SPORTRAIT SETTINGS OF EOS R6
Shutter: 1/125 ISO: 300 Aperture: 8.3
Nickolas Clements poses at the CMU Intramural Fields, off of W Broomfield St. on the campus of Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Sunday, November 23, 2025. He poses for a wider shot while swinging his bat.
SETUP 1
Left Flash Power - 1/2
Right Flash Power - 1/1
SPORTRAIT SETTINGS OF EOS R6
Shutter: 1/160 ISO:400 Aperture: 8.6
Ethan Odren poses at the CMU Intramural Fields, off of W Broomfield St. on the campus of Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Sunday, November 23, 2025. He poses for an intense sportrait, looking down at the camera.
SPORTRAIT SETTINGS OF EOS R7
Shutter: 1/160 ISO: 400 Aperture: 8.6
Ethan Odren poses at the CMU Intramural Fields, off of W Broomfield St. on the campus of Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Sunday, November 23, 2025. He poses for a tight shot sitting on a bench.
SETUP 2
Left Flash Power - 1/1
Right Flash Power - 1/2
REFLECTION
I enjoyed the time I spent out of class with these two athletes. Going on location to the IM baseball fields was an experience for me. We went on a very cold and windy day, which brought some difficulties when shooting. We knew we wanted to go on location for this because we wanted to showcase the baseball field we were at. Along with incorporating some of their gear, they used to play baseball. First, I started with Ethan on the bleachers for a simple shot of him and his glove. At first, I didn't like how the photos were turning out because there were mergers and distractions in the background. So then I remembered from what I learned in JRN 220 that I should get lower to the ground and shoot up at my subject. Doing this created an all-blue background from the sky that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the stark contrast of black from the jersey and hat complemented the blue sky very well. Secondly, we moved onto home plate to shoot Nickolas batting. I told him to just swing, and I'd do the rest. I kind of had a vision in mind that I wanted to achieve by stopping his bat swing in real time. Again, at first, there were things in the background I didn't like, so I had to work on them once again. I chose the photo I did because I really liked the shine on his polarized glasses that he had on. I thought that really added a cool baseball effect because, unlike other sports, you can wear glasses in baseball. With this shoot, I wish we could have played with gels as we did for the in-class walk-through because I very much enjoyed the end result from those photos. They added a sense of personality to the athletes even though they were just standing in their uniform. If I were to do anything different for this out-of-class shoot, it would have been to bring gels and plan to shoot later in the day, around dusk. Just so that the daylight isn't so prominent, and we can control the lighting with our flashes. But other than that, this was a very good learning experience for me, and I enjoyed the time that I had with the athletes. I was happy with how the quality of the photos turned out and the natural contrasting colors I was able to capture on location.
SPORTRAIT SETTINGS OF EOS R6
Shutter: 1/125 ISO: 200 Aperture: 6.3
Elliot Talsma poses inside Moore Hall, on the campus of Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Monday, November 17, 2025. He acts like he is throwing a jab for dramatic effect.
SETUP
Right Flash Power with Diffuser On - 1/4
Reflector to the Left.
Flash behind wasn't on.
SPORTRAIT SETTINGS OF EOS R6
Shutter: 1/160 ISO: 100 Aperture: 7.1
Amari Smith poses inside Moore Hall, on the campus of Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Monday, November 17, 2025. He stares intently with his gloves up in a boxing stance.
SETUP 2
Flash Power to the Left - 1/32 (with red gel)
Flash Power Infront - 1/16
Flash Power to the Right - 1/64 (with yellow gel)
SPORTRAIT SETTINGS OF EOS R6
Shutter: 1/200 ISO: 400 Aperture: 5
Hannah Smith poses inside Moore Hall, on the campus of Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Monday, November 17, 2025. She poses with her lacrosse stick behind her back for an intense feel.
SETUP 3
Flash Power to the Left - 1/64 (with red gel)
Flash Power Infront - 1/16
Flash Power to the Right - 1/16 (with yellow gel)
IN-CLASS REFLECTION
Photographing the Sportraits assignment during class was a lot of fun. I enjoyed working in the big group to get cool lighting setups done together. Not to mention the athletes who made the photos look just as cool, too, by just standing there. Firstly, I found it very fun and interesting working with gels. This was my first time shooting in a studio setting with colored gels to manipulate the lighting. I thought this technique and effect looked very cool. I was super happy with how the photos turned out. I thought the dramatic effect they added to the photo was crazy, just by changing the color of the light. It added way more emotion and tone to the photo, rather than just being plain white lighting. Secondly, the simple setup with one lighting I found also interesting. I knew that you could create great photos with a simple light setup, but I never knew the extent to which you could go with such minimal equipment. It was a learning experience for me to see this setup in action when shooting in class. The completely black background without a backdrop and just a light and a reflector was mind-blowing to me. I found this part extremely detailed and moody when shooting that specific photo. Finally, I worked with a black backdrop for the first time, too. I found it to be way more dramatic and intense than using a white backdrop. I feel using a white backdrop is suitable for regular headshots, portraits, and group photos. On the other hand, I feel that using a black backdrop just adds a more intense feeling to the photo because it seems like your talent is standing in a void. I learned that using a black backdrop can really add an easy emotion to your photo just by the color you choose. All in all, I found this in-class shooting day very beneficial for my photography career. Specifically, using gels to enhance my photos, using simple light setups for a dramatic effect, and a black backdrop to change the feeling the viewer gets when interpreting my photos.