Cover of Trail Runner Magazine: Photography

I'm super stoked to bring you a few behind the scenes clips from images that appeared on this month (July/August) issue of Trail Runner magazine as well as earlier this year in March.  On both occasions, the opportunity came to shoot a couple of commercial photography assignments and on a side note, these two images also get picked up by Trail Runner magazine for covers.  This months cover was taken on the island of Kauai, one of the most gorgeous places on earth (anyone interested in a "Location Lighting" workshop in 2011??).  We whipped up a little BTS video earlier this year from our shoot out there, showing some lighting techniques, so check that out too - Kauai Trail Running - Photography.

I hope you enjoy a quick behind the scenes from each of the trail running Cover Shots!  Feel free to fire away with any questions about the shoot!

-Kevin Winzeler

Tour de France - Big Picture (photography)

ONLY in the TOUR...

Photo courtesy: Bogdan Cristel
I try to frequent the Boston Globe "Big Picture" at least once every few weeks to take in stories from around the world.  I was stoked to see shots from the first half of the Tour de France as I opened the page this morning.  If you've never watched a stage of the biggest bike race in the world, do yourself a favor and check out one of the mountain stages (Pyrenees) over the next three days.  You'll see both epic battles on the steep mountain slopes and some of the craziest folk you've ever laid eyes on.  Check all 40 out here
:http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/07/2010_tour_de_france_-_part_i.html

After checking out the link, let us know which are your favorite images (first, second, third).  Also, whether or not you're a cyclist and if you've watched any of the race either this year or in the past.

-Kevin

I had an absolute blast shooting a few of the stages during the 2006 Tour de France, including the Prologue (opening time trial) in Strasbourg France.
commercial and sports photography

WINZ Photo Tip: Find a compelling Foreground

 

(Right-click on the picture to your right and "open" in a new window)


When composing photographs, I quickly fire through the following checklist in my head:  

1) Foreground (What is the best foreground to draw interest to my subject?)
2) Subject (what am I composing my shot around)
3) Background (Is this the best background to draw interest to my subject?) 
Sure, this is photography 101 stuff, subject, foreground, background, but acute attention to the details of these three things will make or break your photography.

The first image was taken during the Salt Lake ski shootout this past winter.  

Notice a couple of things about the foreground element in the Ski shot:

1) It's taking up roughly 2/3rds of the frame. 
2) Color = Red.  Cyan (sky) and Red (sign) are complementary colors and draw our eyes into a scene quickly.
3) The text "Experts Only" supports the the subject and tells a story.

Next, are two images taken at Pipeline on the North shore of Oahu, one of the top surf spots in the world.  The difference between aiming your camera toward the surf and framing your subject through an interesting foreground element is huge.  The silhouetted coconut trees above felt like I was peering out of a window frame into the scene.  The large wave rolling in with lots of little bobbing surfer heads just below it are an interesting subject as well. If I could change one thing.... (this was a candid image and if I could have directed one part of the shot, I would have created a bit more separation between the boy (also silhouette) on the lower left-hand side of the frame and the tree. He creates an additional foreground element and adds to the story as you can imagine he might be dreaming of being out there himself.)
The take-away here is to do look at anything that could be used in the foreground (purposefully) to add depth to the image.

-Kevin Winzeler
More Sports Photography