1 Minute and 31 Seconds with Kenny Jr
Photographing Men of MotoAmerica 2015
Kenny Jr., son and crew member
Earlier this month I went to Georgia to photograph AMA Pro Rider, Huntley Nash of LTD Racing at, and on, the race track at Road Atlanta in the small town of Braselton. The evening before the environmental portrait I scouted and planned the shoot and realized one crucial detail: I was going to need more than one extra set of hands to pull it off.
Jon’s good friend was at the track with his son, Kenny Jr. that same weekend, so I asked Kenny Jr. if he wouldn’t mind arriving before sunrise the next morning to help me out. He agreed with a quiet nod of his head and shrug of the shoulders, the common language for a young man his age.
Early morning the next day Kenny Jr. arrived with a good helping attitude getting gear to and from the track. The wind decided to move in strong quiet gusts, and he ended up being my key assistant ensuring my lights didn’t end up shattering on the ground. His help was essential to the shoot being a success and I am grateful for his awesome teamwork; you can see the final shots HERE.
Later that same day, I noticed Kenny Jr. sitting quietly in the corner wearing his dad’s bright red pro leather suit. He looked so handsome in it and his brilliant blue hair was striking in juxtapose; how could I not capture that moment in his life?
I motioned for him to sit for a portrait in my pop-up track studio: two black velvet curtains as an “L” corner backdrop (one side attached to LTD’s trailer, the other side attached to the tent poles) with “A” Clamps from Home Depot. My Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens with Nikon D700 and natural light spilling into the tent form the asphalt.
Here are a few of my favorite shots:
Quick gear note for my fellow photographers: I used my gear straight out of my Think Tank Photo Airport AirStream™ Rolling Camera Bag and BlackRapid Kick Women’s Sling Camera Strap RS2SW1S (Grey)
My post-processing is all done in Lightroom 4 using my own custom recipes made with Totally Rad!’s Lightroom Presets, Totally Rad!’s Replichrome I: Icons, with a final polish in Photoshop CS5 using more custom special sauce with Totally Rad!’s Pro Retouch + TR Action Mix 1 + TR Action Mix 2: The Revenge.
MY CAMERA GEAR FOR THIS SHOOT:
Think Tank Photo Airport AirStream™ Rolling Camera Bag
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