Lindsey Bueller

January 17, 2012 Category: Misc., Sports

Photo shoot for the Women of Crossfit Kitchener calendar. I’ve posted about all six of my Crossfit calendar shoots; to see them all, click here, or the “Crossfit” tag at the bottom of the post. Lindsey was photographed in Kitchener, at the peak of the hill in McLennan Park, aka “Mount Trashmore”. We needed an unobstructed view of the sky—just her, a little bit of ground, and the sky. She tried a few different yoga positions, but this one—dancers pose—seemed to work best for the situation. It was super windy, and Lindsey could only hold the position for so long before losing balance.

The above pic made it into the calendar. Some camera tech: shot on a Canon 5D mk II, 70-200 2.8L IS II USM lens, one flash was gelled full CTO and triggered by a Pocket Wizard (Mini TT1 on-camera, Flex TT5 on flash). Settings: ISO 320, 90mm, f/18, 1/200th).

It was waaaaaay too windy to put the flash on a stand, so Ben served as my human-light-stand, just out of frame for most of the shots. However, he made it into a couple pics (below).

A Few Portraits

January 16, 2012 Category: Portraits

Angela Wilson (above). Ben Kane (below). He needed a haircut but we got a few epic “before” shots.

A self portrait (below). Some camera tech/behind the scenes for the photo nerds: Since I was photographing myself the camera had to be on a tripod and triggered by remote, held out of frame. The camera was a 5D mk II tethered to my computer, tethered to my TV, so the images could be immediately played back and reviewed. 5 flashes (three 580 EX II’s and two 430 EX II’s) were synced by Pocket Wizards (Mini TT1 and Flex TT5). The key and fill lights were both shot through umbrellas to soften them up, and a white reflector filled in the chin area. The two back lights, left and right, were flagged off from the lens by those little cards. The final flash was used to light the backdrop, with a mini soft box on it. Lens: 50mm 1.2L. Camera settings: ISO 400, f16, 1/200th. I guess I sorta look like a serial killer in the BTS shot :-)

Nicole Kruger

January 15, 2012 Category: Misc., Sports

Shots for the Women of Crossfit Kitchener calendar (the above pic made the final cut). Nicole was photographed in Toronto, in the graffiti covered alleys behind Queen St. near Spadina. I love shooting there. We were rained out on our first attempt but that ended up being a blessing in disguise… we had the most amazing roti instead (Vena’s, on Bloor, near Lansdowne). The place even said it was the “best in town”! It also happened to be the day of the Zombie Walk, so the streets were crawling with Z’s. Were are lucky to be alive.

Camera tech for the inquisitive types: The top image was shot on a Canon 5D mk II, with a 70-200 2.8L IS II USM lens. The long lens flattens the perspective and makes the wall look huge. Settings: ISO 400, 123mm focal distance, f/5.6, 1/500th. The camera was on a tripod and we took two exposures, one with Nicole in place, pretending to throw the ball, and another with just the ball. Both shots were combined in post. We did many takes; thowing the medicine ball over and over would have killed Nicole. I’ve exposed just a little dark for the ambient light, and two flashes (580 EX II’s) are edge-lighting her from out of frame. Sweetened in Lightroom and finished in Photoshop CS5.

Ben Kane (below), who shot the other 6 photos for the calendar, next to “Kane” graffiti on the wall. He was standing in to test out a potential shot location.

Below is an outtake that didn’t make the calendar. It was a hard activity to photograph—the “wall ball”—and a hard choice to go with a final pic that didn’t show Nicole’s face. This was an attempt to solve that problem. Two exposures were mixed together in post, essentially cloning Nicole.

Jen Piitz

January 14, 2012 Category: Misc., Sports

These shots were taken for the Crossfit Kitchener calendar, on the top of 120 Mansion St. in Kitchener. The above pic was chosen to be in the book, and all the rest are outtakes. Our original location had fallen through earlier in the day leaving us scrambling for a new one. Dragana, one of the other crossfit girls in the calendar, suggested the roof of her building. At that point the weather was totally crumby, all dark and gray, ready to rain at any second. So we brought umbrellas, in case. Then it happened. The horizon opened up to reveal the most incredible 15 minutes of sky that I’ve ever been lucky enough to shoot in. Opposite the direction we were shooting there was a double rainbow! The sky went from orange to red to purple and then it was over.

Some camera tech, for those who might be interested: Shot on Canon 5D mkII, with a 16-35 2.8L lens (ISO 400, f/2.8, 35mm, 1/125). Two flashes (both 580EX II’s) were triggered by Pocket Wizards (Mini TT1 on-camera & Flex TT5). The key light was softened by shooting through an umbrella and gelled full CTO. Processed in Lightroom and Photoshop CS5 (In the above pic, extra plates were added; doing a million takes with real weight was probably out of the question, even for Jen).