Bill Leyden's Blog

Sam. A friend in deed.
I never get tired of still photography sessions. In the following collage, I am lucky enough to have made images with two loving sisters who took the time out of their drive to a friend’s wedding to sit for me.

My friend, Sam hosted us at his home in Los Angeles. We spent 30 minutes making images before the girls had to move on – but the time was so well-spent. I had every intention of using Sam’s immaculate gardens to frame the images. But as we chatted while waiting for the girls to arrive, I couldn’t help noticing the elegant simplicity of Sam’s house. Indoors, it was peaceful, and there were framed windows with wispy, white laces and deep green fabrics. And the master bedroom was airy and done in woods and chenille. In every room, light was coming from two directions — almost as if they had be designed with portraiture in mind.

The interior of the house was too much for me to ignore. I asked Sam if he would mind if we shot indoors and he agreed, but not before joking about how the price of the photography permit would escalate accordingly. (I hope he was joking). I believe any thoughts that he had of charging me quickly were forgotten when he saw the ladies walking up to his front door.

When Christine and Vivian arrived, I immediately put Vivian in a wooden chair I pulled from the dining room to the front room picture window and began to shoot. To ‘sweeten’ the picture window images, I used a Quantum Q Flash aimed through a diffuser, and a Canon Speedlite on 1/64 power behind the model. For the balance of the shots, I either went with natural light or natural light and a Monte silver reflector by FJ Westcott.

“Billy, please make find-a-husband pictures.”
Shortly after we began, Vivian said something like, “these pictures, I hope will be good enough for us to find good husbands!” Christine chimed in, “Yes, Billy. Make us our ‘find-a-husband’ pictures.” So I said, “not a problem,” and positioned each one successively in front of the master bedroom window and invited each to look out the window between the layers of chiffon as if by doing so would cause that future person to suddenly appear.

I just love how rich the images look. After the shoot, surprisingly a little tired from working so quickly, I took Sam for an early dinner as a small token of my thanks for being able to use his wonderful home to make the images.

Had the sisters not been on their way to the wedding, we could have spent several hours and a host of wardrobe changes before exhausting ourselves and the space.

A couple of weeks before, I had photographed Christine at the 9-11 remembrance at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. The images are at the end of the collage.

The results:

I hope you like what we made.

I love my adopted Native brother, Wolfs Robe. So much so that my profane side (residue I am sure from a stint in the Air Force) has concocted so many variations on his ceremonial name that I am confident that but not for our close relationship, that I would be in fear of my life or liberty. And I am gratified that he forgives me these attempts to humor myself and that he is also at home in front of the camera and behind the microphone, because I truly enjoy spending the time to make images of him.

In the first year that I photographed him in his beautiful Sedona, AZ, we realized after 12 months that we had enough images through the seasons to make for him a fairly respectable calendar. My favorite image from that first year is probably this one:

Wolfs Robe in Sedona at Sunset

To make this image, we went out on the west side of Sedona at sunset; I brought a couple of lights. The first was a Quantum Q-Flash (one of my favorites) and a trusty Vivitar 285 (don’t laugh, it’s a great unit) for a kicker. I had not yet met Bruce Dorn — so I was not yet comfortable using Speedlights with light modifiers. Bruce was to enlighten me (so to speak) years later.

Anyway, as I have begun to explore the world of HDSLR video, Wolf has been there as my subject and victim as I perpetrate my learning curve on him. And once again, after a year, I surprised him by suggesting that we had enough tracks to allow him to offer to his fans a great DVD of him improvising on the Native American flute in the beautiful red-rock country of Northern Arizona. He agreed to release the DVD under the title of Red Earth.

As winter approaches, we are planning to start a new video project — one where Wolf will go even farther off the beaten paths of Sedona in any weather to improvise on the flute. I can hardly wait to film him in the middle of Oak Creek in the snow as he attempts to trill his way out of the cold.

In the meantime, he recently asked me to help him prepare a training video for the people who purchase his hand-made ‘granfather’ Native flutes. The first half is the care-of part, done in an intimate setting next to a stone fire place. The second half finds Wolf on the banks of Watson Lake.

Wolfs Robe Visits Watson Lake

The next time I pick a location to film Wolf, I am going to pick a place with less distractions. All this time, I thought he was a true professional, literally playing in rain or shine. But there were no people around. The morning we set up at Watson lake, the locals were out in force, kayaking, picnicing and hiking. And being by nature a people person, Wolf was distracted. First you see it in his eyes, as they glance at the pretty girl kayaking past with her lab leading the way by swimming slightly ahead. Next there is a guy adjusting his trunks. Then there is … it doesn’t matter what!

