justinborden
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Contest Finalist in People In Black And White Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Got Lookability Headshot Photo Contest
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ericamo10
March 08, 2015
This photo says it all. Love the expression, like black and white, the hat, the background. Wonderful photo.
Jerchambers
May 19, 2015
Haha I have a hat similar to this one, It states, "Veteran medicated for your protection" :)
lkspencer
June 03, 2015
your have this so effective...seems like the face confirms the cap
lots of character here....thanks
lots of character here....thanks
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the planting of Field of Flags, in the side yard of the Rockingham Church in Plaistow, New Hampshire. My kids were participating with the local Boys and Girls club, and I was there with them to help document the activity. The field of flags is just that. There is a flag planted for each service member that has given their life in service of their country since 9-11. This year they planted a little over 6,700 flags.Time
I think it was about mid morning when I took this particular photo. I would have to go back and look at the time stamps, but I do remember that there was still a good amount of shadow being cast by the row of small trees to one side of the field.Lighting
It was VERY bright outside this day, and I was a bit concerned that I was going to overexpose, so I asked him to step a little bit into the shadow that was being cast by this row of 10 or 15 foot tall evergreens. I was a little excited that he was going to allow me to take his portrait, and wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been. Otherwise, I would have had him take another step and not had that harsh light line across his face.Equipment
This was shot with a Sony A57 body, handheld, with my 50mm 1.8 Prime lens set at ƒ3.5Inspiration
As this was at an event to honor veterans, there were a lot of us there that day. I got to meet some pretty amazing people and Roy was no exception. He served in the Vietnam era, and his Father had served in WWII. As were were chatting, he told me about his "book". He has his boot camp book, which is kind of like a yearbook, and when he meets other vets, he sometimes has them sign the book with their branch of service, unit they served in, name and the dates they served. After we chatted a few different times throughout the morning, Roy ran home and got his book and asked me to sign it. I was very honored, and asked if I could take his portrait. I left him my contact information as well in hopes that I can sit and chat with him again sometime. Despite the warning on his hat, he's a hell of a nice guy, and has some wonderful stories to tell as well as wisdom to pass on.Editing
I don't keep very close track of every little thing I do in post most of the time. I did some initial editing in Lightroom 5 as a color image, and them decided to play around with it in Silver FX2. I ended up liking the image much more as a monochrome, and have been exploring that more as a result of this image.In my camera bag
I only have one camera and 3 lenses, so I carry them all. Sony a57 with the 18-55mm Kit lens, a 75-300mm zoom and my 50mm 1.8 Prime. That 50mm lens is my go to for portraits!Feedback
Take your time! I was a little hurried when I snapped this because I was really worried about him getting sick of me fussing around, when in reality, I'm sure we would not have minded one bit if I had taken another minute or two. This image worked out well, but there are still things in it that drive me nuts. My focus isn't where I would put it if I could re-shoot it. My auto Focus caught the front end of his beard, when I really wanted his Eyes to be crisp. I wish I had asked him to take one more step completely into shadow so I would have had even light on his face. Pay attention to those types of details, and take your time!