Welcome to the GeekShot Photo Exclusive Series. This will be a weekly post featuring cool, interesting, or just plain awesome moments we have captured during San Diego Comic-Con. Each week we’ll post a photo by Beth or James of GeekShot Photography. We may include a short story about the photo, but sometimes we’ll just let the photo speak for itself.
About This Photo
Stephen Amell at the WB TV/DC Entertainment panel at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.
It’s only fitting to start the new year of photos off with something special. Stephen Amell’s abs certainly fit the bill. This was taken Saturday night during the massive WB TV panel featuring all four of the DC shows that were returning or premiering in 2014. Amell was asked (again) to show off his abs. Unlike past cons (like Phoenix Comicon), he relented and pulled up his shirt for a few seconds.
What really makes this photo though is the faces of everyone around him. You can see the expected reactions from Grant Gustin, Matt Ryan, and even John Wesley Shipp farther back. Then there’s Tom Cavanagh turning around to get a good look at them on the big screen. But what exactly is going on with Harold Perrineau? I guess Amell’s abs aren’t that big of a deal to everyone. You can see video of this particular part of the panel thanks to Parks & Cons, which I’ve embedded below.
As a photo this is a great example of the need to pay attention to the background in addition to the subject. When composing your shot you should take time to see what is in the entire frame. Random stuff in the background can interfere with the appeal of a photo, especially when you aren’t in control like at a convention. Normally I try to have the subject fill the screen and use a shallow depth of field to help reduce any negative effect of the background. During the panel I would have preferred to shoot this scene in portrait and get a close up of just Amell. But now I realize I was fortunate that the weight of the camera and lens kept me from doing that. This is a case where letting in more of the background worked to my advantage. It still boils down to paying attention to the background whenever possible and making the choice on how much to include.
You can see all of the previous posts in this series here.
