Merry Little Christmas

This is the last photo (ok, photos) of 2011. This one reminded me of my favorite Christmas carol: Have yourself a merry little Christmas. While definitely my favorite holiday tune, I'm torn between the Frank Sinatra version and the Ernie & Bert version of my youth.

The way it turned out, it is almost as if he is looking up at the angel topping the Christmas tree, even though he is actually looking at the ridiculous flower-planting bowl contraption I call a homemade beauty dish, which the flash lighting his face is stuck into.

Strobist info: The key light is an SB-800 with full CTO + 1/4 CTO gels in a homemade beauty dish from high camera right, zoomed to 24mm and fired at 1/8 power. There is an accent light on the stockings & mantle from camera right, which is a snooted SB-600 with a full CTO gel zoomed to 85 mm and fired at 1/32 power. Shot on tungsten white balance to bring the gelled flashes back to neutral coloring and the shutter dragged to bring up the ambient fill light.

I can't help but think of the line in The Night Before Christmas about Santa looking like a peddler just opening his sack... just a mini version here.

Have a happy and healthy 2012!

Strobist info: The key light is an SB-800 with full CTO + 1/4 CTO gels in a Lumiquest Softbox III from high camera right, zoomed to 50mm and fired at 1/16 power. The fill light is from an SB-600 with a full CTO gel on a stand behind the camera facing away from him towards the wall behind me, zoomed to 24 mm and fired into the corner of the walls/ceiling at 1/32 power. Shot on tungsten white balance to make the Christmas tree lights the right color and bring the gelled flashes back to neutral coloring.

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