19 People, 1 Light

This time of year, I find myself shooting these kinds of shots at this location a lot. This scene is the steps of Old Red, the original medical school building on the campus of The University of Texas Medical Branch. It opened in 1891, survived the 1900 Storm, and the red sandstone and Texas grantite building still stands today. It's been pretty much vacant since Hurricane Ike, however, waiting for money and manpower to rehab the bottom floor. Still makes a good backdrop for a group shot, and the steps leading up to the front door make a natural set of risers for lots of folks. I've learned to shoot here early and fast. After about 9:30 a.m., the sun comes over a nearby building and floods this area with some of the brightest light you could imagine. I got this shot just in time. Over the 10 minutes I took these pictures, the sun began reflecting off the top of the steps and columns here, so this shot is from early on in the series. At the last minute I decided to add a little on-camera flash here. Glad I did. I think it added a nice kick to the shadows and brightened the faces. Nikon D70, 1/160 sec at f/7.1; SB900 at -0.7 EV on camera.