Friend Portraits - Just For Fun

Since I'm too cheap to buy presents, I agreed to hook up my buddy Marcus with a complimentary Myspace portrait shoot to celebrate his 20th birthday. For Marcus' series, I decided to go with a black and white, minimalist look. My new friend DeAnna was also in on the portrait fun, and for her, I decided to keep things colorful using the same lighting setup. DeAnna's tattoo image, at the top of this entry, was probably my favorite from the entire shoot (sorry, Marcus). Hopefully this entry answers a question I get a lot, that being, "What do you do for fun when you're not shooting?" Answer: Practice lighting and shooting with my friends as the subjects. Luckily, most of my friends are tech-savvy people such as myself, and are more than willing to get in on the fun!



For the fellow technically absorbed, most of these were shot with three lights. Two Elinchrom Style 600's with 20 degree grids were used as 3/4 backlights on either side of the subject, level with their heads. I used two pieces of black foam core supported by grip heads and stands to cut the light off my camera lens (totally ripping off a set-up shared with me by Dustin Snipes, who I'm sure he ripped off from another photographer, and on, and on - that's just how it is with lighting!). Up front, I used an Alien Bees ABR-800 ring flash dialed down at times all the way to just fill in people's faces.



When DeAnna got in front of the camera, I changed things up a little. I took the ring light off the camera and had my buddy Nate hand-hold it at a 30 degree angle above her face about two feet away (I love the ABR-800 because it's large enough with the reflector and diffuser attached to be used as a beauty dish of sorts off-camera). I also had Nate hold the ring light level with her body as she jumped in the air - nothing special with that image, just something fun that most people can't time with the shutter lag on their point and shoots.

In the candid image of DeAnna adjusting her hair between shots, I moved over and forward to allow one of the backlights to flare the lens from behind my foam core flag (you can see the flag in the left of that image). Some shooters also call flags gobos, but I come from a theatrical lighting background where a gobo is something entirely different. Lastly, for the favorite tattoo image, I used just the two Elinchrom Style 600's. One stayed in place as a back / rim light, while the other got a five degree grid and an additional snoot made of Blackwrap to just pick out the tattoo up front.

And, as a disclaimer (so I don't get a Sportsshooter thread started about my unethical Myspace portrait shoots), I did use the clone stamp and healing brush tools within this series to remove dust frozen in the air that my intense backlights picked up, as well as faint reflections from the recessed light fixtures in the ceiling of the darkened room we were shooting in. I also used the same tools to touch up a few minor facial blemishes.

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This Never Gets Old

I had the honor of returning to the skies with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team last weekend as they performed over Gary, Indiana, during the Gary South Shore Air Show. The 2008 Gold Demonstration Team is made of of almost all the same members that I've flown with over the past two years. I've flown with and photographed the team so much, nearing twenty flights by my estimates (though I've lost count), that many of us now know each other by name.

While hanging out on the plane prior to flights, doing everyday things like watching Youtube videos on an iPhone or seeing team members prank each other by sewing their jump suit sleeves closed, its easy to forget that you're among some of the most experienced and disciplined skydivers in the world. The Golden Knights are true professionals, and they love what they do. So, even though I don't have a parachute on my back and I'm not following them out the door at 12,500 feet, I feel like I have a lot in common with them in that respect. Just like me, they're not working, they're doing what they really love to do. Here's some photos from the three flights I went up on that weekend, including a very photographically challenging twilight jump.

U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team members (from left) Mike Elliott, Steven Robertson, and Halida Hendricks ready their body-mounted pyrotechnic charges prior to the team's twilight jump over the Gary / Chicago International Airport in Gary, Ind., Friday, July 11, 2008.

Staff Sergeant Brandon Valle with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team waits in the team's Fokker C31A aircraft prior to the team's twilight jump over the Gary / Chicago International Airport in Gary, Ind., Friday, July 11, 2008.

