I’m not much of a basketball sports fan, but the community in which I live has reached a fever pitch over March madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The level of excitement is at the point where strangers are exchanging hugs. If this is the catalyst that can bring neighbors closer together, then I’m for it.
Not knowing a “Rim Wrecker” from a “Tap and Trap” I was curious to see what all this dribble talk was all about. Wow, a fast-paced game of elegant hoop thoroughbreds had me cheering, and wanting to don my earplugs and photograph courtside!
Inspired by the amazing athleticism of these players and their ability to hang-glide above the rim all day, I wanted to create a high-speed stylized image of a basketball player doing the same, under controlled conditions.
I began by borrowing all the flashes and studio strobes from my photographer friends. I used eleven TTL flashes and 2 studio strobes. Thanks to everyone who lent me their lights! Some were optically fired, others were radio synced. The technology used was the same as for my High-Speed Soccer Kick Photo Shoot – see the previous blog post.
Overcoming the ambient light in the gym with all this firepower was easy, but it soon became apparent that to sculpt the light for the floor, to keep the highlights on the basketball player where I wanted, and to isolate only the net and backboard, all in one exposure, was more of a challenge than I had anticipated.
To achieve the look I was going for, I ended up lighting the floor as a separate image, and lighting the net as another image, and then stitching the floor, player, and net together in Photoshop.
I decided to dip my toe into the world of video and produce a “behind the scenes” documentary of an outdoor studio photo shoot – photographing a professional soccer player. My goal was to demonstrate the use of studio strobes and speedlites to freeze the athlete in mid-air while he did a scissor kick.
I went into the project with big expectations and imagined a high-end production result. I see all these great videos on the web and I thought, how hard can it be. Boy, did I ever have a rude wakeup call. Two of the editing suites I used, Sony Vegas and Camtasia, have a large learning curve. I now have a newfound appreciation for video editors and sound engineers.
Regardless of the mediocre results, I learned a lot about the craft of videography, and even managed a few giggles along the way, between bouts of pulling my hair out. A special thanks to Al Horner, who without his help, this project would have never got off the ground.
In the film, I also show the post-processing work in Photoshop necessary to get to the final frame. Enjoy.
Fall Cranberry Harvest, New Jersey (Steve Greer / SteveGreerPhotography.com)
The berries have ripened, the bogs have been flooded, and its time to put on your chest waders. Let the annual cranberry harvest begin!
Each year in October, cranberry growers (many whom are proudly fifth and sixth generation cranberry farmers), harvest millions of pounds of cranberries from their farms in New Jersey.
A perennial plant, cranberries grow on long-running vines in sandy fields called “bogs” (marshes). After the bogs have been flooded, machines referred to as “egg-beaters” agitate the water to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The cranberries float to the water’s surface, as they contain three pockets of air. The deep reds of the floating cranberries, framed against the backdrop of the surrounding Autumn foliage and the bright blue sky, make a stunning scene indeed.
As a photographer, I feel like a kid in a candy store – one that is full of vitamin D.
Brigantine Golf Course Community, Brigantine, New Jersey (Steve Greer)
This year the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting an active hurricane season for the Atlantic coast. Now that Hurricane Irene has safely passed, New Jersey’s shore towns came through the storm relevantly unscathed.
With this in mind, I was looking for a unique vantage point to illustrate the development of Brigantine Island and how precariously perched the people that live on it are. With the back bay on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, most of the island is just 5 to 10 feet above sea level.
I made this photo from a Robinson R44 helicopter. The pilot took the doors off and I was strapped in and able to lean out. From this unrestricted perspective I had complete freedom to look out at spectacular views up and down the coastline.
When shooting aerials you need to use a high shutter speed. The vibration from the helicopter and its wind drag from the main rotor wash can make for a wobbly flight and some possible blurry images. It’s important to keep your elbows in, isolate yourself from the vibration by not touching any part of the helicopter, except the padded seat, and shoot a lot of frames. And don’t forget to keep your camera strap around your neck!
To see more aerial photos of the New Jersey coastline visit my website.
Amusement Theme Park, on the beach, Wildwood, New Jersey (Steve Greer)
Each summer, people from all over New Jersey head down to the shore to stroll Wildwood’s boardwalk, a two mile long human circus of noise, honky-tonk, and amusement rides. Vendors sell t-shirts with bawdy messages, and there’s no shortage of pizza and soft custard.
Jutting out from the boardwalk to the ocean is Morey’s Pier, a family friendly amusement park. At the end of the pier is the famous 160 foot high Morey’s Pier Ferris Wheel. When you’re perched at the top it affords terrific views of Wildwood and the back bays. No matter what time of day, it’s always a great photo op
The day I was there the weather was dull and overcast. Not very inspiring. Regardless, I staked out the Ferris wheel to try and time my ride to the top to coincide with the sunset.
I knew that once the sun dipped below the horizon the sky would turn a predictable cobalt blue. To my surprise some light-colored reds began to spill into the blue. I knew it would only last a few minutes.
You only get three rotations on the Ferris wheel before returning to earth. Three chances to time the weather, and the lights below. With a little luck I managed to anticipate the wait time in a long line of people and the ride to the top to create this image.
