Video: Backstage with The Baldwins

I had a great opportunity to shoot a group portrait of an improv troupe called The Baldwins. They perform long-form improvised sketches on Wednesdays at The Pit in Midtown Manhattan.




We agreed that we wanted some kind of theme or group activity that told a story rather than a lame group shot against a brick wall. I was hoping they would waterboard each other, but they decided on a 1970's swinger key party a-la The Ice Storm.

My personal goal was to create lots of depth and layers in my picture. I opted to shoot diagonally across the living room to avoid putting anyone up against the wall. I could then light from the other two corners of the living room to create some shadow depth in the faces without casting ugly shadows on the walls or other furniture.

Here's some video of what we did:



Yeah, they were so excited about the photo that they wore their 70s clothes to the next performance and projected the picture as an intro. These guys were great to work with. You'll probably be seeing some of them in more of my future photos.