My comment focuses on the subject line. When I think of T&I, I think of posed shots showing a face. If you're gonna shoot a shot like this with full metal jacket, might as well shoot a game and call it action because there really isn't that much difference.
Sorry should have called it goalie portraits, name aside, thanks for the help Rick.
Learned the setup/style from a post you made before and really liked it.
I'll post an updated photo with some corrections and would like to know what you think.
I really like the concept, as well as the execution. However if I had it to do myself I would have had the goalie wearing his home sweater or even an alternate. Anything other than black, especially since you knew you were going to black out the background. Not only does it help provide seperation on the glove arm which is lost in the background, but I also believe it would have really made the subject POP out of the darkness behind him.
I would also be interested to see any of your other best shots from this session. Not that there's anything wrong with what you have done here, but if I'm going to all the trouble to set this shoot up, I would have several shots of the goalie making several 'save attempts' from different angles. The one that I'm dying to see, especially from the vantage point you are shooting at in the current photo is a head-on shot of the goalie spead-eagle making a wide glove save or a kick save. Just my .02 cents. I hope you don't think I'm being overly critical, but you asked for c/c and that is what I wish I could see, and who knows....you could be a control freak like me and have had your subject wear multiple jerseys. Show us what you got!
I like your lighting and your concept for the shot. I think that this shot could use more space on the right side of the frame if you shoot this one again. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.
I still maintain that I don't understand the rationale behind this. A four light setup needs to get you something that you can't normally get. When I use lighting and stage a shot it's because I want to capture a portrait with deep warm skin tones and rich colors. I want to capture a catchlight in the eyes. I want to capture something that I can't get from normal game action. To me, you defeat the purpose of the lights when you have your subject completely covered in unform, pads, and helmet and if that's the intent, than why not just shoot game action? Or at the very least, forget the lights and stage the shot and then recreate the background the way you want in photoshop? The light setup doesn't give you the bang for your buck and just doesn't seem to be worth the time involved.
If you look at the work by Rick and others, the shots work mainly due to a couple of factors... one... their not necessarily trying to do two things at once (action and portrait) and TWO... the helmets are off. We need to see the face!
TylerCP wrote:
I'll post an updated photo with some corrections and would like to know what you think.
Thanks.
lighting wise, it's pretty well executed, save for the initial comments I made. The only thing I would have done differently is is try to light the puck from behind with a grid to give it some dimension.
aesthetically, it just ain't my cup of tea, and here's why.
location.....while players can be shot with the four light set up, I find it hard for goalies. When you see a goalie there is always a net (which you have), the problem is that hockey nets don't just float around in the middle of the ice.
Although I am not completely happy with the final image, this was my first on ice goalie sportrait I did. I tried to incorporate the net and boards, just not happy with the overall image is all.
While I certainly cannot argue the points that Paul has made, I do get requests for sportraits like this from time to time. Typically, I suggest getting the athlete in their element and we set up a shooting situation that is as close to game situation as possible. I'm as big a fan of in-game action as anyone, but let's face it, some kids just don't get the opportunies that others get, yet it never fails these are the kids that their parents want nice sportraits done. On the other hand, I like being able to do this because you can control the environment and get a lot more creative with your work than you really ever could with live action. ot that these could not be done with in-game action, it's just the risk vs reward is much greater, at least for me anyway.
First thing I notice about Rick's shot that makes me like it immediately is the color on the ice. While it may not seem like much, it really adds another dimension to the photo that having plain white ice will not give you. Secondly, the fact that the player is wearing a white sweater with a little darker background (plus the colored ice in front of him) creates a nice seperation between your subject and the background, which the OP's shot greatly lacks.
My only nit with this shot is the placement of the puck. It almost appears to be floating and it just looks like there's no way in the world it would stand a chance at going in the net because it is too high, so why would the golalie even bother attempting to glove save it? I do love the pose, angle, lighting and composition though. Thanks for sharing, Rick.
Billy, that's exactly my issue with it, well one of them. I also do not like how small the goalie is, he's actually 6'4" in real life.
Getting puck placement was tough, I was on my own shooting and had to get one of the players to throw the puck in the net for me. Funny how top notch university athletes can't take the simplest directions sometimes. The final product that was printed, we shrunk the puck, but didn't have that available from where I made the previous post from.
Thanks for sharing some insight on the 'behind the scenes' stuff that happens making this shot. I love hearing stories of how people set-up and execute shots like this. It is funny how sometimes I can't even get a damn football player to throw a pass in a WR's general direction when you put them on the spot and have a camera ready for a sportrait.
Show us what you got!
