Many of you may know Mike — Michael Prasad from mediaStorm LA — who I mention once in a while and work with a lot. His father recently passed away and I had the unfortunate but rewarding experience of photographing and capturing the funeral.
I didn’t know his dad that well, but we talked every time I’d go over to Mike’s and he was very nice. I remember him commenting on my tripod and whenever a new lens or photo gear would come in, and getting his advice on cars. And going swimming in his pool, having no idea that it would be the last time I’d see him.
The service was held at SkyRose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary in Whittier, CA. The chapel was very impressive and had stunning architecture.
Mike, his uncle and a friend from work gave their eulogies.
To a nearby spot on the grassy hill.
There were many beautiful flowers that were sent from around the world.
A few people shared their stories and experiences.. And then offered their roses.
Once that was done, it was time for the burial.
And the final moments…
Even though it was a very sad event, I was glad to be able to help Michael and the family in this way. There was so much emotion and sadness in the air, all I had to do was be there and capture it. I’d say these are some of my strongest pictures. Not artistically, but they have so much emotion and meaning in them.
On a technical note, this was one of my first real shoots with the 1D. I have to say I’m very glad I had it.
A) The silent shutter mode. My 20D sounded like a shotgun and though the 1D sounds sleeker, its shutter noise would be quite loud in the cavernous chapel during the service. This way, the mirror is raised slowly and then the shutter opens. You can still hear it but its about half as loud and a lot less intrusive than the normal rapid slap of the mirror. My shooting style was also very different there, since I could only take a select few shots rather than try out a bunch of ideas and make a big racket.
B) Highlight priority mode. I think both of these are designed primarily for the wedding photographer. It would’ve probably been more useful had everyone been wearing white, not black, but with all the white flowers and the brightly backlit windows in the background, etc., I think it helped keep the details instead of blowing.
C) The low-light performance. Of course I used no flash, so in the chapel the good high-ISO performance was really important. The pictures came out practically noiseless. The 20D was pretty good with this too, but this one is better than any other in this regards.
D) The 1.3x crop factor. Coming from the 1.6x of the 20D, when the 24-70 lens was decently long, I was afraid that without a good wide angle lens I’d be unable to capture all the architecture. I was surprised though, at how much I was able to capture at the wide end.
Comments
This place isn't ALL about me — just mostly.
Mike Prasad
11 months, 4 weeks ago
It was held at the SkyRose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary in Whittier, CA. A crematorium is where bodies are cremated instead of burial.
Those were all the comments. But don't be shy — Add your own!