As a visual creative, I revel in the process of coming up with an idea, working on the details of how to achieve it and then executing it to create a final product. Even more so when this is for a client I think it will add value to their business and the customers they serve. This is what being a professional photographer is all about, providing a service creating content that helps build a brand.
So last weekend, I got to do just that for a client who is open to my ideas and willing to give them a go, Rocky Trail Entertainment. So, when they decided to run a world championship event for their popular Shimano MTB GP series in its tenth year, I knew I wanted to come up with an idea to help celebrate this milestone. Martin and Juliane, the owners, already are active with ideas so when I saw they were producing race plates acknowledging the “Champs” I wanted to add even more value with a special portrait.
It’s not enough to just keep doing the same work over and over again for both me mentally and for my client. The goal is to keep creating new content on top of what you already do adding even more value to what you can offer. A few images of what I photographed on the trails prior to returning to the event centre and setting up for the portraits.
A bit of discussion with Martin before the event and the idea was all go, testing began choosing how I would shoot this. The struggles would be it had to be photographed at the event, in a state forest carpark, done in conjunction with the presentations. It had to be quick and easy as after four and seven hours of MTB racing, people wanted to head home and recover after the gruelling day of racing. I required extra kit than what I would normally have brought to shoot the riders out on the trails, below is a list that was needed to achieve the shoot.
- Nikon D850, Nikon 105mm f/2.8, Paul C Buff Einstein E640 battery powered flash, 95cm Octabox, 1.5m round white reflector, Sekonic L-758DR light meter, ND filters, 2x light stands, 2x shot bags, and 1x tripod.
I will be the first to admit that the above setup is nothing revolutionary or complicated it wasn’t meant to be. What the main focus for me was to add value to what my clients do by coming up with an idea and being prepared to execute it for them without them having to worry about any of the details. Initially, I had some more artistic aspirations spending time with each person really trying to capture a portrait of whom they are in a photo. I wanted also to shoot this in a more natural setting using the forest as my backdrop. Martin wanted to use a new wall he had with their logo on it and with me having to shoot near 50 people quickly, my ideas of really connecting with each subject had to take a backstep. But as a professional offering a service I need to be flexible and work with changes whether differences with client expectations or spur of the moment problems.
On the photography side, it was a chance to also work on portrait ideas for upcoming projects I have in mind. Choosing a look between bokeh in my 50mm f/1.4 lens and 105mm f/2.8 lens was one main focus. I chose the 105mm in the end as I preferred the look the longer focal length produces in the face and seeing I was to shoot a more head a shoulders crop meant I was close enough to easily create a nice blurred background even at f/2.8.
Testing back in the office also revealed an issue I had to workaround. Colour. The portraits were to have an event watermark on them and studio samples in colour showed issues with different colours competing against the predominant blue of the watermark. I know cycling kits can be a wide range of multi-colour designs and would distract the eye heavily. So black and white was the solution, some test samples approved and we were set for the shoot. Another issue on the day that rose up was people holding their race plate in the photo, this affected the original idea of it being a head and shoulder crop but when you have only 1min with each person you have to adjust quickly and be willing to let some ideas go.
The end result I think was a success. For me, the main point is that the client is happy with the end result. Photography is a service, it’s not about me as a photographer but what I can offer the client and how it helps their business grow. Working together has produced a memorable image for each of the “Champs” to use as they see fit. Print and throw up on the workshop wall with their race plates, post on their social media page and hopefully in years far ahead can look back at and remember the event, the people and time all captured in their one photo.
