Member Monday Featuring Randy Brogen
This Member Monday is all about capturing your subjects at the height of their talent and directing a shoot to showcase them. Randy Brogen’s photo “Breaking the Surface” exemplifies both of these elements. His portfolio features out of the box concepts, sports photography, and artistic portraits. Check out his work below!
About the Photo
This image is titled “Breaking The Surface”. I created it during a “Creative Photography” session with this beautiful and talented dancer named Caroline, who is currently studying to become a professional dancer in New York. It was shot at Suzannes Dance Connection, in Burlington, MA, a dance studio where Caroline has danced and taught for a number of years.
My creative photography sessions are designed to provide scenarios that allow my subjects to showcase their skills at the highest level. I then use lighting, composition and photoshop techniques to enhance the final work. In this particular image, everything was made in camera with the exception of the water, which was all done in Photoshop.
Gear and Software
Being a former Chief Technology Officer, I’m a real gearhead. I shot this session with Canon 1DX wirelessly tethered to a laptop. It was shot with 5 Elinchrom Quadra Rangers using “A” heads and various modifiers. I used LR & PS CC for post work. Being wirelessly tethered allows me to have full freedom of movement during my sessions to capture the exact images/movements I’m looking for.
It also allows my subjects, and any onlookers to get a real-time view of what I see in my mind’s eye and subsequently through the lens. It’s a lot of fun hearing the “oooos” and “ahhhhs” when the image appears on the laptop screen.
Photography Preferences
I will photograph anything that piques my curiosity. I really enjoy collaborating with athletes and capturing the power and grace of the body in motion. I also enjoy projects that are completely out-of-the-box that allow me to push the envelope.
For instance, I have a client who told his wife all he wanted for his birthday was a creative photography session with me so that I could turn him into my version of the “Terminator”. His instructions to me after telling me what the end goal was, “Do what you do, I don’t care how long it takes.” Here’s a link to the results of that session titled “Rise of the Cyborg”.
Photography Inspiration
I’ve been a KelbyOne member since 2009, back in the NAPP days, and collectively, all the classes I’ve watched have helped me establish the skills I have today which in turn allow me to create the images I make. Some of the lighting techniques I use are a direct result of some of Joe McNally’s KelbyOne courses that I’ve watched over the years.
Favorite KelbyOne Class
You can follow Randy on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more of his content. He also has his portrait/commercial work on display through his main website, and a sports photography site as well.
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