WOW....Deff didnt expect this kind of input and positive feedback on this set. Thanks though! I'll try to answer each one of you questions as i figure that's the least i can do considering how much i appreciate your feedback! Here it goes...
scottmelby: "nice work, i can't figure out the electrical transformer shots, is it on top of a shed? Anyhow, great job! "
A: It's on top of an electrical/utility hub or service shed in Vernon. There is a steep hill that drops in to it on one side and a 8 foot drop on the other side. The guys would drop in and slide on the snow that had accumulated on the top of it the day before. In Vernon, NJ.
Mike J: "I like the feel of these. They match the snowboard image. #4 and #5 are my favorites. Which one of these did you use a remote triggered flash, if any?"
A: Thanks Mike! #4 I used three lights. I put an SB600 on the lip of the jump for hte rail because i wanted to get the snow spray light nicely. I also saw that the surrounding area was dull so i went for a hard cross lighting shot by pretty much pointing two flashes (sb600 and sb26 with snoots at 85mm) right at each other midway through the rail. It kinda gives a nice zone of pure black on the rider if you can time it right and get your aperture set higher enough. I think they were at 1/1 pwr while the lip light was at 1/4 or so. All fired via PW Plus II's btw.
Smason: "Awesome. The guy in #5 is nuts, haha... "
A: Yea he's a little crazy but it makes for great work and a great time. He almost fell in the stream twice but was able to save himself by jumping ot the river bank...which is lined with boulders!
koreaJ23: "nice shots, i'm going snowboarding in february and would like to know what kind of lens i should use. i'm gonna stash my d60 in a small holster while riding and stopping to take some pics of friends and such. i wanna know what kind of lens i should bring along or perhaps purchase prior to my trip."
A: In all honesty, i would bring something i wouldn't mind breaking god forbid it happens. I never really just ride around with my gear on me. I usually scope out the spots and then set up a shoot with friends for later or some other time. If you're wanting to just ride and shoot, pic something light and small with a decent reach and some wide angle capability. something like the older 18-70mm might do it. Where are you riding?
Aqualung: "some creative work James. I'm thinking I'd like to see a little more of the boarder's face (esp #2). "
I was kinda going for that but i couldn't situate my lights the way i wanted them. I if wanted more light on the face i was going to have to put my light in the landing zone and risk having it knocked over. I wasn't prepared to do that so i kidna had to settle with the pseudo-rim lighting look i got there.
Thanks Rich!
Prettym1k3: "Did you gel some of your flashes? "
A: Yep. I used gels on all but #4. I was able to shift the color a little via white balance in Adobe RAW. Not the difference in #2 and #3. Gels are fun to use and really add a bit to a shot if they can become PART of the shot...not THE shot. Thanks Mike :- )
Corbab: "These are great! What mountain are these from? Also, what's your light setup like?"
A: The ones shot on the mountain are from Mountain Creek in NJ. The street shots are from Vernon and Sparta, NJ. I Find that i shoot mostly with 2 or 3 three lights. I have 5...but i dont think ive ever used them all in one shoot before. I try not ot make it too complicated i guess. I would deff shot with one light too. I dont think it's any sort of restriction if you can set it up right. I have 2xSB600, 1xSB26, and 2XAB800's. All via Pocket Wizards.
torags: "Very nice work. Interesting backlit edge on boarder. Did you try a tighter crop on #1? Seems like a lot of image real estate for a monchrome field. Good work"
A: I did...but i was really wanting to implement the scene of the mountain into the shot. The amount of natural light and scene seemed to distract when i cropped in tighter. The other shot #6 i think looks better because there is less people and "stuff" going on the in the BG.
823Photography: "Great work james! Glad to see it came out better then all of mine. We were shooting at mountain creek for some of the shots, im not sure where the rest are."
Yea Charlie, i was pretty happy with that shoot. The other stuff is Vernon and Sparta...nothing you couldn't find if you drove around a little.
Thanks Steve! I'm trying to!
Thanks to you too Brent!
