Bill Leyden's Blog

I was happy to be invited to my friend Rod’s home in LA. Rod is an acting coach and director. While I was there, I couldn’t help making this image of him. He agreed to let me bring a single light on a tripod into his lovely home. I wanted to duplicate the effect of Rod on a stage reviewing a script – like I had seen him do before.

Rod Menzies

I have been fascinated with using the HDSLR to make short HD Videos during a shoot.  As Samara was leaving the beach to go home, I asked her back for a moment.  “Do that triangle pose thing again,” I said.  This time I used the video; I love the result! So does Samara!

I asked Klaus what was the secret to his full life. He said, “Simple. I radiate love.” Here he is with his companion, Kokomo

Klaus Wille and Kokomo

Arlene McCarthy

Alene McCarthy prepares to address the annual gathering of contributors to the local volunteer service organization, People Who Care.

Arlene, who seems to be everywhere at all times, still needed a secret weapon to conquer the podium at the Prescott Resort:

Wow!  What fun to visit Samara at home and to make a couple of great images.  Musician, healer and Yoga instructor, Samara is truly gifted.

In a darkened theater in Hollywood, CA, Director Shayde Christian and Cinematographer Austin Schmidt ‘block’ a shot.

Shooting in Hollywood

After saying goodbye after a year of volunteering in the Southwest, AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, Stacy Raker returns home to the Midwest.   I couldn’t resist making this image of her before she left for a going-away party.

Stacy Raker

It was fun to make this image, although she, like almost everyone I have ever photographed gave the standard disclaimer, “I hate my picture taken.”  I suspect someone will be glad that she did it anyway.

Local volunteers help their neighbors to live independently.  Here Arlene spends some time with Gladys, who doesn’t see as well as she used to catch up on local and national news.

2010 Whiskey Row Marathon, AZ

While driving on Gurley St., in Prescott AZ, I noticed a throng a couple of streets over.  Luckily I had my Canon 5D with me.

I pulled over when I saw the cones curve onto Gurley and waited.  I love this image; at this point in Whiskey Row Marathon, I guess the participants are ‘all smiles.’

At the last minute, I decided to take a couple of extra flash units, a head light and a cart to photograph Wolfs Robe at Montezuma’s Castle in central Arizona. Although he said it might be dark and that no one had successfully shot a performance and captured the Indian ruins far in the background, I didn’t think that he meant, “Bill, it is going to be black out there!”

I loaded the cart and rolled 1/4 mile to the mini amphitheater and started to assess the situation. I decided to use every flash that I had brought with me. First, I set up two powerful flashes to light the ruins several hundred feet in the background: a Quantum and a Metz at what I hoped would be F5.6 (no metering here as the ruins are closed to the public. Then I set up two flashes on Wolf: a Canon 580 EX on a Pocketwizard flex TT5 with through-the-lens metering, and a second flash, the revered Vivitar 285 to his right and to the rear at 1/16 power. On the camera, I trigger the whole show with a Pocketwizard Flex TT1, 1/80 sec at F5.6.

The results out-of-the camera are shown below:

The head light? I used it to retrieve the two flashes that were 30 feet off the trail in the dark when the show was over.