U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team member JD Berentis (right) laughs after winning the unofficial race with other team members to put on and buckle his helmet during the take-off roll of a twilight jump flight over the Gary / Chicago International Airport in Gary, Ind., Friday, July 11, 2008.

Northwest Indiana and South Chicago as seen from 3,500 feet, Friday, July 11, 2008.

With "chem lights" (another name for a glow stick) attached to his suit, Sgt. Derrick Coleman with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team stands by the open door of the team's Fokker C31A aircraft 9,500 feet over the Gary / Chicago International Airport prior to a twilight jump, Friday, July 11, 2008.

Sgt. Derrick Coleman with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team jumps 9,500 feet over the Gary / Chicago International Airport, Friday, July 11, 2008. The team performed in a special pre-show for that weekend's Gary South Shore Air Show.

Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team jump 9,500 feet over the Gary / Chicago International Airport, Friday, July 11, 2008. The team performed in a special pre-show for that weekend's Gary South Shore Air Show.

Northwest Indiana and South Chicago as seen from 9,500 feet, Friday, July 11, 2008.

Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team practice their ground lineup at the Gary / Chicago International Airport prior to their performance in the Gary South Shore Air show, Saturday, July 12, 2008.

Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team board their Fokker C31A aircraft at the Gary / Chicago International Airport prior to their performance in the Gary South Shore Air show, Saturday, July 12, 2008.

Sergeant First Class Harold Meyers with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team keeps an eye on cloud cover while flying over Marquette Park Beach prior to the group's performance in the Gary South Shore Air Show, Saturday, July 12, 2008.

Crowds line Marquette Park Beach in Gary, Ind., during the Gary South Shore Air Show, Sunday, July 13, 2008.

Sergeant Derrick Coleman with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team jumps over Marquette Park Beach while performing in the Gary South Shore Air Show, Saturday, July 12, 2008.

U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team pilots Mac Rowell (left) and Allen Aber make a steep descent for a low-pass over Marquette Park Beach during the Gary South Shore Air Show, Saturday, July 12, 2008.

Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team huddle around a Youtube video on a team member's iPhone on the ground at the Gary / Chicago International Airport prior to their performance in the Gary South Shore Air show, Saturday, July 12, 2008.

Sergeant 1st Class Charles Cooley with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team prepares to sky dive with a stuffed animal secured in his jump suit, Sunday, July 13, 2008. The animal was a gift for Cooley's soon-to-be born niece.

U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team members JD Berentis (left) and Harold Meyers deploy wind streamers from the team's aircraft in flight over Marquette Park Beach during the Gary South Shore Air Show, Sunday, July 13, 2008. The streamers, which are biodegradable and not recovered, help the team calculate wind direction over the jump site.

U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team member JD Berentis free falls over Lake Michigan and Marquette Park Beach during the Gary South Shore Air Show, Sunday, July 13, 2008.

The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team's Fokker C31A aircraft sits on the tarmac at the Gary / Chicago International Airport, Saturday, July 12, 2008.

Daytona Day Three: Different Views

I'm back to the grind here in Indiana, returning to video editing after a long weekend in Daytona shooting NASCAR. The Chicago area air quality, or lack thereof, has also brought back a persistent cough that I thought I'd ditched down in Florida. I guess that proves that Florida has beautiful air, among other things.

My last day in the Sunshine State, Saturday, was the big race day, where the Coke Zero 400 would play out before a hundred thousand spectators and a national television audience. I started the day waiting almost 20 minutes for actor Kevin Costner to exit a media center green room so I could grab a quick shot of him. Costner was at the racetrack performing with his band and promoting his new film.

Actor Kevin Costner (right) is interviewed by MRN Radio personality Alex Hayden.

I'd hoped to shoot Kevin in front of a large 20 foot long portrait of the racetrack just outside the media center, but when he finally came outside, fellow media members and handlers swarmed around him, quickly canceling my idea. Instead, I settled for the cookie cutter head-on portrait of him walking, along with another lower angle shot of him being interviewed by a radio reporter while briskly walking back toward the VIP motor home staging area.

