#wheres my es about building a steel framed building

[thedeafprophet]

.....oh my knowledges may not fully apply historically. Hm.

[todaynewsstories]

EU ′can no longer rely on US,′ says France′s Macron | News | DW

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said his government would unveil proposals “in the coming months” to boost security across the EU, in a bid to diminish the bloc’s reliance on the US for its defense needs.

“Europe can no longer rely on the United States for its security,” Macron said during a speech to French diplomats and lawmakers. “It is up to us to guarantee European security.”

Macron said the EU needed to “take new initiatives, build new alliances” to ensure its preservation. “I want us to launch an exhaustive review of our security with all Europe’s partners, which includes Russia,” he added.

Differences on defense

Macron’s remarks come as the White House continues to question US relations with Europe. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on Washington’s commitment to the NATO military alliance, saying the US pays far more for defense than other member states.

In 2014, NATO nations agreed to stop cuts to defense spending and pursue a target of 2 percent of GDP by 2024. But Trump has called for alliance members to reach the goal sooner or see the US “moderate” its commitment.

Although their relationship has been dubbed a “bromance,” French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized US President Donald Trump’s decisions to pull out of the Iran deal and impose tariffs against EU steel and aluminum

‘Counterweight to the US’

But defense spending isn’t the only problem straining EU-US relations. Brussels has criticized the US for pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker last month managed to avert a trade war by negotiating a deal with Trump after Washington imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum exports against its economic ally, the EU.

Read more: When does a trade spat become an actual trade war?

Last week, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made similar remarks to Macron’s in a guest article for German business newspaper Handelsblatt, saying Europe must “take an equal share of the responsibility” and “form a counterweight to the US.” 

“If we go it alone, we will fail in this task,” Maas said. “The outstanding aim of our foreign policy is to build a sovereign, strong Europe. Only by joining forces with France and other European nations can a balance with the US be achieved.”

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

The new statesman

This cover from the end of 2016 most likely pleased the newly elected US president. Time magazine picked Donald Trump as Person of the Year, a title that was also once given to Konrad Adenauer, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King — as well as Hitler and Stalin. The annual end-of-year feature picks someone who, “for better or for worse … has done the most to influence the events of the year.”

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

With a Hitler mustache

Even before Trump’s election, the Mexican magazine Letras Libres made its opinion on Trump absolutely clear, using the words “American fascist” to form a Hitler mustache on his portrait. Building a wall on the US-Mexico border and clamping down on Mexican immigrants were some of Trump’s electoral promises.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Walling in

Two weeks after Donald Trump’s election, the New Yorker creatively commented on the president’s border wall project. From subtle to explicitly insensitive depictions, international magazine covers featured a broad range of styles while commenting on Trump’s policies throughout the year.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

A rhetorical question

Renowned for its confrontational style, Charlie Hebdo also took on the newly elected US president. In a depiction referring to Trump’s infamous “grab women by the pussy” comments, the November 16, 2016, issue asked: “Did we have to entrust him with the nuclear button?”

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

The prescience of the Simpsons

Donald Trump as US president: What was supposed to be a joke in The Simpsons turned out to be true 16 years later. British tabloid The Sun referred to the sitcom’s prophecy on its cover, showing Homer shocked by the turn of events, reacting with his catchphrase, “D’oh!”

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

American psycho

The center-left French newspaper Libération reacted to the election with biting sarcasm. The headline was borrowed from a Bret Easton Ellis novel, “American Psycho.” Its narrator and main character, Patrick Bateman, is rich, superficial and narcissistic. There are numerous parallels to be drawn with the US president — but the fictional character is also a serial killer.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Nothing to see here

Some commentators hoped Trump would soften the tone he used during his campaign once he took office. On this Time magazine cover, illustrator Tim O’Brien used fine paintbrush strokes to depict Trump’s chaotic first weeks in the White House.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

At the wheel

After Trump’s inauguration, the New Yorker commented on the childish behavior of the man who would from then on be steering the country. “Every so often, you hear stories on the news about a toddler who somehow manages to start the family car and drive the vehicle across town, where the law finally apprehends him,” said the artist behind the cover, Barry Blitt.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

An insurgent in the White House

The British weekly The Economist was inspired by Banksy’s famous artwork of a rioter throwing flowers for last February’s issue. It reacted to Trump’s first weeks in office, when he “lobbed the first Molotov cocktail of policies and executive orders against the capital’s brilliant-white porticos,” wrote the magazine’s editor, adding, “With Trump, chaos seems to be part of the plan.”

