Dec 7 2009 written and photographed by Lane Hartwell
Recently I had the pleasure of shooting two Bay Area environmental activists; The Story of Stuff's Annie Leonard and Green For All's Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins for Yes! Magazine.
Cover of Yes! Magazine Winter 2010
Written and photographed by Lane Hartwell
Recently I had the pleasure of shooting two Bay Area environmental activists; The Story of Stuff's Annie Leonard and Green For All's Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins for Yes! Magazine.
Many of you might know Leonard from her online video, "The Story of Stuff" which explores the cycle of production and consumption of goods. I thought it would be fun to shoot her at a park that was once a landfill, The Albany Bulb, close to Leonard's office in Berkeley. The Bulb is a haven for dog owners because of the rugged, un-groomed trails and access to the water of the San Francisco Bay. We didn't have a lot of time but it's not hard to find evidence of the park's past: from slabs of graffiti-tagged concrete and rebar spring life - wild anise and other plants grow freely, reclaiming the land. Yes! Magazine had asked me for a portrait of Leonard that was more on the serious side as the theme of the issue was climate action. A challenge to that was our wonderful fall weather in the east bay: sunshine. The answer to was to bring my own lighting and try to overpower the sun, which was fairly simple with an off-camera flash on a stand, triggered with a remote. I used a grid spot to concentrate the light mostly on her head and shoulders which allowed the flora around her, and the sky behind her, to go dark.
For CEO of Oakland based Green For All, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, the choice to shoot her in an urban setting was simple - the moment I set eyes on her and her black leather jacket and dark form fitting dress I thought she looked like a Super Hero. Ellis-Lamkins was named by Essence Magazine as one of the 25 most influential African Americans of 2009. Again I chose to use an off camera flash with a grid spot just to give her a little light under the shade of the trees. I was thrilled when Yes! told me they would be using her on the cover.
I am certainly no ace when it comes to lighting, but the simplicity of using small flashes on portable stands really does give a photographer an edge for traveling light and fast. I was able to carry everything I needed in one backpack and needed no power outlet to plug into. I've also learned that there is no perfect formula for setting up the lighting, which can be intimidating at times, especially when you need to produce results in a scenario where there is one chance with your subject, and often very limited time to do it in. It's a matter of playing with the flashes and camera settings until you get something you like. While normally I would have gladly relied on natural light, the needs of my client for "serious" portraits demanded that I control the variables to make sure they worked for me.
I'm very pleased with how both portrait sessions turned out, and really enjoyed working with both of my subjects who were cooperative and willing to get the shot. Shots from both sessions are available for licensing, please contact me at lane (at) fetching.net
You can order a copy of this issue directly from Yes! magazine.
Annie Leonard on Life After Stuff by Annie Leonard
Climate Hero Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins by Kate Sheppard
