Happy Birthday...er...Pride!

Steph's birthday is June 6th. A trip to the hospital for me on that date saw us celebrating her birthday with a lovely brunch at Zucca in Coral Gables on Sunday June 8th. We were headed that way because we were meeting up with our friends Ish and Jose, who every year invite us to join them at the Arsht Center's CommuniTea Pride event.


Steph and I are allies. I hardly ever discuss my beliefs on this blog because they typically aren't important to the kinds of things I'm writing about. But I also don't ever shy away from discussing my beliefs. And now more than ever in my lifetime, I think that's important. So as allies, Steph and I are always supportive of our friends and believe that love and respect is something to be given regardless of any qualities. Love and respect should never be qualified.

Someone in an orange sleeveless top poses thoughtfully near blurred lights in a moody indoor setting.

So we brunched (happy birthday, darling) and met up with our friends to head over to the CommuniTea. It would be our first time attending the CommuniTea event as we were usually out of town for Steph's birthday. But we stayed in Miami (hooray!). All I had to go off of were the photos I had seen on social media of past years' events and they all seemed to be mostly outdoor. So, I had decided on my Leica M3 and Summitar 5cm f/2 loaded with Kodak UltraMax 400 before I left the house. Little did I know that this would be the best mistake I could possibly have made.

Center Stage

The Arsht Center decided to change things up this year. The entire event had been moved inside of the famed Miami theater and was set up on the stage itself. With lots of smoke machines and rainbow lights, this was a great atmosphere and an opportunity to be on a stage that few get to be on. But I had loaded 400 speed film just a few hours before and had made a portrait of Steph that I knew I'd love. So, I was in a pickle: don't attempt to shoot this roll and just use my phone for photos (I did take some pictures with my iPhone that came out great), or throw caution to the wind and have fun making pictures with the film I had.


I have stopped treating film as some previous commodity that needs to be preserved. That sort of stingy thinking is what led me to never being truly happy with either my film or digital photos as I was always splitting the difference of what I really wanted to shoot. So I took a quick light reading and set my exposure on the camera. With 400 speed film, if I opened my lens' aperture wide open to f/2 and set my shutter speed to 1/25, I could get even and balanced exposures AND salvage that portrait of Steph from the restaurant.


I had already experimented with low-light shooting on UltraMax last year in New Orleans, which you can read about here, so I wasn't worried the roll would be wasted. But I didn't have high hopes. Everyone was moving pretty quickly and there would certainly be some motion blur. But I figured that would become part of the authenticity of these photos.

Silhouetted crowd dancing under dramatic starburst lighting effects at a nightclub or concert venue.

Dancing Queen(s)

As a straight man who finds himself hanging in the LGBTQ+ community often enough, I can tell you that drag performances are just about the most fun anyone can have. Sure, there are other activities that might be as much fun. But MORE? Nope. It doesn't exist.


Steph and I are massive drag fans. If we can make it to a drag show, you can bet your bottom dollar that we will be there. I always take a camera with me as well as drag queens are some of the most talented performers out there. But this was my first time photographing drag performances on film. The stakes were low - after all, it isn't like I was hired to shoot this event (I'd have been prepared in that case!) - but I certainly wanted to get some nice shots.

A glowing crescent moon decoration illuminates a storefront display with yellow and green lighting at night.

The first performer, Ariesela, brought the house down. I was concerned about my shutter speed as 1/25 is decidedly slow. But I was deliberate with my exposures. I waited for moments in which Ariesela struck a pose or accentuated a moment with a slight pause before continuing. And I also figured I could use the motion blur to my benefit.


When I saw her bring out the ribbons, I knew that would be a moment to introduce some action and motion into the photo, helping bring the moment to life. Likewise, after a minute or two of observing her movement, I was able to anticipate when she'd strike that pose and give the camera a chance to snap the right shot.


UltraMax performed as well as Ariesela did in these situations, the light from above and behind her lit the scenes with enough power to give this film enough to work with.

Concert performer in black and gold outfit raises arm triumphantly on stage during dynamic performance with dramatic lighting.
A performer in black and gold bodysuit stands on stage under warm orange lighting during a live performance.
A performer in shiny boots dances energetically on stage during a concert performance across multiple action shots.

Sagittae performed next and was equally as impressive. She was harder to photograph as she was more acrobatic than Ariesela, but I loved tracking her across the stage and up into the air.


One of the benefits of shooting with a rangefinder like the M3 is that you are considering only composition. It brings you into the action and allows you to get in close because composing is the only thing you are doing in the viewfinder. And when you are using a meterless camera like the M3, that is even more so. No distractions, just you and your subject.


But it also means that you when things like light flares and ghosting happen, it can be a lovely surprise. I imagined, because I know the Summitar well, that there would be lots of flares in these shots due to the lighting, but I didn't know how beautiful they'd be, accentuating the queens wonderfully.

Late night emergency crews work at a dark accident scene with flashing lights illuminating scattered debris and vehicles.

