For many photographers, it’s all about new faces, especially in the world of fashion. I see. New “It” youth, cool new look, new design. Everything is good.
Me, I love working with people I know and love. Tried and true. Find a new perspective on return visits. Build trust. Sit behind the camera with someone amazing in front of it. Extraordinary.
I went to PhotoCon Bedford Camera in 2017, and met Darrin Davis, a seasoned police officer and very kind soul. He was providing security for the conference, and as I walked in, my head was spinning, and I thought, “I’m not leaving without a picture of that guy.”
Contrary to the tough look he has in the photo above (which I trained him on), Darrin is one of the warmest and most welcoming people I have ever met. And the lens finds it impressive, indeed. We did this shot in a hotel lobby, surrounded by classrooms, turning the outer door blue through the WB glow, turning on the lights, etc. Simple.
Fast forward to 2022, and she’s ready for another portrait! We stayed in class this time, with a black background, and used some gel and side lights to create the one below. The lighting grille for below are two Profoto B10X Plus strobes, gelled, fired through a softbox of 1×3 RFI strips, behind the Darrin, to the sides. The headlamp is a Profoto A2, equipped with one of the ingenious Pro-Clic softboxes, with a cloth grille front diffuser. Square format on Nikon Z 9 with 50mm f1.2
Switching back to the vertical FX format on the Z 9, with a 24-70mm f2.8 at f/8, we tried another pose. Additional DOF is required for the forelegs. The same light box, with the addition of an A2 that shot into the floor and reflected off a silver Halo reflector, lay flat on the ground. This slight fill light opened her face slightly, and shifted a bit of light under the brim of her hat.
Then, I asked Darrin to give me a look as if he had pulled me over, and he caught me earlier, and he knows me, and here he is again, getting into trouble. You know, “Seriously?” Look.
We conclude our session with Eric Williams, one of the managers of Bedford Camera, doing his best impersonation of a Crazy Eddie commercial from the 70’s, seen at the top as a banner. Eric is tall, so I’m lucky to have a box of apples on set!
Oklahoma is so much fun! Great people, great learning and teaching environment. Hats off to the entire staff at Bedford’s, and to Nikon for supporting such a great camera shop.
More thx….
Oklahoma Post! PhotoConOKC ’22! first appeared on Joe McNally Photography.