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Beheading freedom

A cartoon figure of Trump holding a bloodied knife and the Statue of Liberty’s head: The cover of German weekly Der Spiegel made headlines worldwide. It reacted to Trump’s “America First” policy and his threats to democracy, including his executive order to bar people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country. The cover divided opinions within the country and abroad.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Take your kids to work every day

It’s both a challenge and a goldmine for satirists: Trump’s politics and habits are often more bizarre than satire itself. On this cover, Mad magazine commented on the White House role given to the president’s daughter Ivanka and to his son-in-law and presidential adviser, Jared Kushner, who was morphed into the traits of the magazine’s iconic mascot, Alfred E. Neuman.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

The mouthpiece of white supremacists

After a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a participant drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 people. Trump then declared that there were “very fine people” marching with the white supremacists that day, a comment which drew praise from former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke. The Economist reacted with this cover.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Tailwind from the president

Following the Charlottesville rally events, The New Yorker also took aim at Trump’s remarks equating neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan to the counter-protesters. “President Trump’s weak pushback to hate groups — as if he was trying not to alienate them as voters — compelled me to take up my pen,” said artist David Plunkert of his cover, entitled “Blowhard.”

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Breaking a taboo: a Hitler comparison

The German weekly Stern went one step further by unsubtly portraying Trump draped in the American flag and giving a Nazi salute. The cover story was headlined “Sein Kampf,” (His Struggle), a play on Adolf Hitler’s infamous “Mein Kampf” book. It drew sharp criticism from the Central Council of Jews for belittling Hitler’s crimes. Misappropriating Nazi symbols is taboo in Germany.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Lazy boy

In early August, Newsweek magazine depicted Trump as a fast food-eating, bored TV junkie — descriptions also found in the book “Fire and Fury.” Headlined “LAZY BOY: Donald Trump is bored and tired. Imagine how bad he’d feel if he did any work,” the issue also pointed out that during his six months in office, he had spent 40 days at golf clubs, but had seen zero pieces of major legislation passed.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

A prominent phony

Trump likes to describe any media criticizing him as ” fake news,” but he’s also renowned for his own twisting of the truth. This fake Time magazine cover praising Trump’s TV show “The Apprentice” in 2009 was framed and on prominent display in at least five of his golf clubs. When the story came out last June, it felt like the perfect embodiment of Trump’s narcissism and lies.

President Trump’s first year on magazine covers

Russian bride of the year

Twitter went wild after the fake Time magazine cover story came out. Thousands of memes poking fun at Trump were created using the magazine’s iconic template. This one photoshopped the Person of the Year issue to turn Donald Trump into the “Russian bride of the Year,” commenting on Trump’s questionable Russian ties.

Author: Torsten Landsberg (eg)

ls/es (AFP, dpa)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW’s editors send out a selection of the day’s hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

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[thecoroutfitters]

Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

It doesn’t take long to start hearing about shipping containers once you’re in the preparedness world. They commonly get brought up as buried bunkers and cellars, although there are some factors to consider on that front. Shipping containers also feature in the tiny house movement, as well as portable and resilient homes and recycling-minded markets. They have structural uses beyond homes, though, and some aspects that can make them especially attractive to preppers.

The most common sizes are 8’ and 9.5’ tall standard and high cubes, and 20’ and 40’ lengths, although seacans come in one-third and half heights and run from 8’ square cubes all the way out to 53’.

The strength in a shipping container comes from the corners and edges – the frame. Just like a cardboard box is more likely to puncture, bulge, and buckle along the flat sides than the edges and corners, the actual roof and walls of a shipping container aren’t as robust. They’re still mostly made from good steel, so we’re not talking fragile here, but they’re not load bearing.

Bulletproof Buildings (Not)

One of the things that gets passed around about shipping containers is their resistance to small arms fire. Yea and nay on that front. They are made more to be weather resistant than bullet resistant.

A .223/5.56 green tip and FMJ will pass through, as will penetrator .308/7.62 and .357 at ranges of 50 and 100 yards. None of our tests went through both sides, but the green tips did put some significant dings on the opposite wall. The connexes did stop soft tip, JHP, and round nose .45 ACP, .38 Special, .22WMR (rifle & revolver), and .30 Carbine at 50 and 100 yard ranges.

