So my wife approaches me with an interesting project.   How she gets involved in these types of things I’ll never know but somehow it always involves using her imagination.   Sometimes it’s plays, sometimes it’s commercials, sometimes small parts in movies.   As it so happens her latest interesting offer came in the form of a calendar shoot.   Oh no … not bikini clad vixens (I could only hope) but rather to appear in the Louisville Ghostbuster calendar.   huh?   Yeah I know.  That’s what I thought too.   Turns out to be a few guys in a local chapter of the popular movie’s fan club.   My wife mentioned to me they would like her to be featured in the new calendar as a “Ghostbuster” in full uniform and said she would like me to do a themed shoot with her.   The Louisville Ghostbusters would provide the uniform and gear.   They wanted me to put my own imagination to work to come up with a decent portrait for their calendar.   

Cool.   I love ghosts and I love creating images so finally I get a chance to marry the two.

The logistics were simple in my head.   I needed to shoot in an environment suited for the theme and I needed ghosts to later insert into the photo.   We didn’t have much time so my wife suggested a spot she’s previously used for a zombie flick she was in and we headed downtown, Louisville.   We arrived (sound buzzer) WRONG.   The area was off-limits and gated up.   Hmm.   Well damn.   Now we have these guys dragging Ghostbuster gear all over town looking for us over the phone and no place to do the shoot.   Quick thinking lead me to suggest the Seelbach Hilton hotel in downtown, Louisville.   The Seelbach has plenty of ghost stories and is rich in local folklore.    I’ve visited the Seelbach on several occassions, the latest being on a walking “ghost tour” by a local story teller Robert W. Parker.   aka Mr. Ghostwalker.   I know, campy, right?   … but it was a lot of fun and I love a good history lesson.

I digress.

The Seelbach agreed to let us shoot and upon arriving, making introductions, etc. we were given free-reign over the mezzanine leading around the lobby and to the famous Oak Room.  (Al Capone’s old hang out by the way.  Secret passageways.  Automatic doors that blend with the wall.  Fun stuff)

The most interesting angle I could find was that leading to a hallway where guests could catch an elevator.  Dark stained walls.  The smell of old wood and steeped in mystery.   We had a winner of a site.

I composed my shot by placing my SB-800 flash unit on a nearby table pointing towards the model (the wife) and diffused it using something out of Gary Fong’s kitchen.   I also used the green flash gel, not to equate white balance but to actually knock it off balance with a green cast.   Hey it’s supposed to be ghostly, right?

My Nikon D80 was tripod mounted and I used my faithful 50mm to shoot at f/2.8.  The idea having our Ghostbuster in focus awaiting an approaching spirit.    Piece of cake.   I grabbed multiple exposures for proper light balance while I was there.

My wife also has a married couple of friends that are responsible for the Whodunnit Murder Mystery dinner plays.  I couldn’t think of anyone better, already having costumes for hauting hotel hallways I asked them nicely to pose for me and they obliged.   Ann is our first ghost that you will see here.

Several layers of careful retouching in produced this which I present to you today.   My wife the Ghostbuster.

More to come …