Midnight Photoshoot by Candlelight

I received an inquiry late last Summer from Billy Kyle the singer from the Portland Oregon Metal band Will telling me that they had seen a Milky Way photo that I had taken from the Stonehenge replica in the Columbia River Gorge near Maryhill Washington and was wondering if I could photograph their band at night there. I had a full schedule of workshops but had a day after a videography job in the Eastern Oregon town of Halfway when I was able to do it so we set a date to meet.

I had arrived home the day before from eastern Oregon, unloaded my gear and repacked my gear for the photo session before getting some rest and loading back up to head out. I arrived and Billy Kyle and the other band members were there. They had a few props and some excellent red capes that were perfect for the dark medieval theme that we had planned for the shoot. Something reminiscent of an ancient Pict or Druid ceremony.

Prior to the photoshoot I had planned on throwing some soft light onto them from some remote flashes. I did a few test shots with the gear that I had brought but the band had brought some candles along with them. We decided to take some shots lit just with the candles, and they nailed the look that we were hoping for. Not only were the candles a part of the shot but their light was the right temperature and gave the scene the right organic feel that helped to make this seem ancient. The architecture of the Stonehenge replica in the dim light gave it a stone castle feel.

The only challenge was trying to get quick enough exposures without underexposing the shot. Even at some fairly high ISO’s these were dim, but with some help from the steady nerves of the band we came away with some images that we were all proud of.

Will has a new album coming out. They plan on using a couple of these shots for the artwork. The rest they’ll use to promote the band as well as their music. I couldn’t have worked with a nicer, more professional group of musicians. They were all enthusiastic even in the cold of the night.

If you like dark metal music, please go check out Will. https://vvill.bandcamp.com/releases

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