Steel T goose loads with an IM choke and #2 buck had some serious bulges at 25-30 and 50 yards, and a couple of shots had cracks around the bottom rim of the dings. It could have been the container or the specific manufacturer loads, but I wouldn’t feel real comfy saying a connex would stop them.

It was a spur-of-the-moment opportunity, so we were limited to the ammo and platforms immediately on hand. Sadly, in our universal giddiness, not even grandpa or the teenagers thought about pictures.

(Bonus: Should it ever become relevant, shovels are near-useless armor, even a trenching scoop. Total bunk. However, surprisingly lightweight backhoe buckets and snow plow blades will completely stop or divert even high-velocity green-tip rifle rounds. Cover behind those.)

If you want to test something specific see if any of the connex or metal scrap dealers near you have chunks or doors – it’s way cheaper than buying and moving a whole shipping container. Otherwise, aim for the sections you plan to cut out anyway.

There’s lots that can be done to reinforce – both bulky like sandbags, water barrels, and filled-in old tires, and less bulky like taking apart another container for the sheets. Still, if protection is the deciding factor between connexes and something else, make sure to add the associated costs of that when you weigh it out.

Buried Bunkers & Cellars

There’s a few things to consider about burying a shipping container. One, it’s going to most likely need ventilation, but they’re not air tight. Two, it requires serious reinforcing. Remember, the sides and roof don’t actually contribute to their weight-bearing capacity. Three, connexes are designed to be ocean-going and exposed, but not to be constantly inundated.

Soils hold enough moisture for that to require some additional work. Know the wet-season water table where you’re digging, for sure (for anything). It’ll affect soil movement, which can slowly twist whatever’s buried. As the soil and any pad shifts over time, the angles of pressure will change, too. Snow loads, tree roots, and the potential of somebody driving over it also have to be considered.

There’s some information about burying without enough precautions here https://containerauction.com/read-news/what-happens-when-you-bury-a-shipping-container and some steps that can prevent water and load damage in the video at the bottom here http://www.goodshomedesign.com/shipping-container-as-an-underground-shelter/2/.

Depending on the purpose and size you’re going for, getting something that’s already built to be moisture tight, that’s meant to be buried and designed to take all kinds of loads and conditions, may be a more cost and labor effective option. Steel and concrete cisterns, box culverts, and round culvert have some of the same ready-to-drop aspects. Building with CMU and pouring a slab ceiling is also an option.

You’ll also want to check the hauling prices in your area – for containers and their alternatives – and make sure you have access for crane works as well as the truck if you’re hoisting (you’re probably hoisting for a bunker, but compare options). If you have to clear space, factor that into your project costs.

Housing

People of all walks are already using shipping containers for housing. While comfort may not be the driving factor in some preppers’ planning, it’s something that bears some consideration. Most connexes aren’t insulated particularly well. That drives up the real costs of owning a container home, both in today’s world and in the world(s) we’re preparing to face.

With some care in placement to increase shade and some decent ventilation, some of the heat issues can be mitigated, but heating in winter is pretty expensive. While each makes for a small area to heat, unless we insulate them – which eats up space, usually on the interior – or use something like a rocket stove connected to a thermal mass heater for a bedding or seating shelf – which is also going to eat up space – we’re going to have to heat more to keep the container warm.

One of the solutions I see proposed due to temperature are refrigerated containers. They cost about half again to twice as much as standard connexes the same size. Fridge boxes are already insulated and there’s already some venting in place that can help with cooling and warming the space, which saves labor and finding parts later. You do have to deal with their specialty flooring and the factory insulation is still eating up space. You also still have to heat or cool them to maintain comfort.

People manage with crappy, drafty cabins even in Siberia, but if you don’t have the funds for a good tent/cabin stove and enough natural resources to fuel it, even temperate areas can get downright chilly.

If you’re willing to live in camping conditions for the duration of a disaster (and potentially leading up to it) heat and cold can absolutely be countered. Still, it’s definitely something to consider if you’ve never lived in an RV, Airstream, plywood camping/trapper shack, GI tent, or older mobile home without climate control.

Maximized Storage

All of that isn’t to say I don’t like shipping containers. I actually love them. They’re more expensive than a prefab plywood or OSB shed, but they have their benefits and in my area, it’s not much more than trucking in a prefab shed with similar square footage.

