©Ian Ruhter

Before there was digital, there was film. And before there was film, there was the collodion wet plate process.

The wet plate process was introduced in the 1850s. It is a complex hands-on craft, involving silver nitrate and other hazardous chemicals. In addition, wet plates require tremendous amounts of lights. Exposure times range from several seconds to a couple minutes. However, if everything is done right, the result is a beautiful and strikingly brilliant photograph with a silvery feel.

Hence, there are still a number of enthusiasts out there, making and developing their very own wet plates. Ian Ruhter is one of them. But there is one thing that makes Ian unique. (more…)

©Joe Morahan

Yesterday, we published the first part of our interview with sports photographer Joe Morahan, in which he explained why he prefers set shots to live action images. He also shared his thoughts on what he believes are the most crucial factors for creating a striking sports image.

In this second part, Joe gives more detailed explanations of how he created the images that featured in this article. (more…)

©Joe Morahan

We recently received a series of sports images that caught our attention. The man behind the camera turned out to be Joe Morahan, and we responded to his email with curiosity and a deluge of questions. Luckily for us, Joe was kind enough to answer our questions in detail. You can read excerpts from our email conversation below.

Why sports photography, Joe?

“Back in the day, I played a lot of sports. Baseball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, skiing, snowboarding and biking, to name a few. I loved sports more than anything. There was a feeling I got when competing that was different to anything else I had ever felt. Keep in mind that I am super competitive, but when I hit the field, it was like a complete escape from all other aspects of my life. I simply forgot about everything in life. It was total immersion. Nothing else mattered. It is this ephemeral feeling of freedom that I’m now trying to capture on a photographic shoot.”

(more…)

Looks like our old friend Kevin Jairaj is at it again, creating great sports portraits down in Texas. This time he’s at Baylor University, shooting the basketball team in both action poses and more traditional portraits. In this post, Jairaj writes:

I used 3 Profoto D1 Air units fired by the Air remote system and as usual, it worked flawlessly! The recycle times are super fast and the color and consistency of the light is truly amazing! If you have not used the D1 Air system yet, I’d highly recommend you try it out for yourself!

Don’t miss these shots on his blog, or the other wedding and portrait work he’s known for on his site. Great new work, Kevin!

©Richard Ström

Richard Ström has been a professional photographer for about ten years. He takes all kinds of pictures, but it is clearly surf pictures that really get him going.

“It’s hard to explain why,” says Richard. “I just love it.”

Richard was once a surfer himself but as time passed, he found himself spending less time in the water and more and more time behind the camera. Yet his competitive spirit and the urge to push things further are as strong as ever.

“I read a lot of magazines and take inspiration from other photographers. I look at what they’ve done, and then I try to do it better,” says Richard with determination. (more…)