After uploading my Costner gems to the wire, Mark J. Rebilas, who has recently been touted on the Fred Miranda and DP Review forums as being the best racing photographer that has ever lived (or at least that's how I think Mark would like the replies to his threads to read), took me out onto the racetrack itself to see just how steep of an angle the surface is banked. If you've ever walked on the sloped roof of a house, you'd know exactly what walking on the racetrack is like (for those who got a D or lower in high school physics, the track is banked to allow the race cars to go around the corners at high speeds without flying off the track).

One cool thing that fans get to do at Daytona before a big race, in addition to strolling around on the track and grid area, is to sign the checkered finish line painted onto the track itself. Fans start with a blank, freshly painted line before each race and can write whatever they want, from good luck messages to their favorite drivers to a simple name and date.

Race fans sign the finish line prior to the Coke Zero 400.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers head down the front stretch at the start of the Coke Zero 400.

With race time fast approaching, I grabbed my 400 and headset and headed to my first position of the night, turn four, to try and get a nice overall of the fans in the grandstands with the cars set against the second beautiful Florida sunset in a row (pictured at the top of this entry). After shooting this, I roved around between turns four and the back straightaway for the remainder of the race. While I got a few close calls and some spin outs, I didn't get any spectacular crash action. This was fine with me, however, because I was able to get some more different shots that a lot of photographers (who concentrate solely on action - because it sells) don't usually get.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman (12) spins during the Coke Zero 400.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch does a burn out after winning the Coke Zero 400.

With about twenty laps to go, I hustled into the pit area and lined myself up with the finish line to get the shot of the winner, Kyle Busch, finishing the race and performing the ubiquitous "burn out." For some reason, NASCAR fans don't like this guy. Busch's celebration was met with a hail of beer cans and jeers from a handful of angry spectators. After shooting this for a few seconds, I booked it back to victory lane to get more, albeit staged, celebration shots with the victor.

When I say victory lane is staged, I mean it is staged. Its more staged than some narrative film shoots I've done. When the driver pulls his car in, he is greeted with a producer from ESPN who cues him on when to get out of the car (timed to perfection after a commercial break to the home television audience). Photographers shout for people blocking their way on the stage to move, and for the winner to look this way and that way. Eventually, and on another vocal cue that went something like, "Alright, now champagne!," bottles of bubbly are brought out for the winner to "spontaneously" spray about. It was quite entertaining, so much in fact that I found it more interesting to turn to my side and photograph the more than 50 flash units popping off every second or so from photographers on the press risers.

Photographers shoot the fish-in-a-barrel on victory lane.

After an hour or so editing photos in the media room, Mark and I left the track around 1:30 am and made the long drive back to Orlando, which went a lot slower than it had the previous two times because we hit all the traffic on the interstate that had left the race hours prior. Upon arriving in Orlando at 3 a.m., we had just enough time to hit Denny's for breakfast before I packed my bags and headed to the airport for my 6 am flight. I finally go to sleep in my own bed when I arrived back in East Chicago at 9:30 am (mind you, the day after the race).

Most took the option of sleeping on my early-bird flight home from Orlando.

My first NASCAR experience was a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work. Daytona is huge track, and you really have to manage your time wisely during a race to make sure you have enough time for the long walks between different spots on the track, especially when planning your walk back to the pits for the finish line shot.

I also had a great time looking for different angles and more artistic representations of the sport, because let's face it, a tight shot of one car driving around a track is enough to lull even a serious race fan into a coma. The sport itself, which most non-fans claim is boring on the basis of it being cars driving around in circles, is actually very exiting to watch in person, especially when you're close enough to feel the breeze the cars create as they roar by!

