Portfolio Development – Stylized Swim Shoot

In the past few months I have been carving out more and more time for shoots relating to portfolio development and personal projects. I am a huge proponent of photographers taking the time out of their schedules to shoot the things that interest them without worrying about a client’s needs or an art director’s perspective. For me a tremendous amount of growth occurs when there is freedom to play, to experiment and to push oneself to the point of failure. It’s these moments when I learn most.

Recently I got an opportunity to shoot one such vision: very stylized indoor swimming. Since I typically shoot outdoors using primarily natural light, this was departure from my normal day to day routine. In fact, this was the first time I have ever done an entire shoot primarily using only small, off-camera flashes to illuminate my subjects. What a blast! In the end it was all I had hoped it would be–challenging, fun and a great opportunity to create something out of the ordinary. I learned a ton, and walked away with shots that captured my vision not just for the shoot, but for the direction I want to take my portfolio in as well.

To all of you photo buffs, these images were created using 2-3 Nikon SB-800s fired by Pocket Wizards. I used a variety of homemade light modifiers as well as a Westcott shoot-thru-umbrella or the Lastolite 24” EzyBox which were attached to a voice activated light stand (my assistant, Tony).

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