02 Sep Two Nights With Stephen
A photographer can be asked to capture a vast array of people, places, and things. Usually, they all fall into the normal realm. You can throw normal out the window when a comedian books you for a couple hours. Enter Stephen, a comedian regularly found generating laughs in the Bellingham area. I actually first saw Stephen perform well over a year ago at the improv Upfront Theatre, and I have to admit, I thought he was the funniest performer in the building that night. I’ve done a couple shoots for the Upfront now, assembling some fun shots for marketing material, so it seems that the Theatre’s performers are becoming quite partial to my work. Don’t mind it one bit either, the comedy shoots are always a good time. I end up laughing through the shoots as I’m clicking away.
Stephen needed to put together a set of photos for an upcoming stand-up series, as well as general marketing material. First, just some general head shots, used for business cards, prints, etc. Simple light here, leaving a little drama with darker shadows. When I think comedian, I think night time, I think a little darker. I don’t exactly envision a bright, happy photo, just seems out of place.
Next, we made an impromptu white background environment, shot Stephen going through a range of emotions.
Our final shot was specifically for advertising Stephen’s upcoming comedy show. Ya see… his stand-up material heavily involves his pet cat. Stephen had this idea that we stage him and his cat at the dinner table, some wine, and use this to market his show. Setting up props, lights, and the composition is fairly easy for this shot, the cat is the X factor. Got everything setup and dailed-in to our liking, and then we brought the cat in. Tossed cat food on the cat’s plate, had about two minutes of shooting before the cat peaced-out. Stephen actually had me design the flyer for print. Below is what we ended up running with (front and back). I’m looking forward to attending his show in October.