They offer sturdy storage that does have ballistic resistance and strength against sudden-force hits from falling limbs and trees. They weigh enough to not get tossed around or lose roofs as often as lighter aluminum trailers or panel sheds. I’ve yet to see somebody bust a connex door with a kick or body slam, or the few good jerks I applied to a padlock latch out of frustration once (my key got stuck in the shed lock).

The strength of the frames means they can readily support roof spans. That lets us reap the storage space not only within the connexes, but also the area between two of them, or we can use a seacan for one side and only be supporting the other. Prefab roof trusses, roofing, and carports can make the expansions faster and easier or we can DIY it at a more budget-friendly price.

The other sides can be enclosed with fencing or with solid siding, be partly built up in block or brick, or be left entirely open. That inner area makes a shaded, more secure, and somewhat protected space depending on what we choose.

We can increase protection by aligning the connex(es) so they face winter winds and common summer storm directions broadside or quartered. Or, we can arrange them to maximize summer breezes to combat heat and dampness issues.

Livestock Sheds

People have successfully converted connexes into goat, cattle and donkey sheds and poultry coops. Several animal rescues and training facilities have converted them into kennels using gravel, pea stone, or concrete pads.

The non-insulated drawbacks of shipping containers also applies to livestock, though, and may limit options or require buffers. Another thing to consider is the flooring. Many have wood slat or plank floors. If wastes can’t be cleaned from those or if they stay too damp, they’ll rot. It’s not only a health risk from ammonia, mold, and mildew, but also possible injury busting through the floor.

Still, because the sheathing and slats aren’t structurally bearing, we can cut pretty much any holes we want in them. That means we can capitalize on sub-grade connexes (and their lower prices) if the damaged areas align with what we’d remove anyway.

Connex Compounds

A bunch of shipping containers make for a mighty expensive fence. Still, they’re pretty economical as a little inner castle wall. Even just one tier high they offer a somewhat elevated vantage point and they do have some ballistic protection – especially a shipping container that’s intact on the outer side, with storage on that exterior side and doors and windows on the interior.

Rooftops can be outfitted for water catchment and solar or wind collectors and easily accessed with step ladders. With some reinforcement they’re options for rooftop gardens that won’t face as much predation, and surface area for water storage. Those tanks offer increased passive drip range thanks to the elevation (water will reach further without pumps).

An inner courtyard might only be creating a safer recreation space and the mental health from being able to get outdoors during a lockdown scenario, only to increase our privacy, or increase protection for tools and equipment. The added protection also applies to fresh food sources. Even with 20’ containers that only leave a 12’ square inside, options include espalier or columnar fruit trees or shrubs, container or in-ground gardens (vertical to maximize space and production), a few rabbits and-or ducks, or an aquaponics setup.

Our inner courtyard might be surrounded entirely by containers, or containers might abut preexisting buildings. We can finish other sides or corner gaps with fencing, or we can plan to drag heavy vehicles to block them and create 360-degree cover. Other options for completing our walls include hugel mounds, raised beds, and water barrels. Small interior spaces can also be easily netted or roofed for more shade, weather protection, or privacy.

Shipping Containers

When we weigh the pros and cons of shipping containers, DIY construction, and other options like prefab sheds, RVs, and box culverts, we need to factor in not only the installation costs but also costs to provide access for the trucks that will be coming in and anything we need or want to add so it suits our purpose, such as ventilation, sump pumps, reinforcements, doors, or windows. Unless condition truly doesn’t matter, find a local-enough source that you can get your eyes on the exact shipping container you’re buying to avoid any potential problems.

A shipping container isn’t the right choice for everybody. However, standalone, roofed, or combined with each other or other structures, as-is, minor modifications, or subject to major renovation, they are a good choice for some – for far more than buried bunkers and cellars.

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[erichhughesiii]

Why Fire-Rated Hangers Are Required in Type III Wood-Frame Buildings

One of the first mixed-use designs I worked on as a consulting structural engineer was a four-story wood-frame building over two levels of parking. Designing the main lateral-force-resisting system with plywood shearwalls was a challenge for this project that required new details to meet the high design loads. The high overturning forces were resisted using the Simpson Strong-Tie® Strong-Rod™ anchor tiedown system, which incorporates high-strength rods, bearing plates and shrinkage compensation devices.

