Pullback & Final Images using Off Camera Flash Methods

Here are two High School American Football Player which we captured a few months ago. We shoot and teach off camera lighting methods around the world


Pull Back on how I captured the outside images - three wireless flash units with RadioPopper PX units - CP-E4 battery packs attached to the Denny Mfg EZ stands. One flash has our TriCoast Speedlite Softbox on it which I used as main to spread the light out more, the other two were bare flash which gave me a more defined and harsh light. Set up in a triangle pattern with all flashes sending out the same amount of light. Therefore I create the Main - Fill - Hair/Rim lights by placement in the photo and how close they are to the subject. Also giving me the freedom to shoot any angle inside the field quickly and easily.


Sessions were on different days but I underexposed the ambient light by at least a stop or more to make the already dark afternoon even more dark and rainy to give me the overall mood I wanted to display in the football images.
#1



#2 - Pissed at myself here - I forgot to spread out our Senior/Grad's feet more to give an even more "manly" pose than he is doing here. With the rain coming I simply forgot and is something I should not have forgotten about.


#3 - Using the wireless flash in the image to add a little more interest



Being new here I thought I would share how we capture some of our outdoor portraits to give our seniors/grads a little edgy look. Please ask questions I love to talk both good and bad as long as we all learn from it.

It's great for you to share your technique.


Explain the red ring around the main bank of flood lights. Is that just a normal artifact or what? How about the snowballs. What's that?

Asher

IN Texas High School Football is HUGE, on EVERY Friday night our local High School stadium will have 10,000 people in it.

This young man is the offensive guard which is usually the unsung hero of the team protecting the QB from getting hit on his blind side (or the side which the QB can not see)

The image you ask about was a concept image taken from his mothers idea and want for this portrait. She wanted the lights on in the stadium on a cloudy day so in Photoshop I placed that in. The lights on the side are my Off Camera Speedlites firing that by design were left in the image to give more interest in the overall image. Again different due to our style and the wants/needs of our client for that session. While we always stay true to our style we also always try and blend our style with the clients ideas which we find out before the session even starts in our pre-Investment meeting.

Thanks once again for the in depth questing on our work.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. 10,000 people is madness!

So this guy gets bruised so the QB gets the glory. I wish I had that guy with me way back in high school!

What about the red ring over the central bank of lights? Do you have a radio to the guy who controls the lights or what?

Asher Kelman said:

Thanks for the detailed explanation. 10,000 people is madness!

So this guy gets bruised so the QB gets the glory. I wish I had that guy with me way back in high school!

What about the red ring over the central bank of lights? Do you have a radio to the guy who controls the lights or what?

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The lights were actually off, I "turned them on" digitally in Photoshop afterwards in the post work.

There was just the senior/grad, his parents and me on the field during the shoot and no one else.

And yes it is madness we have people hand down their season passes to their children for HIGH SCHOOL football games!!!

Mike Fulton said:

And yes it is madness we have people hand down their season passes to their children for HIGH SCHOOL football games!!!

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If religion is "Opium for the masses" then this has gotta be their switch to crack cocaine! I guess folk get high on heroes and magic they cannot make themselves! When you think of it, it's a truly amazing group phenomenon!

Asher