Portrait 1
One chapter from US Military Veterans Motorcycle Club finally getting relaxed with the idea of getting a formal portrait
One chapter from US Military Veterans Motorcycle Club finally getting relaxed with the idea of getting a formal portrait
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Feb, 2017Views
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Awards
Winner in Your Gang Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in a makeshift studio spot in the lobby of a hotel during the United States Military Veterans Motorcycle Club Winter Rendezvous event. I brought in lighting and backdrops to provide portraits in addition to the candid event shots.Time
Shot during the evening after enough drinks had flowed for the guys to feel more comfortable about jumping in front of the camera!Lighting
Lighting for this was a combination of on and off camera flash along with two reflected spots using a soft white bulb.Equipment
This is probably one of the heaviest equipment loads I've used. I had two tripods with remote flash and reflectors, one on-camera speed light, two tripod mounted reflected spots, portable backdrop, equipment trunk (which I used to get elevation for this shot), and my Sony a7r2 with 24-240mm lens. The shot itself is handheld although I did have the camera tripod.Inspiration
I had done a number of couples portraits but when different charters wanted groups shots, I wanted to get them a little more relaxed and find shots that didn't seem quite so stiff and formal. After a few attempts I didn't like, I told the guys to tell me how they really felt about the pictures!Editing
Post-processing was done in Lightroom and Photoshop. I needed PS to blend the background and cover for the fact my backdrop was not nearly big enough for the group; the clone tool was invaluable there. I cranked up the clarity and contrast with LR to give a deeper effect that the guys loved.In my camera bag
Normally, I just have some extra batteries and memory cards to go with either my a77 or a7r2 using either the 18-250mm or 24-240mm; sometimes I'll add a 50mm or the giant 50-500mm and occasionally a flash. This was a lot different than my normal shooting, so there was a huge amount of gear that went in my giant Pelican case.Feedback
Talk to the subjects and get a feel for what suits them. I normally do candid event stuff, so posed portraits was a real challenge; but once I got used to talking to the people in front of the lens, we all got more comfortable and started producing much better shots. This was also well outside of my normal comfort zone, so I guess my advice is always be willing to try something different and then keep at it until you are happy with the shot.