Finally he (as they say in show business) “went-up.” This expression means that he forgot what he was supposed to or was going to say and just sat there looking at the camera with at best a quizzical look on his face. As the frustration builds, he begins to verbalize his frustration.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to step in and talk to the actor. I thought, “What would my director friends Shayde Christian and Rod Menzies do?” But I was brotherly anyway. I stepped in and gently tried to get Wolf to re-focus on his message. He had locked on the subject of “breath control,” a highly technical technique. So I suggested that he return to the basics, and the fog cleared. This is the back-story to the silly clip that I have embedded for you below:

I don’t think that I will be coming out of retirement to be a life coach. But, on the other hand, how hard could it be? And, of course, what could possibly go wrong?

The opportunity to make an image of my Egyptian friend has eluded me for years. Finally, she found time in her busy life to let me photograph her.

I had fantasized about doing something that Monte Zucker might have done: use an Egyptian fabric as a combination background and veil, or maybe to put her on a white (high key) background with flowers or other adornments. But when the time came, it was a simple white sun dress on the beach in Malibu. Of course, I made images at the water’s edge. But the challenges that I like the most are getting out of the direct sun and finding an interesting place near the direct sun with soft, beautiful light that will wrap around the subject’s face with no need for flash or even a reflector — to get the image right when it’s in the camera.

I found it: a weathered sea wall near the water’s edge covered by the cantilever of a beach house. I metered on the wall itself at -1ev, anticipating that she would therefore stand out from the background, as the effective working space was rather narrow. ISO 100, F5.6, 1/200, Adobe RGB.

Now for the pose. (I thought of the masters that I have had the honor to know: What would Monte do? “Body turned away from the light … Face tilted and turned back to the light. Try a 2/3 angle.” What would Robert Lino do? (Something that I can’t, but I digress) “Now, drop your arm and lean, lean! Yes, the Lino Lean!” What would Bruce Dorn do? He would “dutch” the camera — probably to the left). “Now, relax the face and shoulders. Look down at that dog that just came up to you and is sniffing your right foot!”

Click!

"Moza"

So I posted this image in a way that I knew my son, Damon would see it … to make him jealous of course! He, by virtue of his worldly travels is in a position to know a bit of Arabic and therefore tried to confound me with the one-word response: Moza!

I quickly went to the Urban Dictionary, and there it was:

1. moza

she replies
“heyyyyyyyy!”

Very funny! Seeking to further ingratiate Damon in my world, I texted her informing her that Damon thought that she was Moza. (What could possibly go wrong?)

She quickly replied, “Why is he calling me a banana?”

Wolfs Robe and I have made Native American flute videos in northern Sedona, AZ on Oak Creek. But I have been wanting to go back to the south of town to make images in the gentle rapids. This is were we took Regina and Shannon Angelique to have some summer fun.

There is something quite magical about the green waters of the creek surrounded by the red rocks of Sedona. Even so, it took a little coaxing to get the girls into the water; it was a little cold and the rocks were slippery. But the results were worth it:

Regina and Shannon

I am looking to go back to this spot as the seasons change to see how the creek behaves throughout the year.

Technical data:
Camera: Canon 60D
28mm
ISO 100
F10
1/200
K=5400
F J Westcott Monte Illuminator

Wasn’t there a book about this? I found myself driving a nice lady to her doctor’s appointment today and as we turned onto “doctor’s row,” there was a lemonade stand. I slowed down and said that I would be right back after going to the doctor’s office. The three entrepreneurs seemed genuinely excited and trusted that I would return … which I did presently.

A brief search of the internet confirms my suspicion that there are many reasons not to pass up a lemonade stand. And I will leave that to you to investigate. But today, I feel like I was the one rewarded. Because when I returned, I was greeted with this vision of innocence and hope.

Never pass by a lemonade stand!

I was thrilled when the hot dog agreed to pose for me. At $0.50, I got a real bargain!

My neighbor called and burst out, “Look outside to the north.” When I did I said my thanks and apologies for hanging up and grabbed a camera. This scene is typical of the next 30 minutes.

I never get tired of visiting the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. I guess in part because it was here that the Native American flute first appeared in my mind’s eye. John Stillwell is nearby this place, making the magic wands that are his flutes. Through the years, I have tried to capture the magic that is here. The following video attempts to do just that:

Joshua Tree Retreat Center – Inspiration in the Mojave Desert. from Bill Leyden on Vimeo.

I have been intrigued with Shaina’s masks and have been asking for a chance to photograph her. She makes these herself and I assume that she has an active Halloween season. On of my favorites is the one with whiskers:

Shaina with Whiskers

Her best friend, Shannon came along and I couldn’t help getting her in from of the camera too!

Thanks, ladies!

What these images don’t show is that we are at the “Top of Winnetka,” famed lover’s lane spot in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angles. (I did not pick the location). May future lover’s beware that the location is now peppered with security cameras.

The image was made with Canon equipment, in 100 degree weather with fire ants rushing up my leg.