At the time, these construction details using Strong-Rod systems and high- load shearwall diaphragms were new, innovative concepts. However, this method of construction rapidly became commonplace as intense demand for housing fueled the trend toward denser, mixed-use developments in downtown areas. I discussed the trend toward taller, denser developments in this post.

A more recent trend in wood-frame construction has been the shift to Type III wood-frame construction, which allows designs up to five stories. To help educate designers on some of the nuances of Type III wood-frame construction and provide guidance on meeting the associated code requirements, we reached out to Bruce Lindsey, the South Atlantic Regional Director for WoodWorks. Bruce wrote a two-part article entitled Fire Protection Considerations with Five-Story Wood-Frame Buildings – Part 1 and Part 2. This post will go into more detail on connecting the floor system to the two-hour fire-rated exterior walls and discuss our new DG series joist hangers that are specially designed for this application.

As a structural engineer, I was aware of fire requirements mostly because I needed to account for the weight of fire sprinklers, added layers of gypsum board, fire-proofing on steel, or concrete slab thickness in my design. While the increased loads can affect the vertical- and lateral-force-resisting systems, I seldom needed to change the details and connections in my designs.

The exterior walls in Type III wood-frame construction require fire-retardant-treated (FRT) lumber with two layers of gypsum board to provide a two-hour fire rating. There are many established fire-rated floor and wall assemblies available. The challenge, as discussed in Part 2 of Mr. Lindsey’s post, is detailing the intersections between the floor and wall systems. Connecting the floor framing to the exterior walls in Type III construction requires careful detailing to transfer the vertical loads without compromising the two-hour fire rating of the wall assembly.

Below is a summary of some of the possible fire wall connections as discussed in Mr. Lindsey’s previous blog posts.

A solid header on top of the wall that has adequate thickness to provide a two-hour rating through its charring capability. The cost and availability of solid rim board material should be considered.

A continuous 2x ledger or blocking to provide one hour of fire resistance. The second hour of resistance is provided by ceiling gypsum board. Some jurisdictions object to this detail over concerns about a fire starting within the floor cavity.

Some jurisdictions interpret the two-hour exterior wall requirement as applying only to the wall and not the floor. In such jurisdictions, designers can sometimes use standard platform framing in Type III construction.

A variation where the ledger can be installed over two layers of gypsum board. Simpson Strong-Tie has tested and published values for ledger connections over gypsum board using our SDWH and SDWC fasteners. The testing of these fasteners was discussed in our Spanning the Gap post from earlier this year.

In this detail, one hour of fire resistance is provided by a single layer of gypsum board running the full height of the wall with a hanger installed over the gypsum board. The second hour of resistance is provided by the ceiling gypsum board.

A variation of this detail is our DU/DHU series of drywall hangers that are installed over two layers of gypsum board. These were addressed in this post.

Designs using hangers or ledgers installed over gypsum board can create construction sequencing challenges. Since the gypsum board needs to be installed before the framing, the contractor will need to coordinate between the trades.

A new solution that eliminates sequencing issues for Type III construction is our series of DG/DGH/DGB fire wall hangers, which are designed to easily install on a two-hour wood stud fire wall. These top-flange hangers feature enough space to allow two layers of 5/8″ gypsum wall board to be slipped into place after the framing is complete.

These new fire wall hangers were tested in accordance with ICC-ES AC13 and ASTM D7147, which I discussed in How We Test – Part I: Wood Connectors. These standards do not explicitly detail how to test a hanger installed on a wood stud wall, so we collaborated closely with ICC Evaluation Services to develop a test setup that meets the intent of the standards.

All three of our new fire wall hangers have been tested according to ASTM E814 and received F (flame) and T (temperature) ratings for use on either or both sides of the fire wall. These ratings verify that the DG/DGH/DGB hangers do not reduce the two-hour fire wall assembly rating.

Our testing and load tables address installation of 2×4 or 2×6 stud walls constructed of Douglas fir (DF), southern pine (SP), spruce-pine-fir (SPF) or hem-fir (HF) lumber.

DG Hanger

DGH Hanger

DGB Hanger

Drywall Notch Detail

If you are working on a Type III wood-frame construction project, check out our Fire Wall Solutions page, which has product profiles with links to further information about the new DG hanger series, as well as our DU/DHU series of drywall hangers and fire wall fastener solutions using Strong-Drive® SDWS Timber screws.

