One of Barnet Photography's Clients is the Los Angeles Federal Courts. Courthouse photography mostly involves coverage of formal ceremonies like investitures of new Judges. This particular image of former Attorney General Eric Holder was taken during his address to a Federal Courtroom full of Judges, dignitaries, Federal and State Government officials and other guests during the investiture ceremony of a newly appointed Federal Judge. These are very important ceremonies, full of tradition, that are always photographed. The images become historical documents. It's very important to know what is going to happen, where to stand and move, who the speakers will be, how to dress and much more. The lighting is also a challenge at these events. Courtrooms are not brightly lit and the use of tripods would limit mobility, and a flash on camera would be distracting. We always use "off camera flash". these are powerful, self contained, radio controlled flash units on stands at the back of the Courtroom. In this case, the reflective marble wall at the back of the bench determined where I had to position the lights and where I would shoot from. All this has to be set up before the ceremony starts. Backup gear also has to be pre-setup in case something fails.
Location: Federal Courthouse, Los Angeles, California..