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Portrait photography is never the same thing twice...context and lighting have to suit the subject - especially when it comes to athletes. Our subject is Stone Forsythe - offensive lineman at West Orange High - and this is not a time for soft focus and beauty lighting!
Working with our friends at the West Orange Times & Observer, FFA's photography instructor David Haynes had a particular 'look' in mind for the session.
"Grunge! Desaturated colors, harder contrast, dark background. A blend of emotions: with a hint of aggression and calm confidence that match his role in the team.
"Sessions like these are planned in advance - testing lighting patterns, backgrounds and post production looks. Then when the subject arrives, we can concentrate on getting the right reactions in the shoot instead of the technical setup. Stone is 6' 8" - so yes we had chairs to stand on!"
Our thanks to Michael Eng and Steven Ryzewski at West Orange Times & Observer for thinking of us for the shoot. Check out their excellent Sports special in this week's paper!
Front page of the football special - part of this week's West Orange Times & Observer!
Testing lighting and post production look in advance...here with FFA's Ricky Autiello!
Composite example - a lot of commercial sports portraits are shot in the studio and then composited to appropriate backgrounds. This saves time on location and avoids the changeable weather!