Assignment 5: Sportrait
This assignment was pretty fun to experiment with. Since this is our last shooting assignment, I feel that I have a strong sense of studio lighting technique because of this class. This assignment really allowed me to let loose and show off the skills I have with studio lighting. I also enjoy doing sports portraiture because it lets you get a different sense about an athlete. Athletes in a studio setting are a lot different than athletes who are competing.
My favorite photos are probably the boxing photos because I love focusing on the eyes and how determined they look. I also had an idea with Elliot Talsma to recreate “The Fallen Angel” by Alexandre Cabanel because in that painting, you can see so many emotions behind Lucifer’s eyes.
It was great getting to work with all these different athletes from the Lacrosse and Boxing club because I am unfamiliar with both sports. I have never done either, so I had a fun time figuring out poses to best represent each club. A lot of the time, I would look on Pinterest to figure out some dynamic poses to try. I would put my own spin on the poses so I wasn’t completely copying, but I would get my general ideas and inspiration from Pinterest.
I love to edit in black and white because I believe that you can see so much more emotion that way. I think that color can sometimes get in the way of how we process an image, so by taking away color, you can have a much easier time interpreting a photo.
Emma Ford is holding a lacrosse stick by her face in front of a gray backdrop in Moore Hall at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI on Nov. 17. Ford is a part of the club lacrosse team at CMU.
SETTINGS:
1/80, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/8
B: 1/16
Hannah Smith holds a lacrosse stick behind her head in front of a gray backdrop in Moore Hall at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI on Nov. 17. Smith is a part of the club lacrosse team at CMU.
Elliot Talsma poses like “The Fallen Angel” painting by Alexandre Cabanel in front of a gray backdrop in Moore Hall at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI on Nov. 17. Talsma is a part of the boxing team at CMU.
SETTINGS:
1/80, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/8
B: 1/16
SETTINGS:
1/80, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/8
B: 1/32
Amari (Mars) Smith bites his boxing glove in front of a gray backdrop in Moore Hall at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI on Nov. 17. Smith is a part of the boxing team at CMU.
SETTINGS:
1/80, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/8
B: 1/16
I did the outside of class portion over Thanksgiving break because I had more time to shoot some quality images. Since I have some equipment at home, I was able to use my own backdrop and colored gels so I would have less stuff to take home. I rented out 2 lights and a lightstand/umbrella kit.
My favorite part of this shoot was coming up with creative ways to use chalk effects to make it look like I used smoke. I have a home gym built in my basement, so I was also able to use some cool rigs and chalk set ups to create a professional looking shoot.
I had a lot of fun doing the gymnastic photos because I had so many ideas coming into it. My subject also fed me some ideas because he is familiar with some typical poses that a gymnast might do. I could have kept going but it was getting late. I had a lot of ideas I wish I executed, but regardless, I am still happy with the results I got.
I had some struggles in post production with making sure the background looked nice, so I spent a lot of time toning the photo to make sure the background looked smooth and didn’t blend into the subjects clothes. It probably would have been helpful to have three lights for this, but for simplicity and ease of travel, I chose to work with 2 lights. I would have used the third light as a rim light to help separate the subject from the backdrop.
Overall I am really happy with my results, especially because I did everything myself. I didn’t have any studio hands because I was home for break, but I persevered and made some photos that I am really proud of.
Rosalie Vachon, a high school Junior, poses in front of a black backdrop in White Lake, MI on Wednesday Nov. 26. Vachon plays soccer for the Michigan Jaguars Football Club.
SETTINGS:
1/60, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/2 (umbrella)
B: 1/4 (red gels)
SETTINGS:
1/60, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/4 (umbrella)
B: 1/8 (red gels)
Rosalie Vachon, a high school Junior, poses in front of a black backdrop in White Lake, MI on Wednesday Nov. 26. Vachon plays soccer for the Michigan Jaguars Football Club.
SETTINGS:
1/60, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/4 (umbrella)
B: 1/4 (red gel)
SETTINGS:
1/60, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/4 (umbrella)
B: 1/8 (red gels)
Rosalie Vachon, a high school Junior, poses in front of a black backdrop in White Lake, MI on Wednesday Nov. 26. Vachon plays soccer for the Michigan Jaguars Football Club.
Christopher Hycki poses in an Iron Cross position on the rings in front of a black backdrop in White Lake, MI on Wednesday Nov. 26. Hycki competes for the Purdue University Club Gymnastics team.
Christopher Hycki poses in a bicep flex position on the rings in front of a black backdrop in White Lake, MI on Wednesday Nov. 26. Hycki competes for the Purdue University Club Gymnastics team.
SETTINGS:
1/60, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/4 (umbrella)
B: 1/4
Christopher Hycki poses in front of a black backdrop in White Lake, MI on Wednesday Nov. 26. Hycki competes for the Purdue University Club Gymnastics team.
SETTINGS:
1/60, f4, ISO 100
A: 1/2 (umbrella)
B: 1/4
