than being distracted by equipment, lighting ratios and the like this approach allowed me to interact with my Rachel and Alex to produce the relaxed and intimate images I saw in my mind’s eye.
Establishing trust between photographer and subject is essential to crafting beautiful, life-affirming portraits.
I think these images illustrate how well Rachel and Alex have accepted me and how they’ve been able to relax and open themselves up to me and, as a consequence, to you.
“Photography is not about the camera, don’t let it get in the way of your picture making.”
Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades photographed during the filming of Summer Coda.
Of course shade can be a pleasing in more ways than one. It was late December in the regional town of Mildura in Australia’s Riverina region.
From memory the temperature reached 43°C (109°F) and there were no complaints about me directing my subject’s into the shade.
Not that there was a whole lot of shade on offer. This image was made in a small area of shade created by a shed to the far right of the frame.
As you can see I was only just able to squeeze Rachel and Alex into that quite narrow patch of open shade.
The dynamic range of the scene was extreme, but I managed to position our actors in such a way that they blocked out almost all of the harsh background sunlight.
Notice that by photographing into a predominantly mid to dark toned background I've ensured that attention is focused on Rachel and Alex’s faces.
Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades on a hot summer's day near Mildura.
When All Else Fails Bring Out Willy
The last image from this series was actually quite difficult to produce. Someone wanted me to photograph our two stars in front of the row of palm trees.
Great concept, but most definitely the wrong time of day and year for that kind of a photo.
I enlisted the assistance of my new best friend, Willy the Gaffer (i.e., lighting technician), to help. I needed to create an area of open shade larger than the tall, thin palm trees produced.
It's perhaps more accurate to say that I asked Willy for a loan of his scrim (i.e., diffuser) which, somehow, the two of us managed to hold in place while making this photo.
Holding the scrim up over Rachel and Alex allowed me to lower the intensity of the light and place our two actors into lovely, gentle shade.
Try to imagine Rachel and Alex in place. Willy holding up one end of the scrim and me, somehow balancing the other end on top of my head with camera in one hand and flash in the other.
Try to tell me that's not a double voila.
Actually the hilarity of the moment wasn't lost on our subjects.
While Alex certainly has a million dollar smile, I'd like to think that my enthusiasm for the photo session and the mirth involved in making this image provided both of our stars with a few moments of extra joy on one of many brutally hot days on set.
And that is one of the primary reasons I make photographs.
Unfortunately, despite the scrim, the difference in brightness between the open shade we'd created and the background was beyond that which my camera's sensor could cope with.
I only wish the scrim cut back two to four times more light than it actually did. It was certainly helpful, but not dense enough for the job at hand.
To further reduce the overall dynamic range (i.e., contrast) I added fill flash to our subjects and did quite a lot of work on the desktop to produce as nature a result as I could.
Both Rachel and Alex look great and, at the end of the day, that’s what matters most.
Scrim used to diffuse light on the set of Summer Coda, Mildura.
Willy's scrim (i.e., diffuser) was used on set on a number of occasions to lower the intensity of the light and produce a softer, more gentle quality of light.
I've added an image of the scrim, in this case used to soften the intense daylight failing onto a car from above. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s an impressive piece of kit.
Unfortunately Willy's lighting stands and fellow crew members were not available to us for these images of Rachel and Alex, so we improvised.
And my head still hurts.
A special thanks go out to Rachel and Alex for helping me make these photos when their day on set had finished.
Also thanks to Producer, John Finemore, and Willy the lighting magician for their assistance in making it all happen.
Despite extremely tough conditions on set great team work allowed us to produce some fantastic images of Aussie actors Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades.
I'm very pleased with the results and immensely grateful for being given the opportunity by director Richard Gary to work on his film, Summer Coda, and to photograph these highly regarded TV and motion picture stars.
