Though I still employ many of the older methods of self promotion including phone calls, source books, email campaigns, and postcards, I was recently found by a creative through my agent’s Instagram post of a few of my new personal images.

I photographed my daughter, her boyfriend and their “crew” during a midnight bowling - birthday party. The bowling alley had changed over from their typical daylight illumination to subdued colored lighting, louder music and a general party atmosphere.

These shots were done around midnight, just me and on camera flash. No supporting crew or gear. The bowling alley is located up the street from the house and when my daughter first mentioned the party, I was a little torn, since it was beginning past midnight and I’d have to shoot without my usual crew and support.

If you know my work, it’s usually very well thought out and well produced. The thought of shooting flash on camera without a scout or any first hand knowledge of the location sounded very appealing to me. Just getting in and making the best of it!!

One great thing about flash on camera is that the response and look is so distinctive. Once you have settings that you like dialed in, shooting different scenarios can be very quick as there’s no additional set up required and the flash recycle time is so fast!

I did a couple of quick test shots and just started shooting, evaluating the exposures on the back of the camera and making adjustments on the fly. The kids were all in their late 20’s early 30’s and were definitely having a grand time! I just had to capture moments and prompt a few scenarios.

I believe that bearing witness to events as they unfold is the new approach many clients are looking for. The days of the big production and heavy lighting are getting slimmer. The fact that I have that experience in my repertoire allows me to take advantage of the existing light and to fall into the environment without having to overtake it. Capturing results that deliver a singular point of view.

When I brought the shots back and started evaluating them the following morning, I realized I had struck upon a new shooting style. I processed several of my favorite moments and then sent them out to my agents at Those 3 Reps as well as posting a few on my website and Instagram.

A week or so later my Agent was reaching out asking if it would be okay to give all the images to an Ad agency that was pitching a new account. They loved the style and thought it would be a perfect match for the look and excitement they wanted to bring to the client’s new advertising and branding.

The clients also loved the look & spontaneous style of shooting and hired us to do the shoot. The location was a 45,000 sq ft. facility in Fort Worth, Texas. They had everything a kid could want., Bowling, billiards, arcade games, laser tag, rope climbing and more!

If you’re a photographer reading this, you are probably thinking this is nuts! Shooting in such a large space with only on camera flash?! This shit’s going to look awful... To make the shoot a little more challenging the client added that they didn’t want motion in the shots. Many of my initial images of the bowling party that everyone gravitated towards had motion from long exposures. This latest request made me a little nervous…

Jumping into the shoot, we did add 2 back lights with red & blue colored gels on B1’s facing the camera and rimming the key talent. We also mounted a B1 head with an umbrella and diffusion on a boom pole that my first assistant very astutely placed and moved with each spontaneous movement of the talent. I also had the on camera A1 triggering all the lights and acting as the main light. This allowed us to work very fast and in one general area, but gave us enough flexibility to move and follow while the rim lights helped to stop motion.

We utilized one of the event coordinators to run the kids through the various events, which kept them occupied and focused on having fun while we were capturing many of the scenes. When she had to leave, my very talented agent stepped in to help keep everyone moving and not looking stiff. Gotta love a Rep that’s willing to jump in and do whatever it takes to get the shot!

It’s funny the diversity of the group of kids, when shooting my daughter and her friends, was very natural and spontaneous. They were all just friends over the years coming together. When turning this into an advertising assignment, the casting became super important and had to meet all the criteria requested while still keeping everyone looking fresh, not too polished, and spontaneous. The casting was awesome and we went into the shoot knowing that we had an excellent group of kids & talent!

We had a great team on set with us and I can’t say enough about all the work that went into the pre-pro on my producer’s end. We captured 20 different shots with many variations and added 2 bonus locations that we were able to squeeze in and weren’t on the original shoot list.

At the end of the day, the ECD and the Account Director really helped to finesse the shoot and suggested some great angles and scenarios. My digital tech did an amazing job keeping track of the fast moving changes and set ups while constantly evaluating the exposures and shots for motion etc... My wife helped to keep everyone happy and me well watered and fed. I use her as a behind the scenes sounding board while we are shooting to ensure we’re not stuck in a rut or shooting something that may be awkward or poorly styled. She also shoots killer behind the scenes images for us.

Our retoucher worked hard to keep the spontaneity of the shots, adjusting color balance, exposures in the shadows and overall cleaning up the locations. We did change out a face and a few logos, but for the most part, the shots are pretty original.

Represented by @Those3reps
Those3reps.com