I got a last minute assignment the other day and couldn't pass it up. The newspaper is doing a segment on community heros, and I was asked to get a portrait of Firefighter Jon who was leaving in a few days to join the national guard. To say I was excited was an understatement, having a brother-in-law and many other friends in the fire department I knew I had to do it justice. I am starting to enjoy shooting portraits more and more and enjoy the challenge of coming up with interesting shots out of nothing; however shooting in a fire station made it pretty easy today.
First thing you need to do is come up with at least a few ideas of how you want to tackle the assignment before you even get there. Are you going to use strobes or natural light? Light modifiers or run and gun bare lights? How many? Where can I put them? So as I was driving I came up with a few ideas of what I could do given what I was presented with.
As I walked in I met Jon and the first thing that I noticed was how down to earth and humble he was. After a bit of small talk it was down to business. I asked if we could use the firetruck as a background and he said sure. Perfect! I mean how can I shoot a firefighter without the truck?
First setup was pretty quick and easy. I loved the back of the truck and the Arizona state flag was the perfect height. So I put Jon right in front so the rays of the flag were used as leading lines right to Jon's face. A simple umbrella speedlite camera right and I shot a few shots to get Jon comfortable in front of the lens.
After a couple shots I noticed needed some fill light on the opposite side. I added a bare speedlight way camera left and helped fill in the shadows. One shot tight and one a little more loose so show the back of the truck and perfecto-
ISO 800, 37mm left 28mm right, F8, 1/250 sec. Speedlite in umbrella camera right at 1/16 pwr, another speedlight camera left at 1/16 pwr.
I really wanted to show the "Maricopa" on the flag to give the picture some location. I had Jon move to the side a bit and have him rest on the back of the truck. Then I pumped up the background light to give a good separation light and place a cool shadow on the truck. I had to move the lights around a bit to tackle the fact that most of the truck is reflective and shines when light hits it. The soft light up front and harsh background light is a common lighting setup that I am liking more and more- a great go-to.
ISO 800, 28mm, F8, 1/250 sec. Speedlite in umbrella camera right at 1/16 pwr, another speedlight camera left at 1/2 pwr.
Now I know I've got a few good shots already in the bag so I ask if he has any more time to do a couple more shots, he does- sweet. We move to the front of the truck where I have him put the lights on. I throw the camera on a tripod to slow the shutter to capture all the lights flashing, that along with the umbrella light to focus the attention on Jon and that shot is done. Looking back I wished I had placed a few flashes inside the truck to help light it up and add some more dimension. Oh well, live and learn.
ISO 100, 28mm f6.3, 1/25 sec. Speedlite camera right in umbrella @ 1/8 power.
Then I ask if we could get a shot of him inside the truck, I have him sit in his usual seat and it's the perfect spot to get a wider shot of him and the truck. In a push and pull battle of the truck being next to the wall and not wide enough lens and the light spilling too much on the metal I found a sweet spot and then with another flash in the front seat to add the dimension I wanted from the previous shot, I get two shots I'm happy with, again one close and one wide.
ISO 200, 28mm f4.5 at 1/80 sec- one flash full power in the front seat and another on 1/4 power on umbrella camera left.
ISO 200, 28mm f4.5 at 1/80 sec- one flash full power in the front seat and another on 1/4 power on umbrella camera left.
And that's it! 45 minutes and I'm out to the next assignment and Jon is chowin down with both his families (firefighter and wife and kids) as they had a big dinner for him as he prepared to leave in the next few days for basic training. I can't tell you how awesome it was to make these shots. I have the upmost respect for them as they put their lives on the line everyday. If you are in Maricopa go and pick up the latest issue of InMaricopa newspaper and check out his interview.
Until next time, thanks for reading!