APOGEE PHOTO MAGAZINE: PAGEANT PHOTOGRAPHY

The 'bird's eye view' is always effective when photographing military drills from a short distance away. The secret is to not be shy when it comes to leaving the 'viewer position', to place yourself for a good shot. Photographic rules are not the only ones to be broken on occasion!

This image was done while down on one knee with a 24mm lens and a monopod, just off to one side of the marching troops, to where I dashed just before they arrived. By the time I was noticed by the "marshals", I had a half dozen exposures, and was on my way to my next location. (Fort Wellington, Prescott, Ontario)

You could describe an historical pageant as any event in which one group of people tries to show another group of people how a particular historical occasion might have looked. Many of these occasions are of a military nature. The re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg, held each year on the Fourth of July, is a famous example. There are “re-enactors” all over North America, thousands of them, who follow the calendar of pageants each summer. They spend the season shooting at each other while wearing a variety of uniforms, just for the fun of it, in a series of planned engagements. This same calendar is followed faithfully by herds of photographers, amateur and professional alike, who know a great photo opportunity when they see one.

The preparation for the Battle of Georgian Bay--a three-day event involving hundreds of people, a number of ships, and weaponry and uniforms from both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War--inspired this writing. Held every three years, the re-enactment encompasses the towns of Midland and Penetanguishene in Ontario, Canada, both of which boast an historical past. (The Battle of Georgian Bay, incidentally, never took place in reality, nor did my participation in it this year, as I came down with stomach flu on the critical Friday morning.)

Long before you start running film through your camera at historical pageants, you need to do some homework. At the very least, you need a schedule, so you can decide what to shoot. Better still, you should befriend an organizer. Armed with sketches and a detailed timetable, you can go over the ground in advance, planning your “shooting stands” and anticipating lighting problems. For example, how will you light a “night attack”? Will your flash be adequate for the parade as it passes? Can you coax somebody into carrying your big reflector and dashing about with you?

The famous Sunset Ceremony, held at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario during the summer months, is a photographic potpourri of military formations, close-order drilling, and gun firings. The secret here is a long telephoto lens and a camera support, to put the photographer close to the action without getting his eyebrows singed. In this situation, it's a good idea to have two camera bodies at hand, so that one is always loaded. The most famous photo made of this Ceremony was done by a Kingston photographer, on the last night of the
ceremony season, on his last frame of film, in the final two minutes of the ceremony. (Fort Henry, Kingston, Ontario)

A lot of your shooting will be close-ups of small groups of people. If you’re using crisp mid-day sunlight, you must be prepared to provide specific amounts of fill flash at short notice. A lot of event photography is “grab shooting,” and the hats, helmets, and poke bonnets of bygone days throw large black shadows over peoples’ faces. It’s imperative that you use a flash that delivers a specific “f-stop” amount of light. I always use one f-stop of fill flash less than the aperture setting for ambient light when shooting slide film. This results in photographs of faces and back- or side-lit subjects with nice shadows for three-dimensional molding, but which retain detail in the shadows.

If you’re using modern equipment with automatic features, set your camera for shutter-speed priority, and a shutter speed that is within the flash sync speed range, with which you can hand-hold and get sharp pictures. (I often cheat and use a monopod.) Set your auto flash fill for -1 F-stop of compensation, and you’re in business. You may have to set the camera or the flash for “slow sync,” in which the camera shutter speed is controlled by your ambient light meter setting and not the flash.

If you’re using older equipment, you’ll have to determine the correct exposure for the ambient light for front-lit subjects. My technique (in pre-Nikon F100 days) was to measure the ambient lighting off the palm of my hand. The correct aperture setting is then one F-stop open from that measurement. John Shaw extols the virtues of this method in his books, and it worked for me for almost twenty years. (I still use it to check auto-exposure honesty.) When you’ve set your lens aperture, set your flash for one F-stop less output than that aperture setting. Check the sun’s location. For side-lit subjects, increase the flash output and open your lens aperture setting by a full F-stop. For backlit subjects, make it two additional F-stops. (Remember that, after making the shot, you should return both settings to the front-lit reference settings.) If the sun is ducking in and out of the clouds, and you’re not using modern equipment, you have a problem!

Does your flash take too long to recharge using internal batteries? Think about getting an external battery cable and using an external “gel cell” power pack for very quick recharges. You’ll find a 135mm lens will be your most useful focal length for all but the “grand scenic.” Don’t plan to spend much time fiddling with filters, tripods, or photo rucksacks. Use a vest with a zillion pockets or a “fanny pack” (belt bag) with extra lens holders supported by it. On a hot summer day, carry a bottle of water, as well.

By all means, plan to do portraits of individuals or small groups. You’ll find most participants eager to cooperate; they welcome your interest. If you precede your shooting with a few questions about uniforms, weapons, and each person’s role in the pageant, you’ll not only have more co-operation, but you’ll also enjoy better insights into the background of the event. However, don’t neglect abstracts--stacks of guns, rows of cannon, a series of marching feet, or just hands doing or holding something interesting. Cross-belts and buckles make great images.

Make good use of selective focus. One soldier in sharp focus, with an entire army behind him, just a bit soft, is very effective. One child’s face in sharp focus, gazing in wonder at the excitement as it unfolds ... you get the idea.

Be prepared to fall on your face! Shots of soldiers from ground level, as they stand tall against the sky, are always winners. Use that “worm’s eye view.” Try to find a ladder, a roof, or the top of a truck to utilize to shoot down on the scene.

The “bird’s eye view’ also works well. Use all your framing techniques, break the horizon, look for patterns, tilt your camera. Zoom your zoom and pan your shots--and don’t get sick on the day of the event.