A friend said she thought the Sole
Proprietor shot too many pictures of women. Not enough men. The Sole
Proprietor agrees he shoots more pictures of women than men. It's
the too many part. He doesn't understand the too many part.
These were taken at the Berkeley Blues Festival held between the BART
station on Shattuck and the University. The festival ran from 2:00 til
10:00 PM on Saturday the 29th. The Sole Proprietor arrived just before
2:00, took a couple of photographs, had a slice of pizza down the block
and returned around 2:15 ready to begin.
The Sole Proprietor was experimenting with exposure. He wants to get
people's faces correctly exposed letting the background take care of itself.
To do this, the Sole Proprietor must allow for skin color
and the bright contrast of the sunny day by under exposing black skin by
about two stops and over exposing white skin set against a bright background
by about one stop. This takes practice and the Berkeley Blues Festival was
where the Sole Proprietor began to work this out.
Some thoughts: The logo doesn't say blues, but he's a sucker for balloons.
Nice blobs of color. He's also a sucker for masks. Any old masks. There was
a shot of a glass of beer on a drum head that he just missed getting as
the first band was packing.
Kicked himself for that, but he was busy
futzing with the over exposure under exposure thing when a musician
scooped it up. Would have made a much better intro to the subject.
But, what the hell, the Sole Proprietor doesn't have any editors to
report to. Kind of sloppy though.
Around 4:30 the Sole Proprietor was feeling tired so he went home. Watched
a Japanese gangster movie. A good Japanese gangster movie. One that the critics
have written approving things about, but still, there was a blues festival
going on that won't be repeated until next year.
Not only that, he could have gotten in some night shooting. Lots of nice
neon lights and colored spots. Not all that many chances to do that and
now with September at hand, not that many of these events left.
But it was late. He had two rented movies, both Japanese. And it was the
weekend. This is a hobby, after all. It's supposed to be fun. Next year
he'll come around 6:00 and stay til the end. Should have better control
on this exposure thing by then.
Unless, of course, he runs into some nice new Japanese movies. With
Toshiro Mifune in full 15th century drag, brandishing a sword and
searching for Satori along a Japanese road.