Possibly my favorite exposure of the day, this one of Sagittae mid jump, hand stretched out to her audience as they return the gesture is one such example. I saw her bobbing in front of the stage lights and tried to time my release of the shutter so that she would frame the lights with her body and create a flare.


I nailed it and was able to coax a flare out of the situation that seems to emanate from her and spill onto the audience. The bit of rainbow that is seemingly coming from her face and the light source seems to come from her heart...well, if this had been the only exposure that worked I would still have been very happy with it.


I ran out of film as Sagittae finished her performance and hit the bar with Steph, Ish, and Jose as I rewound my film and loaded up another roll. But now I had a choice: load up another roll of UltraMax and continue metering at its native 400 ISO, or meter at a higher sensitivity and push the film in development. I opted to push the second roll, but only one stop.


For those that aren't familiar with how to push and pull film, it is quite simple. You treat the film as if it is rated at a different ISO, essentially underexposing or overexposing, and then you either push in development (leave it in developer longer than normal) or pull in development (leave it in developer shorter than normal). It effectively changes the ISO of the film in development and allows for balanced exposures in lighting conditions other than what the film would natively be used for.


The drawback is that qualities like contrast, highlights, shadows, and colors begin to shift. Some films don't have much latitude to allow for pushing and pulling. UltraMax, however, does. And it pushes very well. And as you'll see, there is no noticeable change in my results of the second roll.

Energetic performer leaps high on stage during a dark concert with crowd reaching upward and stage lights illuminating.

Dancing on My Own...Together

After we got another round of drinks and watched the final performance of the event, the dancing started. I had loaded up that roll of UltraMax and was metering as if it was ISO 800. This allowed me to keep my lens wide open at f/2, but shoot at a higher shutter speed without significant shift to contrast and color. So, I adjusted to 1/50, which is still slow, but will stop action a better than 1/25 will.


Steph and Ish are two peas in a pod. They have the same energy, or aura if you will. They are absolutely beautiful people with a gravity that draws others to them. So when they get together, it is a lot of fun. Jose and I are likewise very similar as well. We are more reserved and slowly warm up to our friendly selves. We danced a bit with Steph and Ish, but mostly stood back and let them have fun.


This exposure of them dancing together is one that I really love. The absolute joy on their faces, the energy between them, it is plain to see that these are two people that love being in each other's presence.


I sometimes wonder what might cause someone to have an issue with the LGBTQ+ community and always come up empty. I just don't understand it. Photography has allowed me to observe lots of different people in different places and something I firmly believe is that if you never allow yourself to actually meet and understand people you'll never see them as you see yourself or "your people." How can you? But if you give people a shot, they usually surprise you with how similar we all are. Everyone wants to be seen, loved, and respected.

Enthusiastic partygoers dancing under dramatic pink stage lighting at a nightclub event.
Colorful stage lights illuminate a smoky concert venue with a crowd of silhouetted people dancing below.
Dancers perform energetic swing dance moves in a dimly lit ballroom with warm orange lighting and a crowd watching.

I think it is important for people to accept that we are not all the same and that those differences are what make us great. How boring the world would be if everyone looked like and spoke like me! The tired "I don't see differences" saying must be thrown out. We must see each other's differences, acknowledge them, and celebrate them.


Allies are important in and to all communities. It is with alliances that strength is found, never in isolation. So break bread with someone different than you, dance with someone different than you, and see how your life improves.


I'll continue to love and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community as an ally and will have my camera loaded up with some color film to capture it in all its vivid chromatic beauty.

Dancers silhouetted against vibrant orange and pink stage lighting create a dynamic group performance atmosphere.

More Miami Pride with UltraMax

Dancers move together on a dimly lit dance floor with vibrant lighting effects during a social dance event.
People dancing together in a large dimly lit room with warm atmospheric lighting and dynamic movement.
Abstract multicolored light streaks create a dramatic swirling pattern against a dark background.
Clubgoers dance beneath pink lighting at a nightclub with energetic atmosphere.
Illuminated concert crowd dancing with raised hands silhouetted against bright stage lights and pink glow.
A crowded dance hall filled with people moving under dramatic purple and blue stage lighting.
Crowded dance floor with people dancing under vibrant purple and yellow lighting at a nightclub or party.
People worshipping with raised hands under dramatic pink stage lighting at a church service or concert.
Energetic crowd dancing and moving together at a lively nightclub event under colorful lighting.
People dancing on a dark dance floor with dramatic pink lighting and crowd in the background.
Colorful stage lights illuminate fog with vibrant red, green and blue hues creating an atmospheric effect at a performance.
Performers in colorful outfits dance energetically on stage under vibrant theatrical lighting during a show.
Party-goers enjoying themselves on a vibrant dance floor with sunglasses and festive atmosphere.
Crowd of party-goers dancing under dramatic spotlights in a nightclub setting.
Dramatic stage lighting creates colorful silhouettes of performers during a theatrical production.

All images © 2020-2024 David Ulloa Studio. All rights reserved.