I RETIRED FROM OKLAHOMA CORRECTIONS IN 1996 AS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER. I BEGAN WITH A MINOLTA 35 AND A HASSLEBLAD. I EDIT IN RAW AND CS4 AND PRINT TO 13X19'S. I USE THE "KISS" METHOD. KEEP IT SIMPLE SPENCE. I SHOOT IN RAW AND EDIT A LITTLE IN RAW AND FINISH UP IN CS4. I KNOW THERE ARE A DOZEN GADGETS TO ENHANCE IMAGES IN RAW BUT I USE ONLY 3 OF THEM. COLOR BALANCE, VIBRANT, AND CLARITY. I USE A FEW IN CS4 ALSO. BY GETTING IT RIGHT IN THE CAMERA, THERE IS LITTLE TO CORRECT.
FOR OUTDOORS PORTRAITS, I ALWAYS SHOOT IN OPEN SHADE WHICH MEANS I ALWAYS SHOOT THE FIRST TREE IN THE FOREST TO GET BETTER DAYLIGHT BALANCE. I ALWAYS SHOOT WITH FLASH AS I CANNOT USE A REFLECTOR SHOOTING ALONE. I ALWAYS USE A DARK BACKGROUND TO DIRECT THE EYE TO THE SUBJECT. ON THIS TAKE, I USED AN OFF CAMERA ABOUT 5 FEET TO THE RIGHT OF MARY GETTING MODELING AND PERSPECTIVE ON THE FACE LIKE SHOOTING IN A PORTRAIT STUDIO. I AM USING A WIRELESS FLASH. MOST PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOOT STRAIGHT FRONT FLASH. THE ADVANTAGE OF THAT IS THAT IT SMOOTHES THE SKIN BUT NO MODELING. I ALWAYS USE THE 70-210 LENS TO COMPRESS THE IMAGE, KNOCK THE BACKGROUND OUT OF FOCUS AND NARROW THE BACKGROUND.
LIGHTING AND SPEED ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN SHOOTING RODEOS. I HANG 3 - 1600 WATT STROBES ON STANDS TAPED TO THE ARENA FENCE ABOUT 8 FEET HIGH. I POINT TWO TO THE BUCKING CHUTES CRISS-CROSSING FOR THE ROUGH STOCK AND ONE ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE ARENA ABOUT A 150 FEET TO PHOTOGRAPH THE TIMED EVENTS COMING AT ME SUCH AS STEER WRESTLING, CALF ROPING AND TEAM ROPING. I TURN TWO OF THE LIGHTS LATER TOWARD TWO BARRELS FOR BARREL RACING.
I USE A WIZARD WIRELESS REMOTE RECEIVER ON THE HOT SHOE OF MY CAMERA. I USE A REMOTE TRANSMITTER ON ALL THREE STROBES. THE TWO STROBES ARE ON THE SAME SIDE SO I DON'T GET TWO SHADOWS FROM THE SUBJECT. YOU SHOULD HAVE A 2.8 LENS TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE IMAGE BETTER AND FOR A FASTER SHUTTER SPEED. YOU CAN USE A 5.6 BUT IT IS DARKER TO SEE. I AM SHOOTING AT ISO 400. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SHOOT WITH AN ON CAMERA FLASH. YOU CAN TURN TO 3200 BUT WITH A LOT OF NOISE. I GOT THIS SHOT JUST AS HE LOWERED HIS HIND FEET. JUST AS I HIT THE SHUTTER, HIS FEET WERE IN THE AIR. I USE CONTINUOUS AUTOFOCUS BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS IN MOTION.
THIS IMAGE WAS SHOT ON THE OLD FALL RIVER ROAD ON THE EAST SIDE OF ROCKY MTN. NAT'L PARK IN COLORADO. I WAS LIMITED IN SHOOTING AS IT WAS A VERY STEEP DIRT ROAD AND COULD NOT GET TO THE BOTTOM TO SHOOT UP THE FALLS. SO IN ORDER TO GET DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES OF THE FALLS I HAD TO MOVE QUITE A WAYS BACK AND FORTH, UP AND DOWN THE ROAD. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME IN PHOTOGRAPHY IT IS IN YOUR FAVOR FOR SHUTTER AND APERTURE. YOU WANT A SLOW SHUTTER, SAY 1/8 OF A SECOND, TO KEEP THE WATER SMOOTH, WHICH WILL GIVE YOU AN APERTURE OF ABOUT F-16 TO GET MORE SHARPNESS ON THE ROCKS AND TREES. I SHOT IN SHUTTER PRIORITY TO KEEP THE SAME APERTURE FOR DEPTH OF FIELD. I SHOT VARYING MY SHUTTER SPEED FROM 3 SECONDS TO 1/15 AND LOOKING AT THE LCD TO GET JUST THE SMOOTHNESS OF THE WATER. ISN'T DIGITAL GREAT? I METERED ON THE ROCKS TO THE LEFT FOR AN 18% GRAY AND LET THE REST FALL WHERE IT MAY. IT IS BEST IF YOU CAN SHOOT IN THE SHADE TO GET LESS CONTRAST AND NOT WASH OUT THE WATER BUT WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING, YOU HAVE TO SHOOT HOW YOU FIND IT.
YOU WILL LOSE SOME SHARPNESS AS TRANSFER FROM A CARD. ACCORDING TO THE CONTRAST, I USUALLY USE QUICK SHARPEN OF 200 IN CS4. I USE PODS, A RELEASE, AND A POLARIZER. MY MENTOR IS ONE OF THE BEST RODEO PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND TODAY. MAXEY PINSON OF THE CAMERA CLUB HAS TAUGHT ME JUST ABOUT ALL I KNOW ABOUT RODEOS. THANKS FOR LETTING ME SHARE THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY. KEEP THAT SHUTTER CLICKING.
