I've been working on a website for a taekwondo club and needed some stock photos of a female martial artist...so, being the enthusiast I am, decided to use muggins here.
First of all - it's so much harder being the subject of a photo - I am much happier behind the lens! In this instance I wanted to remain fairly anonymous by keeping the depth of field very shallow, limiting the focus only on the hands and feet.
I set up the lights, picked an imaginary point for my focus and marked it on the floor below, then got changed into my dobok. The easy part done! Now I had to recreate the kick, timing it just right to hit my imaginary marker at exactly the same time as the shutter opened.
Let's just say that I needed a fair few attempts before I got it right - and my side muscles got an unexpected work-out as I had to hold each kick at a decent height until the shutter went off!
(and what a good way of ironing out some bad habits! Who knew I always threw one hand down when side-kicking? something to work on in class!)
As it happens, since taking this pics I have been given a new toy for Christmas that would have made these shots infinitely easier: a laser that triggers the camera when a moving object (in this case - my kick) interrupts the light beam. Hmmm - I feel the need for a reshoot, if only to test out the new gadget - watch this space...
