Congratulations to Alex Buckland for winning January's Community Challenge! This was the first of a new line up of monthly challenges for members to challenge themselves in a genre that may be new to them, get creative and photograph something out of their comfort zone!
For January's challenge, members were asked to create an image of Trainers, Shoes or Footwear that they thought would work well as branding for a company looking to promote their product on Instagram or Facebook.
Once submitted, all images were then posted anonymously on the Fellowships community group on Facebook for other members to vote on. The image that receives the most likes ultimately will in the Community Image Award and be featured as the cover image for the next month within the group.
Alex created this photo of a set of trainers and won the challenge this month. Below is a few details on how he captured this image.
How did you come up with the idea and how did you go about creating it.
I was really keen to have a bright and impactful image with lots of colours so my fairly new running trainers were the most suitable model for the shot. I had to move a bit of furniture around in my living room (much to the annoyance of my wife!) as I was keen to get some space to set up the shot. Without access to a studio, I had to get creative with what I had around which all added to the challenge! I really wanted to incorporate a reflection in the shot so my black tempered coffee table served as a great base for the trainers to get the reflection.
What equipment did you use?
I used a Sony A7R3 with an 85mm GM lens. For lighting, I was keen to utilise my Rotolight LED lights which I find are really versatile due to the ability to use both the continuous light and the ability to flash. I used a Rotolight Aeos for the main light and 2 x Rotolight Neo 2's with coloured gels to match the trainers colour scheme.
BTS shot of Alex's setup
What were your settings?
My settings were f5, ss1/30 ISO 200. Lights were between 5 and 10% on continuous light.
How many attempts did it take to get the shot?
It took about 5 attempts to get the angle and composition I wanted including getting the rear lights exactly how I wanted them.
What advice would you give to those wishing to attempt a similar shot?
Find something reflective, get some gels on your flashes and have fun playing with your lights!
Good job Alex 👏🏽👍🏾