Capturing the times of our lives

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/80–Alienbees B1600, triggered with Pocketwizard TT1 and TT5 system [logo from Wikimedia Commons and modified]

This weekend was my daughter’s high school homecoming. This is her senior year when everything is the last time for her class. They commented on how they all stood around the first year and were afraid to dance at the party. Now, seniors didn’t care what others thought as they did as freshmen.

If you follow my blog, you know my daughter is involved in theater, and her friends are primarily other theatre geeks. They are not an exclusive group, so I said this was most of her friends, but the theatre kids love most people and are excited to have more people hang out doing life together.

Great Self Esteem = Great Photos

When a photographer’s subjects are confident and can relax and be themselves, you spend more time just capturing those moments versus spending so much time trying to pull them out of a person.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/80–Alienbees B1600, triggered with Pocketwizard TT1 and TT5 system

The photographer’s key role in making this happen is to create an atmosphere where the subjects feel like they are in control.

I try to convey this by asking many times throughout the photo shoot if there is anything else they would like. I suggest combinations of people and try to keep the excitement going, but I am always trying to say I am here for you.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/125–Alienbees B1600, triggered with Pocketwizard TT1 and TT5 system

I arrived early and started by picking a location. I set up my lights, and my wife helped by standing in as a subject so I could get the light set right on her face and balance it with the background and other light on her face.

For the better part of 15 minutes, I was troubleshooting. I had one lens that was not working with my flashes. I finally found the combination of working with my Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8 on the Nikon D5 that would work for me. This required me to move back and forth to get the close-up shots and then walk fifteen feet around to get the group shots.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/80–Alienbees B1600, triggered with Pocketwizard TT1 and TT5 system

By the way, I spent a good hour working with my cameras and all my lenses to test them with flashes.

I believe I have a lens that was just repaired. That is the problem. I now know for sure what the problem is that I was having such a problem with when I was setting up for these photos.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/125–Alienbees B1600, triggered with Pocketwizard TT1 and TT5 system

Once I had the lights in place, I didn’t change them. I moved closer and further back and occasionally twisted the models to the left or right to get a different look. In the closeup of my daughter, I just turned her until the strobe off to the back was directly behind her.

Here is the setup for you.

I was so thankful to be photographing my daughter and her theatre friends. They exuded so much more confidence than they did just four years ago.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/125–Alienbees B1600, triggered with Pocketwizard TT1 and TT5 system

What I think is so exciting about taking these photos this weekend is I feel like I captured the traits in these kids who are now young adults. Just before next year, they enter the workforce or go off to college to live their own lives.

I am so proud of who my daughter has become and the friends she has made in her time in school.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/80–Alienbees B1600, triggered with Pocketwizard TT1 and TT5 system

In the TV show Friends, we watched these six people do life together for over ten years. They dated each other and had to break up with each other. The reason so many of us returned to watch the show was we loved it when no matter what happened, they worked hard to keep their friendships intact.

What I love about photography over text is its power to capture emotions. To capture emotions, you need to be prepared. The camera must be set correctly. You must have considered the lighting for the photograph. You have been thinking about and taking into account the background. Will you make it razor sharp or blurry and out of focus?

But even more important than knowing your gear is to know your subject. You cannot capture that which you have no knowledge of or understanding.

For me, to do great photography that is compelling requires the photographer to be involved in their subject’s lives long enough that they let you in to see them for who they are.

I had watched these kids from when they were young and had them in my home many times, allowing them to get to know me and me.

While my relationship is different than my daughter has with her friends, there is a relationship. I think that is key to understanding your role as a photographer. I am not trying to be their friends that hang out every day. I want to be like a parent, the safe space where they can hang out and be themselves.