I used to believe that professional cameras were little more than a light-tight box. Unless someone needed a super-speedy motor drive, it always seemed like it was the quality of the lenses that mattered more than anything. I was mistaken. I now believe that the camera itself can contribute as much to the technical quality of a photograph as the best lenses—and more.
You never know how a day of photography is going to turn out. Some projects can be one challenge after another, while others proceed without a hitch. One thing you never expect is a day of photography that ends with someone almost dying.
One of the reasons to fear location photography is the terror you experience when you first see the space you have to work with. The sun may be in the wrong place, the site may be difficult to reach, or the room may be cramped. But, solving those challenges is also what can make location photography so deeply satisfying.
When I started using Speedlights, I was hoping that I might be able to use them for some of my work without feeling like I was cheating my clients. A few months and many projects later, the only one I feel like I’ve been cheating is myself—for not ditching the studio gear more often. These days my Speedlights are getting a very regular workout and I feel pretty foolish for not looking into them years ago.
Football players are built differently than the rest of us. They’re taller, they’re wider, and some of them weigh as much as three cheerleaders. But what happens when you have to include 19 of these big men in the same frame for a Sports Illustrated magazine shoot?
