A Steampunk Ship in New York City: The Photography of Babette Daniels
Babette Daniels is a photographer of remarkable skill. Recently, she was at the Mermaid Parade where she captured shots of a Steampunk Ship float that was made by project leader (and President of Hattitude) Dorothy Winterman and led down the parade by Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band. We interviewed Ms. Daniels about her expertise in photography, her time at the Mermaid Parade and if there is a difference in taking steampunk pictures versus regular photography.
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Share with us a quick summary about yourself and how you discovered cosplay/steampunk and photography.
Taking Steampunk photos is wildly different than taking regular photos. Sure, some of the broad-spectrum posing can be the same, but steampunk generally has more accessories to take into account. There are commonly parts of the outfit that would extend beyond the borders of a regular photograph and would ruin the composition if cropped incorrectly. For example, it is common for someone to hold a parasol, steam-gun, wings or a form of a jetpack. Then one has to take into account, are the large accessories the most important, or is it what is being worn as jewelry? There is also the added fact that steampunk photography isn’t restricted to the people. There are the physical works that are created to go with a persona or with one’s room. For example, the Steampunk Apartment in Chelsea, New York, NY was filled with fantastic contraptions that I could spend an entire weekend shooting and still not be done.
I would have to say the weirdest experience I ever had was when I went to my first large steampunk meet up, not really knowing the genre or the people involved and encountering people in their steampunk personas. I spent a long time not knowing who if someone was genuinely mean and snippy or if that was their character. I actually avoided contact with one of my closer friends for several weeks before we met in person because I was convinced they were incredibly unpleasant! Upon meeting them we got along swimmingly, and I frequently go to them for advice. I think the best experience was going to an event, walking in and having the room yell “IT’S BABS WHO TAKES PICTURES!” I still need to be reminded that people outside of my group of immediate friends know who I am, and that what I do is valued. I’ve also been recognized at conventions and even on the street in Manhattan from my facebook page! Quite ironically, my page name ‘Babs Who Takes Pictures’ is easier for people to remember than Babette, so this garners interesting reactions on the street.
I’m not sure if people with non-creative backgrounds ever experience the “ah-ha!” moment in their work, but I usually know when I have this epiphany. I imagine it’s like a chef knowing by sight that a steak is done, or when a musician knows their piece is finished. There are also times where I have a specific shot in my head, and when I get it in camera, I consider that not only an accomplishment, but a work of art in itself.
The Mermaid Parade is an amazing, ocean/aquatic themed event that takes place in Coney Island which is open to everyone. It celebrates the beginning of summer and is a family friendly event.The main challenge in shooting in the parade was keeping up! I am mostly known for my lack of height (sadly, I am under 5 foot high), so I had to constantly run to keep ahead of the group, take my pictures while walking backwards and not knocking into anyone else. There was the added difficulty of being in costume as well. I feel that I was able to keep pace pretty well, although I was dead exhausted by the end of the night.
My original camera was the Nikon D5000, but I’ve upgraded to the D7000 and the D200 is my backup. I enjoy the D7000 because of how quickly it can shoot, seeing as a lot of my photography involves the subjects moving around quickly and I need to be able to keep up. The D7000 is also fantastic for low-light situations, which I spend a majority of my time in. For a long time I refused to make use of a flash in clubs because I don’t enjoy blinding my subjects, but I am partially transitioning from events into personal shoots, so low light may not matter in the future.The only program I use for photo editing is Photoshop CS5.
My personal site BabetteD.com and my page Babs Who Takes Pictures are both great ways to contact me!
Share with us three of your favorite pictures you’ve taken and the stories behind them.
Photo #1
Dark clubs are a particular challenge, but the fun part of a challenge is overcoming it. Despite the posing sessions before and after, it was important for me to get their photos while performing because of how much more comfortable the band was when they are doing what they love.
Photo #2
I love grabbing photos when performers are performing. Many of the people I work with I’ve seen many times, not just because I am asked to shoot them, but because I find their performances amazing. Sasha had asked me to come out to photograph one of her new acts for during the benefit for the 30 year Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
Photo#3
A big part of photography for me was to stop being afraid and put myself out there, and often times I will start putting myself at some amount of risk for this, whether it be climbing on buildings that should probably be left alone, getting too close to a fire performer or asking someone to leapfrog over me for a particular shot.
Babs is AWESOMEST photographer evaaar!!
One correction on the birth of the float.
The fabulous Ms Winterman is responsible for the “Hey, let’s build a float!” idea, making all the great costumes, fundraising and general cheerleading.
The actual 4-bike pedal-power float chassis was concieved, designed and built by Professor Fumolatro. Kris Svendsen assisted with fabrication, engineering of the 4-wheel steering mechanism, and cooking up a nice pair of smokestacks. Maker Steve jumped in to assist on fabrication at the last moment to save the day.
The neato simulated wood hull, with shweet nekkid steampunk figurehead and prow, the element that most made the critter look like a ship of sorts, was created solely by Kate Mosely.
Special thanks to Sal M for lending me his Silverado 1500 so I could rent a trailer and bring the float to the parade.