Kahlan
Sep, 2017Views
1895
Likes
Awards
Winner in In a Flash Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Superior Skill
All Star
Virtuoso
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
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galelegg
September 18, 2017
Love the action of the dancer, body beautifully aligned giving a star look, works well on the background re the universe and where she fits in.
DaveKochPhoto
September 28, 2017
I just remnember at that point we were workign really quick. I would do 5-10 of her, bring a different dancer in, do her, bring in someone else.... it was rather frentic!
PRO+
Lovesphoto
September 21, 2017
Beautiful image. Great lighting and goes well with the background sunset.
PRO+
PRO
PRO+
DaveKochPhoto
October 09, 2017
She is quite a good dancer. She did this move 20-30 times until we were both happy with it...
PRO
DaveKochPhoto
October 11, 2017
If you surround yourself with talent, maybe some will rub off (Thats my theory- one of these days I will get better!)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was a sunset shoot on the salt flats at Bonneville. It is a super photogenic place, and it is it's most spectacular at sunset. Knowing that I was going to be shooting most of the day, but my best images would be shot into the sun, I planned ahead. I got super-bright, battery-powered flash units... because there aren't many power plugs on the salt flats.Time
This was obviously sunset, so 6 PM or so, facing west....Lighting
Like I implied above, good lighting resources were integral to making this image. Planning ahead, I rented the best, most powerful flashes I could (Profoto B1. Yeah, very expensive. Rent them...). When you have girls flying like this- and when you are shooting into the sun!- you need a ton of power because you need to freeze the action. 1/200th is NOT enough. This was 1/1000th which I feel is about minimum for a jump. As it is, there is some blur still in the extremities.Equipment
This was hand held, so I could move around quick. There is VERY limited time at sunset... and while most of this shoot was tripod (ALWAYS Tripod!!!!), when you have to move quick, I pulled it off tripod. I was shooing 1/1000th so hand held was not too much of a problem jitter-wise. I shot a Nikon D-810 and a tamron 70-200. To get the fast shutter speed, I opened the f/stop to 3.2, which I am good with. I wanted her off the BG, and we had a long space (MILES!) off the BG, so that and a large f/stop were fine. Low ISO (200) worked- fast shutter were my priorities! Flash were two Profoto B1s, set left and right, and set to manual. Exposure was set to the sky, then backed off 2/3 of a stop. Key (right) was set, and fill was 1:2 below that.Inspiration
This was a real experimental shoot- we took a lot of "toys" out there to play with. Water (about 20 gallons) was fun to play with, but hard top work with and get pretty. I also took two or three bottles of baby powder, and that is what is used here. I did not have enough- you need a LOT! Anyway, we took this because we thought the smoke would look good back-lit- hoping to pick up the sun colors. Didnt happen. But the rest of the image works well to my eye.Editing
Most of this was done in camera. There is always some dusting and polishing in Lightroom and Photoshop, but this image is not too dissimilar from SooC.In my camera bag
I take what I need. I usually have a good idea where I am going and what I want, so I pack my bags based on that. This said, I have two-go-to bags, a D810 with Tameron glass, and a D500 with Nikon glass. All cameras use the same mounts, so my tripods are interchangeable- I use carbon fiber pods, and usually have a few with different heads for different usages. I used to use a pistol grip, but I replaced that with a RRS 55 ball head. I have a heavier tripod I use a geared head on. I would say if you are chasing gear you are in the wrong space. Find thwe camera and the gear that work for you, and use it, dont worry about what I or someone else uses.... Are you seriously going to go out and get a giant 8x10 camera to take landscapes like Adams? No, that is absurd- you will use what works for you. Thats is my advice- use what you have. If it has shortcomings TO YOU AND HOW YOU USE IT, replace it. Otherwise, your gear is good!Feedback
First, you need an incredible artist like Kahlan to shoot. All credit to her for this picture. We shot this over and over to get it perfect.... and she did not whine or cry a bit. In fact, she kept chimping and saying, "Oh, I can do this better!" SHE pushed the image. To work with someone so dedicated to making the image right is a blessing, and again all credit for the beauty of this image to her!
