Crossfit behind the scenes photoshoot
Feat. Anaïs & Cynthia
So I might be cursed... maybe... a week before our session one of the Athlete I was supposed to photograph injured herself during a WOD (work out of the day). I said this in a previous article, you cancel or you try to find a solution to still make it happen. She didn't want to cancel, so we made it work!
This is unfortunate, for her of course, she got surgery since the incident and is slowly recovering right now. I would have never forced her to make this photoshoot, it was her decision to maintain it. We planned this a few weeks ahead, and after the incident all that we have planned became useless. I had 2 athletes that day, very little time so I had to find a solution to make a set of images that would still stick to the project without making it too painful for her.
We couldn't get the box/ location for ourselves, and I hate having people in my shots, so we sometimes didn't have the choice for composition and placement.
Anaïs Maï-Lan Lancry - (Crossfit Estuary / Bordeaux)
Fujifilm GFX50s + 2X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 55mm
Cynthia Balout (Crossfit Estuary - Bordeaux)
Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm
We had to work fast, so I had to minimize my lighting setups because I was working alone that day. When this happens, you rely on trusted techniques that give instant results. Make it simple, place your light on the side, 45 to 90 degrees camera left or right, slightly above your model's head. Look at the shadows, I usually use them to guide me, and help me add depth to my images, of course, it depends on your style.
Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4.5 ISO100 - 60mm
Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/5 ISO100 - 55mm
I used 2 lights on some of the shots... The 2nd one was used as a rim, or backlight most of the time placed on the opposite side of the main flash. If you don’t have a light meter, there is an easy way to do it. Expose for your background first and then dial-up or down the power of your flash to properly expose your subject
Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4.5 ISO100 - 120mm
Basically, we decided to avoid any action shots and went for more static poses and portraits for everybody. We will make these probably during a future session.
Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 64mm
Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4.5 ISO100 - 60mm
Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm
At the end of the photoshoot, for a few minutes we had a little bit of light coming from a window, so we made a few additional portraits there too.
Fujifilm GFX50s GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/1000sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm
There is no room for frustration, I am now used to it... things never go as planned anyway, so you have to embrace the situation and work with what you have. If it's really necessary, your client will postpone the shoot.
Join me on Instagram if you haven't already, this is where I make announcements, and share stupid stuff too. What is the craziest thing that happened to you or your models before a shoot? Tell us in the comments below!