Halloween has always been a bitch to shoot, never enough light. So…I finally gave in and brought a small flash unit and the words of my wife, LA, rings in my ears, her telling Amanda as I walked out to shoot, “Your father has no idea how to use that.”
All too true. I am at best confused by all technical devices and have a rather sloth-like learning curve, so there were a great many more fuckups than photographs. I’m fine indoors where I just bounce the flash off the ceiling. But this was outside. I was fine shooting without flash in subways or any place that had plenty of light, but in the streets it was just rolling the dice.
But then digital came and I could instantly see my screwups –way over or way under exposed– and correct for them. Hallelujah. By the way, everything in this collection was shot on digital. These images came from three or four Halloween shoots. Hopefully I will find all the others that remain resistant (so far) to my searches.
The major problem now is one of selection. Now shooting on Halloween, I feel like a kid in a candy store with a pocket full of money. Lastly, thanks to all my subjects, the ones who posed and the ones who just allowed me to shoot.
Halloween’s not such a bitch after all.
