Speaking Engagement at Photo Northeast 2014

I will be returning to the Photo Northeast convention in Woodcliff Lake, NJ as a speaker again in 2014.  I was asked to present my program "Sports Portraits With an Edge" on how I create unique and dynamic sports portraits.

I have gotten quite a following among both photographers and high school athletes for the interesting images I create, while trying to make these 17 year old kids look like professional athletes.

Link to Speaker Page

I last spoke at Photo Northeast in 2011 when I presented my very popular "Big Budget Results with Low Budget Equipment".

Photographing Sports in the Rain

 

I like to support the local high school's athletes, especially those who've come through the studio for senior portraits, by taking photos during their games.  In the fall and spring seasons, there are many times here in the Rochester, NY area when it is raining, and I needed a way to keep myself and camera dry while photographing sports games without going out any buying expensive rain gear for myself and the camera. Holding an umbrella while you are photographing anything is a lesson in futility, so I needed a hands-free umbrella option, using items I already had.


I needed a way to hold the umbrella in place over my head, without holding it.  If you've ever watched flag bearers marching during a parade, you've seen the belt-type apparatus that the end of the flag sits in while they're marching.  I needed this, and then something to hold the umbrella further up the shaft, to ensure that it stayed upright during use.




I dug out a PCV structural fitting from a past project (DIY light table) and dug out a nylon strap used to mount my kayak to my car.  I cut slots in the PVC fitting so I could thread the nylon strap through and create a base that the butt end of the umbrella could sit in.

What Successful People Do On the Weekends

Mid-December paddle in the snow and ice of Hemlock Lake

Before I worked as a full-time professional photographer and opened my studio, I worked as a part-time photographer, and devoted most weeknights and many hours of the weekend on my part-time profession. My weekday hours were filled with my duties as an environmental scientist (12 yrs.) or software quality manager/engineer (12 yrs.), which were my two careers in Corporate USA.  My fellow photographers were never surprised to get e-mails from me at 2am from my home studio, then followed up by at 7:30am e-mail from my corporate job.

Drew - Fairport HS Senior Portraits, Class of 2014

 Drew comes from a family of soccer players.  He has three younger brothers and they all play, sometimes totally 11-12 games a week for the family.  Knowing how important it is, and knowing how good of a player Drew is, I had planned something special for him.  Little did I know it would be over so quickly.

Greer - Thomas Aquinas HS Senior Portraits, Class of 2014

After Greer's session, I was starting to think that the studio was specializing in those high school boys that wanted nothing to do with senior portraits.  He wasn't too thrilled with the idea of having his picture taken, and I thought it would take a miracle to get him to smile.  As most of the athletes that come through the studio have done, we were able to get some really interesting and unique photos of him in his uniforms.

Jenn - Fairport HS Senior Portraits, Class of 2014

Jenn is the other half of the Crater twins, a lacrosse-playing brother and sister from Fairport.  During her consultation she described herself as funny, easy-going, and athletic, and I found her to be exactly that.  Her mother described her as being shy and quiet, so I wanted to show that with the following photo of her in the spotlight on the studio floor. Jenn is a goalie on the girls' lacrosse team, so we had to make sure we took the time to include that in her session.

Ryan - Fairport HS Senior Portraits, Class of 2014

Ryan was one of those boys that didn't have much interest in having his senior portraits taken, and was mostly here because his mother wanted him to.  After his initial consultation where we talked about what we would do during his session, he was actually looking forward to it.  During his session, he was very relaxed and gave me some of the most comfortable smiles of anyone I've seen this year.

Sarah - Fairport HS Senior Portraits - Class of 2014

All I knew of Sarah before she walked into the studio was that she played 2^nd base on Fairport’s varsity softball team.  We had that in common, as I played 2^nd base for many years.  By the time her session was done, we had more in common, as we both loved her photos.

Kelsey - Fairport HS Senior Portraits - Class of 2014

Kelsey had just finished her last final exam in the morning of the same day her senior portrait session was scheduled.  I half expected her to be tired....or cranky....or both.....but I was pleasantly surprised when she walked in, showing her 1,000-watt smile and was really ready to go.  We knocked off numerous great photos in the studio, then proceeded to go outdoors and pick some nearby locations that provided studio-quality light, and her face just radiated the great smile. Sometimes my job as a photographer is difficult....trying to coax 'natural" smiling expressions from difficult high school seniors who don't want to be there....then there are days like this with Kelsey that make all that worthwhile.

David - Fairport HS Senior Portraits - Class of 2014

David is one of the studio's ambassadors from Fairport High School for the Class of 2014 and plays on the varsity soccer and baseball teams.  He was photographed in early April, at the beginning of the baseball season, so we decided to concentrate on that for the sports portion of this session and save the soccer photos until we could get outside during the summer months.

There must have been some real magic in the sweet, left-handed swing I captured in the lead photo, because David was in the position to win the Section V baseball title in the bottom of the last inning, and stroked a clean single to drive in the winning run from third base, setting off a riotous celebration. Ever the non-selfish player, he deflected all the praise and instead was happy that the team won it for a great class of outgoing seniors, including three that came through the studio last year for senior portraits.  Further prof that kids that come to Luke Photography for senior portraits go on to do big things.

...yeah, like "I" had anything to do with that....