Daytona Day Two: Fan Features

Prior to shooting race action today, I decided to venture into the Daytona International Speedway's track infield campgrounds. Hundreds of fans bring everything from plush motor homes to the simplest of tents to the infield in order to be as close as possible to the race action all week long. Some campers construct elaborate elevated wood decks to give them a better view of the race action out on the track, while others share garden hoses to fill inflatable pools from a single water spigot that can be up to 500' away.

Race fan Paul Newman of E. Palatka, Fla., watches qualifying for the Coke Zero 400 atop a homemade observation deck near turn three.

The camp area has a unique soundtrack. Music is almost a constant, with varying genres (no, not all of these people listen to country music) floating from boom boxes and car stereos. The whine of portable generators and the drone of race cars zooming by at nearly 200 miles per hour completes the NASCAR symphony. The sizzling of barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs is a treat for more than just the ears, as the smells of fresh lunches and snacks mix with the fresh breeze off The Atlantic Ocean, just beyond the track.

Some campers (who pay a fee for reserved spaces on the grass) have had the same spots in the infield for over twenty years. Jim "The Jack Man" Burrows is one of these race fans, who made his first trip to Daytona in 1980. Burrows has an elaborate camp site, the focal point being an observation deck topped van with several brightly colored flags on tall poles (seen at the top of this entry). Down below, Burrows has set up what he calls, appropriately, "Jack's Bar."

Burrows offers one free shot per night to female campers who visit his bar, and also offers visitors the chance to sign the bar itself. I was flattered when Burrows offered to have me sign the backside of the bar, like NASCAR crew chiefs, celebrities, and other members of the media have done before me. Burrows and his friends plan on keeping their spot for many more races to come, as Burrows affirmed by joking, "My tombstone is under that truck, you hear me?"

Me signing Jim Burrows' bar in the infield campgrounds. (Photo by The Jack Man)

Everyone I approached in the infield was very very friendly and open to being photographed, offering me food and drinks and repeatedly inviting me to come back and hang out during the races. This seems to be a common theme among the campers, they're all die-hard NASCAR fans coming together to have a great time, and they share the excitement and fun as community every chance they get.

Cars race through turn one at the start of the Winn-Dixie 250.

The race we shot tonight was the Winn-Dixie 250. It was a night race, so the dim stadium lighting made shooting the fast-moving action difficult. The race started at sunset, however, so I was able to work a few shots with nice colors in the sky early on.

The sun sets behind a track light pole at the start of the Winn-Dixie 250.

My favorite shot of the day came just prior to the race. We knew that there was going to be a four fighter jet fly-over at the end of the Star Spangled Banner, so I wanted to incorporate them into some sort of overall shot of the track. Because I was starting off shooting on the back straightaway, I had the large lake in the middle of the infield, Lake Lloyd, between myself and the grandstands, with a beautiful sunset sky beyond.

Just as I got into position to compose my shot, I saw a man fishing in the lake about 20 yards to my left! I quickly went up and introduced myself and asked if I could incorporate him into my frame, and he agreed. Fellow photographer Mark J. Rebilas tipped me off on the direction the jets were coming from on my headset from his shooting position across the track, and I ended up with a nice frame with the added bonus of a human element.

The race itself, technically my first NASCAR race, was a little lackluster action-wise. Though there were three minor crashes, they all occurred either in areas I couldn't see or when I was concentrating on other action. Overall, though, I had another fun day and got a few more frames I'm pleased with to make my trip to Florida really worthwhile.

Nationwide Series driver Denny Hamlin (20) does a burnout after winning the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Daytona Day One: Hot and Muggy

In my last blog, I reflected upon some memories I had of my last trip to Florida in July, 1998. There was one memory I forgot to mention, and I remembered it the second we stepped out of the car today at the Daytona International Speedway: Florida is HOT and MUGGY in the summer! Sweat began to pour from my back and forehead almost immediately as Mark and I walked with all our gear in toe to the media center. I spent the day getting the lay of the land, thinking of ideas for features shots to get on Friday, as well as shooting the cars practicing in the sweltering afternoon heat. Here's a few of my favorites, enjoy!

