When on a commission I normally try and get the “safe” shots first, and then go for something more interesting. In this instance though, because of the timing being rapidly approaching dusk, I went the other way around.
This commission was to create some images for the launch of the Ashbourne & Purcell cup-finals week-end. These are competitions for 3rd level institutions (University age) in the sport of Camogie. Camogie is the ladies form of the men’s game of hurling with a few subtle rule changes. It looks a bit vicious with lumps of wood being flailed around, but has less injuries caused than Gaelic Football.
As always I was trying to think up something that would be a little bit different and when they sky started turning nice I knew I had the shot in mind.
OK OK, look don’t start getting picky-picky. I know women play rugby as well but then the pun doesn’t work does it? Jeez, some people!
This was a promo for an upcoming U/19 rugby international between Ireland and Australia and I was working alongside my friend Dan who was shooting on behalf of the IRFU. We were each doing our own set-ups and alternating our shots and time with the subjects, which worked well.
Once we’d both finished all the images we needed where we kept the lads in their nice white shirts clean, we had them leaping on a ball, and boy, did they get dirty. They must have been frozen as well, it was cold, windy and the pitch was very, very muddy.
They were just wearing shirts on top. I was wearing a ski-top, a fleece and a waterproof windproof jacket!
The lads all play for the Forwards on the U/19 team and also for schools and colleges in Cork.
…Angel. This follows on from three-light basketball player, and actually, although I had four lights set-up in readiness, I didn’t use them all at the same time, so in the end the maximum was 2 at a time. So there you go – the run has come to an end . Sorry then if you came here under false pretences. I’ll do a four-light for you sometime in the not too distant future, promise.
Maybe it’s just as well though. After 4 comes 5 (always was brilliant at maths), and after that I run out of Speedlites.
This was a commission for the Irish Wheelchair Association, to publicise their National Angel Day. Angel Day is a “Pin Day” where pins are sold to support the association, a registered charity.
In the spirit of being charitable, I decided to keep and show the whole out-take from the shoot, as opposed to my normal routine where the last thing I want you to see are all the cock-ups, bloopers, out-of-focus shots, flash no-fire shots, etc. All the images are taken straight from the camera, with just a straight RAW to jpeg conversion. No post-processing whatsoever, nothing. Somewhere in amongst all the dross, more by luck than judgement due to my fantastic ability, are some keepers.
What it all goes to prove I guess, is one or more of the following:
a) When you are working with the small version of humans, you don’t get many chances to “nail” the image you want.
b) 90% of a shoot is testing the lights and the positioning of the subjects.
c) You don’t need to shoot 5,000 images to get something worthwhile.
d) Angel wings keep falling over.
e) It’s always raining when you have to carry a ton of gear back to your vehicle.
OK, so e) doesn’t actually have anything to do with the shoot.
I threw the whole lot together in iMovie, from an original concept called “Frames” by the legendary Chase Jarvis. I’ve decided that for me at least, cock-ups might be more appropriate than Frames, but if I use this idea again it might be called TWNY (The Whole Nine Yards).
First up though, the keepers:
All lighting was over-under using an Ezybox 60cm softbox (over) and a mini LumiQuest softbox (under), except for #4 which was a mini beauty dish on “Angel”, and a mini LumiQuest softbox on Alanna, held by my wonderful lighting assistant Ciara.
And now here comes the vid:
Do not adjust your set, it starts with a blank frame, that’s to test I had the ambient light killed-off sufficiently. There are more throughout the show too, where the lights can’t recycle quickly enough to keep up. Unusually there isn’t a shot of my foot. The first frame on the card is usually testing that the Pocket Wizards are hooked up correctly and firing the Speedlites, and I always seem to have the camera pointing at my foot. It finishes with the keepers that you see above.
Click to play – WATCH OUT – there’s music if you are faffing around wasting time doing research on the Internet at work. Music is Angels by Mettatron.
My client Thos for all the organising, and commissioning the shoot with enough advanced notice that we could plan it properly. Not the “Come along in an hour’s time and create award-winning images” that I often get. Pulling the rabbit out of the hat as I often have to gets monotonous, for me, and the rabbit.
My Angel, Cork Ladies Footballer Nollaig Cleary for being a gem.
My “models”, Alanna and Cathal for their patience and putting up with my growling.
My lighting assistant Ciara (talkalot) O’Neill, sister of Cathal – I’m sure you’re going to be a big star one day, and when you’re a famous performing-arts star, don’t forget me. I’m available for a photo-shoot in Hollywood anytime you call.
I had so much fun putting the video together that it might just become a regular feature.
You have been warned. Persons of a nervous disposition would be well-advised to look away now…
…basketball player. Or to follow on from the theme of the previous post of one-light, two-light, I had better make this a one-light, two-light, three-light post.
This assignment was back at the beginning of the year, so lighting specifics will be somewhat hazy!
So first up, the one-light. Bare-flash on lightstand:
Then the two-light, key left, fill right, both 580’s fired through white shoot-through umbrellas:
Finally, the three-light. Two lights as above plus a 580 sitting on the floor on one of those little “feet” that come with the flash (you know the ones, you can either find 3 of them in your bag, or none). This was fired roughly toward his back, to light up the edge of the ball, otherwise it might blend into the background.
As I’m advance writing this for posting in a week or so, I can’t think at the moment of a four-light. However……. I am doing something in a couple of days where I just might give it a whirl…
The same day, unfortunately though without the same weather, I had an editorial assignment for one of the “Sundays”.
My subject was a teacher, and we had arranged to meet late afternoon in a village on the coast. What I hadn’t planned for was the change in weather from a beautiful clear Autumnal day to, well complete shite really. It wasn’t so much that the rain was coming down, as just sort of floating, like a mist that moves. Bang went my original location plan, now I needed somewhere under cover.
As it happened, there was a beach cafe that, due to the season, was closed. It had decking outside, and a cover over the deck, problem solved.
So the one-light was using tungsten white balance and gelling the flash through a white shoot-through umbrella:
Then the two-light was cloudy white balance (what a surprise) and the key from right (half power? maybe.. ) and the fill from left at quarter power (ish). My lighting set-ups are fairly fluid, like my memory.
Of course neither of those were used. They opted for the safe shot instead:
Now I just have to find a three-light image from somewhere for the next post. I haven’t done one for a little while, but I think I know where one is.
. Sorry then if you came here under false pretences. I’ll do a four-light for you sometime in the not too distant future, promise.
