Leo in Layers

Red Club, red shoes, red guitar. How lucky can a photographer get?

Leo “Bud” Welch spent a great deal of his life as a lumberjack, and picked up music and instruments along the way. He began recording late in life, and started gigging in clubs and bars, recording a few albums along the way. Wonderful man, wonderful talent.

And….wonderful style. I took my cue from the Rockwood Music Hall on Allen St. in NYC, which has a red motif. Didn’t ask Leo to wear those shoes and that suit! Wish I could take credit for that little piece of genius, but it was all him.

Speedlights on this. No big flash. We ran a pic of Leo over on our Instagram and there were some lighting questions. Basic response here, across the board, is that I try in a situation like this to make the light look like that light that is already there. In the instance below, the backlight on his head and shoulder is a red gelled Speedlight. Small gelled source, a serious distance from the subject. No shaper, just raw light, played faintly.

There was also a question about managing reflections. There’s no magic bullet for reflections, as they vary, but what I do find is that if I deploy broad, smooth sources, like soft boxes, or diffuser panels, the highlights and reflections also tend to be smooth, and not spectral and jarring. Hope that notion helps.

And there were steps leading down into the club, with a big, windowed door. So, with hot shoe flash, I just mimicked and amplified the daylight I saw already streaming into the club from the street and that outer door. 3×6 Lastolite diffuser, and a couple of small flash sources, and I made the main light for Leo.

And, being an irresistible subject, you move closer.

And closer.

My editor at LIFE always talked about doing a story in terms of peeling an onion, or peeling the layers back. That is certainly what you can do with small, mobile light sources. Move. Get close. Change lenses, which immediately changes your perspective. Be nimble. All the new gear allows you to do that. Up to us to use all this new tech in creative ways.

Cameras and lights, new tech. Subject? Classic. Old school. Good day in the field.

More tk….

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Comments

Rudi says

June 14, 2021 at 4:51 pm

Wunderbar!
Ian Stewart says

June 14, 2021 at 5:27 pm

Great stuff!
Darren Elias says

June 14, 2021 at 8:25 pm

These photos are all beautiful, Joe!

Do you typically walk into a location like this with a solid idea of exactly what you’re chasing, or do you try to go “blank slate” and roll with it and work your onion layers then? Somewhere in between?

Thanks! Can’t wait for the new book!
Tbow says

June 14, 2021 at 10:01 pm

Damn these are great shots Joe, so alive with color and expression
Mary Newman says

June 14, 2021 at 11:42 pm

I love this set! Priceless!
Joe McNally says

June 16, 2021 at 5:39 am

Hey Darren–in this instance, I had some scouting pix of the club in hand, so I knew a bit, at least, about what I was getting into. But I’d have to say on something like this, it’s mostly on the spot improv. All Best, joe
Matthew Mahon says

June 20, 2021 at 2:58 am

You have been, and still are, one of the greatest American image makers. These images are stunning. Have you ever watched MoneyBall starring Brad Pitt as Billy Bean? (I’m sure you have) There is a line in that movie that he repeats a handful of times; “it’s hard not to be romantic about baseball.” When I look at your images and read your stories of how you accomplished the final image I think to myself “it’s hard not to be romantic about photography.” Wasn’t it you that once said that when the great Arnold Newman looked at the portrait you created of him he said “you out Arnold Newman-ed me.” It’s hard not to be romantic about photography. Thank you, Joe
Joe McNally says

June 22, 2021 at 6:22 am

Hey Mathew…many thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated, especially coming from such an accomplished photographer such as yourself. Beautiful work on your website. Hoping you are well, and Austin is still the cool place it has always been. Best, Joe
Sebastien Tarnowski says

June 24, 2021 at 2:35 am

So intense, you can feel the mood…
Slash says

July 4, 2021 at 5:22 am

These photos are beautifull. Thanks for share.
Joe McNally says

July 5, 2021 at 6:47 am

Many thanks back to you!
Joe McNally says

July 5, 2021 at 6:51 am

Thank you, Sebastien!