Trying to save time, I left my flash mounted on the stand and carried the soft box separately. I was also carrying a roll of seamless paper and trying to keep that from spilling forth like a Chinese yo-yo. Then it happened – CRASH! The flash jarred loose and hit the floor. Once the pieces were put back together, nothing was broken. Still worked! (WHEW!)
Set up went almost as quickly as expected, but the Chinese yo-yo – I mean, the roll of paper wanted to keep unrolling on the stand. It may be time to invest in some clamps!
With my camera settings at 200 ISO, 1/160, and f/6.3 and mounted with a 50mm 1.4 lens, it was time to rock and roll. Then the big faux pas happened. I didn’t change the flash batteries after experimenting the night before and they started to weaken. Flash recovery time was slowing. So I did a quick battery swap with the others in my bag, which I soon discovered were not so fresh either! I had 50 thespians to shoot, and by the last eight, I was starting to panic on the inside while keeping my cool on the outside. A set of alkaline batteries were found in the nick of time to finish the last several photos. This is what happens when you work ten hours “at the office” (I work from home) before a photo shoot.
Over all, though, it went amazingly well! I got through all 50 students in 25 minutes. Here is my daughter sitting in for a test shot after I set up …
And one I took just for fun of another thespian …
See all 50 cast & crew members here.
Sheila Karner Photography 
