Sunday, March 16, 2008

Get the Job Done: Shooting Stilt Walkers



A business contact I made while photographing an event in Breckenridge hired me again this past Saturday. Stilt Walker Bill Coleman and his giant puppets were performing during Denver's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, and Bill needed images for advertising his company. The day couldn't have been more beautiful, with warming sunlight and Colorado's signature skies boasting an amazing shade of blue.

Even on a bright day such as that, I still benefitted from using fill flash on my subject's face so their eyes wouldn't be shadowed. My new Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 II USM lens was my primary piece of glass for the assignment and was an excellent choice because of its full-frame, wide field of view. I had no problem taking group shots of the large puppets and stilt walkers. And it was also easy to capture wider story-telling images showing how the crowd interacted with them.



It was fun to shoot different angles and perspectives, especially when I sat or laid down on the ground to shoot at the point-of-view of a child gazing up at the 18 foot tall giants.







The only thing I might change next time is maybe getting some rollerblades to make it easier and quicker to stay in front of the coming parade! It was a lot of hard work to keep up as the parade snaked along its route in downtown Denver. Bill is a great resource because he is a member of the entertainment circuit that travels throughout the state and performing. Becoming a part of this circuit could be very beneficial for me and my photography business.

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