Abstract of a car and grass shot through guardrails.


NFL player Randy Moss announcing his new co-owned race team.


Jeff Gordon practicing in turn four.


By far my favorite shot of the day, an abstract of cars shot in the reflector of a large track side light fixture.

The Last Time I Visited Florida...

(Note: The two photos in this blog were shot on film the last time I visited Florida in July, 1998.) So many different things can change in a person's life over the course of a decade, and I'm no exception. From lessons learned about relationships and dealing with others, to new beginnings and developments with my career, a lot has happened since 1998. Oddly enough, things can change so much on a smaller time scale as well, especially in the world of freelance photography.

Prior to this Tuesday, my Fourth of July plans included shooting a few assignments around town for the Post-Tribune, and making the bar-b-que-shoot-off-fireworks rounds to various friends' houses. Now, as I write from an airplane 35,000 feet over Tennessee, I've traded plans for sparklers for the sparks and flames shooting from the backs of race cars. I'm headed to the Daytona Speedway in Florida to cover The Coke Zero 400 NASCAR race, shooting along side photographer Mark J. Rebilas. Mark, after launching a text and phone call blow-up on Tuesday afternoon, rousing me out of bed after an all night video editing session, offered me (rather, told me I was accepting) the gig.

As I packed my gear this morning for the flight to Orlando, I realized it has been exactly ten years since my last visit to Florida. In July 1998, my mother and I visited my grandparents, who live in Land 'O Lakes, a city just outside Tampa. We also visited one of my best friends, Erica Feliciano, who lived next door to me in East Chicago from the time I was five 'til I was a sophomore in high school. As I reminisced upon that trip, and thought about life today, I realized how different things are for me now, but also realized cues existed then that suggested this is where I'd end up.

Starting with the obvious, the last time I visited Florida, I was ten years younger. I was getting ready to start my junior year in high school. Now, I'm 26 and three years removed from college.

The last time I visited Florida, I had a big crush on a girl I went to school with. We were, "talking," Now, I'm dating an amazing young woman (who I'd only seen once at the time and didn't know at all) for, save for one bump in the road, five years and counting.

The last time I visited Florida, I was still serious about photography, though my equipment reflected the time period as well as the budget of a sixteen-year-old. I shot primarily 35mm color negative film and black and white Tri-X and T-Max in an Canon AE-1. I also was experimenting with my first digital camera, a Casio QV-100, which shot at an astonishing .33 (yes, that's 1/3rd) of a megapixel. Now, I've left film behind for three professional digital SLR cameras, along with a host of accessories.

The last time I visited Florida, I didn't have a car, let alone a driver's license of a learner's permit. Now, my 2003 Ford Escape (which I purchased brand new) is officially my property. I sent the final payment to the bank last week.

The last time I visited Florida, the websites Myspace and Sportsshooter did not exist. Wow, how did I survive? My computer was a Macintosh Performa 575, which had a 33Mhz processor, 20 megs (yes, megabytes) of RAM, and a 250 meg (yes, again, megabyte) hard drive. Now, I'm typing on a machine with unparalleled capacity and performance, sitting on the tray-table in front of me.

The last time I visited Florida, I was just about eight months into my first year on the tech crew in my high school's auditorium. I loved lighting, and spent as much time in the auditorium as I could that summer experimenting with light and color. Now, I have a college degree in lighting design and put it to use on a daily basis. I think this is one of the biggest accomplishments for me as I looked back at the past decade.

Almost all of my interests in 1998 were the same as they are now, but today, I have better tools and resources with which to be creative. I've met many people since 1998 who have helped and influenced my career, encouraging me to stay on this crazy path of self-employment instead of telling me to settle for a "real job." And who needs a "real job" anyway? I can't think of too many "real jobs" that offer surprise trips to Florida on Independence Day weekend, with the only stipulation being that you play with your toys (in my case, cameras) while you're there.