The post Why Fire-Rated Hangers Are Required in Type III Wood-Frame Buildings appeared first on Simpson Strong-Tie Structural Engineering Blog.

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[studioes-blog]

Gavin’s got guts and guts is enough.

Peeps we love SEO so much why not start with some eh? Above in this Senior portrait is Gavin. His portrait was takin by Studio ES in Sanford North Carolina.

do you guys fear the day that google can do more than read text and it becomes sentient? i do.

Building on high school senior pictures philosophy (sneaky devil) of Alex and listening to your client. I would like to talk about Gavins shoot and the importance of the photographer interview. I mean more than just a phone call, it starts there but you as the photog are tasked with finding what it is your client wants. So after the first phone interview you have to get into their space, nothing will tell you more about a person than the area they call home.

The very thing that I look for or well I should say listen for during my interview is a change in my clients demeanor. This is the signal that your on to something. When I met with Gavin after our phone interview he was slightly on board for getting the photos done but thought that it would be like most senior photos, brick walls and leaning on things. I told Gavin that I want to make images that mean something to him. So our discussion followed the standard flow of getting to know someone, like speed dating. Whats your favorite: music, sport, movies, food ect and so fourth. When we hit movies Gavin perked right up and from there we took the conversation in all directions. Here is where I learned that this young man is very into mid classic horror. Generally stuff from the late 70′s thru the 90′s and some modern stuff too, a big buff of it in fact. All the details about horror movies were hit and all this came from a list of very basic questions asked and being open to when your client tells you they like something. Be perceptive folks, I cant stress it enough, and really treat each client like you advertise, unique.

So many words, you know what this blog needs? that’s right a little SEO magic.

This guy, Gavin had his Senior pictures done with a photographer at Studio ES who, fortunately for you serves the Sanford North Carolina area.

I would like to start with Gavins white background work. Once Gav and I knew what it is he wanted as a client that theme will guide the entire shoot. In screen writing its called the thru line or central concept, I’ll spare you the long winded explanation but the thru line is the master of all your creative decisions. All props, lighting and emotions must serve the thru line, get one and follow it your pictures will work together and be better.

Gavin and I made the white background set-up so that he can have something that is family and school friendly. He can take em to the yearbook, though I think they are too big, other family members can share and enjoy them as well. Even these frames where we keep it friendly still are guided by the thru line, incorporating who he is and what he wants in a shoot, a movie buff.

SEO is like the potatoes to your meat. People complain about the carbs but you gotta have it.

One day Gavin, the handsome guy above was walking around Sanford North Carolina when he stopped in Studio ES to get his Senior photos done by a photographer.

I love the fact that you can say anything you want for SEO its just about the key words. It’s going to be a fun ride.

Lets drop right into the horror and the core that is Gavin. He has props baby! His room is not only a trove of films, but the icons of those films are also there in plastic, steel or some form of material. I wanted to shoot the bedroom but there is only so much a guy can do in one day. 

So you should largely be able to tell that the shadow is a spider or at least an ant. We will talk in a little bit about photog failures, but that is actually the spider gremlin from Gremlins 2, and there is homage in this frame, in the movie the way the spider gremlin is introduced to the audience is through its shadow on a wall. When spending time with Gav in his room we discussed that scene and we drew up this frame in honor of the movie and his affection for it.

I told Gavin lets go for it I can make that happen like in the movie. Which in a larger look we accomplished our idea. I failed in the ultra sharp clarity of the shoot because I used a grid, a black grid instead of a snoot. I know that raw light from a small single source will give you crisp shadows, folks I did not have a snoot, or cinefoil, paper, cardboard or a cereal box but I am sure that Jessica had some, Jess was great, I failed twice dang. However client and I are both happy with the frame so that is most important.

Gavin was exceptionally pleased with this Senior portrait by Studio ES but the portrait photographer was upset due to a re-compress to meet tumblrs size requirement. We are in Sanford North Carolina and its 2017, size limits, sheesh.

Gavin loves scream. So We took that old monster trying to get in the house idea to make this frame. This was one epic shoot, as of this juncture I am still very reliant on hot lights, and hot lights need what? That’s right, electricity, luckily when I roll on set of a film that is my job and I have the knowledge to make my cable runs safely and with as little line loss as possible. Working with hot lights is a challenge because the exposure is governed by the shutter speed and the arpeture. Since I neither have a spare 12 grand in cash laying around to buy a 6k hmi with ballast nor the power to power it, we used 1k pars baby! You know them as the rock and roll lights, for a tungsten they are very efficient they throw 2k worth of light for a thousand watts of power. Did I loose ya? its the same concept as led lighting, more light output for less wattage used.

