Outdoor golfing portrait how-to
By Dustin Snipes
About a month or so ago I shot a few portraits of Jane Rah, a high school golf rock star who has already played in the LPGA tour. Here are some of my favorites and a few set ups.
Sorry, I dont have more. It was a rush to get all the photos we needed in before the sunset.
We met around 6:30 so we wouldn’t have to deal with such harsh light. I brought along my awesome assistants Chris and Brian to help trek the gear around the golf course. Luckily when we showed up we had a golf cart waiting for us to load up. (This was the first time I ever drove one of these bad boys and I must say I just may take up golf after driving this thing.) We brought along two alien bees AB800 lights with a beauty dish and a softbox umbrella (brolly box, I think is what they are called, I may be wrong)
I used the beauty dish for the majority of the shooting. I also had my trusty Alien Bees Vegabond II battery pack. (which is awesome, I just picked up second one.)
We had to make five different photos for the magazine so I already had some in mind because I scouted the course before hand.
Our first location was with the golf cart on the first fairway but later I wished I would have taken the first photo with out it because I feel it distracts or maybe just move it so there is more separation between the two. (that maybe just me)
-1D Mark III 16-35 at 22mm
The beauty dish was the main light (off camera right) and the sun acted as the rim light (notice the warm glow on her arm and face)
Settings ISO 50 1/250 F10
-1D Mark III 16-35 at 16mm
Sun was main light. Alien bee with just a reflector was rim light. It was behind and to the left of the golf cart.
Settings ISO 100 1/320 F6.3
-1D Mark III 16-35 at 16mm
Beauty dish main light off camera right, sun rim light
Settings ISO 100 1/320 F8
Canon 1D Mark III 85mm 1.2
Natural Light
Settings ISO 100 1/5000 F1.2
Next I went to the hole on the course that overlooked the ocean.
Canon 1D Mark III 85mm 1.2
Beauty dish main light (and sun) off camera right. Alien bee with a brolly box camera left behind her for a rim.
Settings ISO 100 1/125 F7.1
On the way to the sand trap I wanted to go to I noticed the sun was almost done and thought it would be a great silhouette of Jane if we stopped and shot it.
Lens (mm): 35
ISO: 50
Aperture: 8
Shutter: 1/160
Temperture white balance 10k (in camera)
Once we got to the sand trap, I hustled to get the lights in place. Not only was the sun almost 100% gone, but Jane’s parents were waiting for here. Oops!
I don’t remember taking this shot, but Chris is standing in with a “flag” (black cardboard from Wal Mart) and Brian is standing there forgetting to turn on the other light (beauty dish).
The other light is off to the left cross lighting Jane.
This is the shot I envisioned the entire time and was waiting for. Unfortunately they don’t always turn out like you want them to. Turns out its hard to hit sand up at someone and not blink every time, but it’s OK–I still like the photo. I also had the coach throw in the ball from the side so it didnt hit me in the face.
Lens (mm): 16
ISO: 200
Aperture: 10
Shutter: 1/320
I laid on the ground side ways and shot underneath a small piece of plexiglass so the sand wouldn’t hit my camera (and face!) I also had a towel over my head. I looked pretty sweet Im sure.
Next, I got up to shot the same shot but this time of her coming out of the bunker.
Canon 1D Mark III with a 70-200mm 2.8
Lens (mm): 95
ISO: 200
Aperture: 9
Shutter: 1/320
Two lights cross lighting, one in the front more than the other to hit the face better.
I had a lot more good ones but will put them up later if anyone wants to take a look at them.
Thanks again for looking!
- Dustin Snipes is a professional sports photographer with Icon Sports Media, Inc. in Los Angeles, Calif. His work has appeared in nearly every major national publication that features sports, including Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, The Sporting News, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times and others. Learn more about his work at www.dustinsnipes.com.
Leave a comment!