Christmas at the Shred
Had a blast on this one. Was asked by a few of the skaters if I could take some pics at the hottest skate park, The Shred, in Cape Town. This skater was lightin...
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Had a blast on this one. Was asked by a few of the skaters if I could take some pics at the hottest skate park, The Shred, in Cape Town. This skater was lighting up the park the whole day and we planned out this shot in one of his sequences. Awesome guy.
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Jan, 2018Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Honorable Mention in Chasing Flares Photo Contest
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 29
Contest Finalist in Flares 101 Photo Contest
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Genius
All Star
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Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at a skatepark in Cape Town, it's called "The Shred". This is Byron Rhoda (https://www.instagram.com/byronrhoda/) with a perfect run. I set up the flash, initially actually for a shot from the head-on, but I changed the angle and spotted the flash. Tried getting the flash between the skater and the skateboard.Time
This was taken around 6 pm, but honestly, you could go any time of day. That park has insanely interesting lighting. It wouldn't be great for someone doing something like portraits etc, but for creative skating shots it's absolutely perfect.Lighting
I used a Canon 430EX II Speedlite, one behind the skater, directly to the skater (I think it was set at 1/8th strength) and one was from the side. I believe for this specific shot we pointed the speedlites directly at the subject (skater).Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 7D Body and Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens. The speedlites are two Canon 430EX II's with Phottix triggers (the one's that can't do HSS, one of these days...) ;)Inspiration
A few weeks before this, at a different skate park, I took something similar but rather had the light from the side of the skater and so it made a shadow on the wall. I really like that photo and was very proud of the way I shot it, but I like experimenting and trying different things, so with this one I wanted a flare between the skater and the board... It worked out perfectly. Byron is an exceptional skater to shoot.Editing
I try not to over-edit, so I pretty much just adjusted some of the shadows, highlights, blacks etc... And then had some colour adjustments, but other than that nothing crazy was done. I try to keep the image as honest as possible, especially when it comes to sport photos.In my camera bag
I now shoot with a Sony a6400, still have the adapter as I can't afford the new lenses yet (third-country issues... HAHAHA), so using the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens, also love the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Lens...Feedback
Um... Don't be scared to experiment and believe in yourself. Also, go out and play around. I don't do the skating and extreme sports photos for any money. It keeps me motivated and I get to experiment and try new things. It has helped my wife and I with all types of photography because we keep ourselves active and motivate each other to improve.
