Brock Mealer on the field of The Michigan Stadium!

All my time as a student at the University of Michigan, I never once got to step on the lush green field of the Michigan Stadium. I attended plenty of home football games, but always as one of the over 100,000 fans and none of the victories sparked a rush onslaught onto the field. Ironic that only after leaving the school do I get to skip around the field, doing what I love — photographing!

All that was possible because of this man — Brock Mealer, who is an uncontested mega-fan of the Michigan Wolverines, and also personal friend of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. But not only did Brock get us access to the field after the game against Indiana, he was also an absolute joy to shoot. We threw footballs to each other, every time a cheeky smile etched on Brock’s face.

There seemed to be limitless possibilities and poses and scenes to shoot! Granted, The Big House is an impressive sight any way you look at it. We went from end zone to end zone, and loitered around the 50-yard line a bit. I loved capturing the bright green of the field, the colossal stands where fans sit, and even the press and luxury boxes just were too sweet to miss out.

This was also the first time that I made use of my recently-acquired Lastolite TriFlip reflector. Those things aren’t cheap, but they certainly quite effective. For once I didn’t make creative use of flashes but sometimes truly less is more. We didn’t spend a great deal of time on the field, but we made the most of it. This was certainly one of my most enjoyable shoots to date, as everything went like clockwork. If this will be the only time I got to step on the field of the Michigan Stadium, there are no regrets.

Check out the rest of the images!

[Show as slideshow]

There are two things important in Katie’s life — dancing and Rosie, her dog. People with their passions often look the best in front of the camera, so since I’m trying to look out for the beautiful, our portrait session naturally revolved around these two elements.

First stop was the dance studio in Chelsea, Michigan. Never once had I seen an open-concept studio (no walls, only one side with angled, two-panel mirror) and it certainly posed enough challenges with composition and lighting. Getting myself out of the photo was tough and increasingly frustrating as almost every nook and cranny was inescapable, especially shooting at a wide angle, which you can see was done with some of the shots, such as the black & white image.

The solution: shoot long. That got me out of the way, though very limited in creativity. Having a variety of shots is important. It wouldn’t have been personally gratifying if I only stuck to one look for the entire session.

After a quickie half-hour in the studio (we had arrived late, and it was closing), we took to nearby fields to get some outdoor shots with her dog, Rosie. It was my first time doing an animal portrait, and having never owned a dog, didn’t really know how to interact with it or get its attention. Don’t get me wrong – I do love dogs – but when I’m so flummoxed with the photography side, it’s hard to jump into the playground with Rosie.

But Katie helped, trying to get her head turned towards the camera. Needless to say, I shot a lot to even up the chances. Getting the lens up close was something different I wanted to try. I propped the camera up on a tripod and used a remote release. If I had glued my eye to the camera, Rosie would probably never have gotten that close to the lens (which was maybe a few inches away).

Although the day started slow, I’m happy with some of the results. I shot a lot that day, more than I usually do for a portrait session, but it was necessary given the circumstances. Please check out the gallery below, and do leave a comment!

[Show as slideshow]