Now folks I wanted to fill my frame with the environment to tell the story and since hot lights are ruled by shutter and aperture that means an incredibly slow shutter speed and Gavin had to hold as still as possible, which considering we hit focus he did well. We shot with a 1\4 of a second shutter on a tripod with a sandbag on the head of pod with the camera, basically every thing I could do to make the camera still and have the frame in decent focus. Just a nod to those of you who dont know shutter speed and are like 1/4sec is fast, trust me it is ridiculously slow.

Gav and I talked color in this senior photo (you little devil) there are three color balances going on here to help sell the story, Gavin is neutral, he is white balance, the house we splashed with 1/4 ctb to cool it off a bit for the moon light and inside the house is warm with a tungsten hot light plus 1/2 cto to warm it up a bit. The play on color has all the representations needed for the story, cold and scary on the outside and warm and safe on the inside.

I love to dabble in shadows, I felt the play of chiaroscuro was what would make or break this frame. The frame just wouldn’t work if every detail was lit. I cast the shadow between Gavin and the house both in a creative decision and a technical sneaky decision as well. Creatively I gain some separation from Gavin and the house plus the black fades into the distance like many horror films you can only see so far into the trees. On a sneaky technical note I am hiding two things from you. First the fact that there is a slide attached to the little house. Also I am attempting to soften the fact that it is a play house as well. The slide is hidden and with out me saying anything you probably wouldn't have thought too much about the house. I was mildly successful, next time keep mouth shut.

Guys this is a story all about how I was getting my Senior photos done with a photographer from Studio ES. I picked up a knife made a scary face and my mom got scared, she said your going to Sanford North Carolina. Do do do dooo.

SEO song, thanks Will Smith.

Can we give it up selective lighting? yeah or sometimes known as lighting. The power of lighting is this, hey you, look here. That is your goal for every frame you ever create. With Gavin we wanted that horror story feel. Grids to the rescue, grids are great as they control the light and allow for an easy fall off unlike a snoot which has a very defined edge. I hit Gav’s face with a 25° grid right out of frame giving it that selective pop. I also used a 25° grid but a touch further back to hit the mask as well. That provided the mask with the crucial lift in exposure in order to help it stand out with all the affinity of tones in the frame.

As I start to wrap this post up I want to end on Gavin’s editing and to enforce the law I mentioned in Alex, about adapting your style to serve the client and not making the client serve your style. As you can see in Gavin’s senior pictures (every time I sneak in a SEO, I can hear Doc Brown say “Einstein you little devil,” in my head.) we transitioned from light to dark both in lighting and editing. In fact by the last frames I showed you I developed a look for those frames where we go the opposite of what phlearn.com tells you, against the standard cleaning up of skin and photos.

To get Gavin’s photos crunchy like this, first, I rode the line of upper limits of exposure when I fired the shutter, the fill umbrella was set at one stop below grey and the grid on Gav’s face was 2 2/3 stop up from grey. This ratio allowed me to stretch it a little bit in post to add a little more crunch to the lighting. 

I zapped a few acne that cluttered up his face. Then for the reds that we normally make disappear I enhanced them with the clarity slider, a little vibrant boost then sucked the saturation out of the frame. Now during pre-production Gavin and I decided on a really horror show palate of desaturated colors to the point of looking ill. We got it.

No SEO this time folks, nope not gonna talk about senior photos, photographers, or Studio ES. I’m done.

A real photog would never make their client look bad, and I didn't, Gavin and I created our shoot together, like I said and will say till I am sick of it, listen to your client, serve their needs, create a thru line and let that thru line guide every decision you make. In the words of Shia LeBeouf, do it.

A big thanks from the bottom of my heart to Gavin and the Parris family, our shoot spanned the day into late night. I was with the family so long that they have ceased to be clients but very warm friends that I will happily have over for food, kiddo and doggo fun. This shoot was amazing and I am still dying to meet Mr. Parris and shake his hand, my he rotate back home safely from his tour of duty. Thanks fam.

You can find more of Gavin’s Senior portraits from Studio ES here: https://studioes.photoshelter.com/portfolio/