A session on a golf course is a great way to create some special images for high school students that play golf.
Mackenzie plays for her high school, so we spent the afternoon capturing shots of her working through her golf game.
It was a steamy August day when we ventured out to Wendell Country Club, just down the road from my home in Zebulon. The light breeze provided little relief form the heat, but the darkening skies gave a forecast of the storms coming overnight.
I had asked Mackenzie to pick her favorite hole and we would work through her long, mid and short range game.
When we got to the green, the clouded skies and setting sun had shaded the playing surface in a deep shadow.
We worked a couple angles to find one that both she and I liked for the shot.
I had set up my off-camera flashes on stands already and moved them to light the scene. I placed one in front of her to my left to light her body and another camera right to add some light to her back and separate her from the background.
From there, I simply had Mackenzie do what she would do during preparing for a putt.
She read her green from both sides, slid in to place, making sure to get her feet properly lined up, took a practice stroke, readjusted and hit her putt.
This image shows her lining up her putt, backdropped against the hole's tee box, the surrounding trees lining the beautiful course and the dark skies.
Using off-camera flash for sports or family portraits outdoors is a somewhat new exercise.
Prior to the most recent years, using flash outdoors meant you were working really close and always in the shade as the flashes from then weren't strong enough to light the subject.
For this image, I used 2 600 watts studio strobes, the same ones I use in studio for creating stunning single light portraits. With such powerful flashes, using them for outdoor photography enables me to keep skies and bring enough light to create these more dramatic images.
Even when creating family images, I love using flash. Flash, when used correctly, is basically undetectable, but it inserts a gorgeous light and level of sharpness that can't be duplicated with natural light when shooting in shady areas.
I'd love to have the opportunity to work with you and your family on your portraits. Let's connect and get a session scheduled, whether indoor or outdoor, and create some beautiful work!
Location: 180 Jake May Drive, Wendell NC 27591.
1/400; f/4.5; ISO 100; 70.0 mm.203 Cedar Key Way, Newport NC - (252) 341-0974 - Call Today
