Joe Morahan Photography, LLC | Creative Sports Advertising Photography | Director | DP


Under Armour 45 Sec Spec Spot
March 10, 2011, 3:55 pm
Filed under: Basketball, boxing, fitness, motion, spec, video

 



Under Armour Night Workout 45 Sec Spec Spot

-Under Armour Night Workout Motion Spec Spot-

Well…..I have not posted in a while for a great reason….I am now switching over to motion and have been studying for a while.  It was really weird, I almost felt like I was back at school.  I decided to do this to open a few doors for myself, so I had to figure out how I was going to learn all this.  So I started doing some research…..and I came across one of my favorite photographers/ director/ DP, Vincent Laforet.  He has been doing some really great things in the industry, and it seems as though I cant research anything without coming across his name.  He has been dubbed the “King of DSLR” so who better to learn from?  I am working all the time at my Art Gallery in Denver, Colorado called FatTail.  So I have never had the chance to meet Vincent…..but guess what?  Vincent recently published a “webinar” about still photographers who are switching over to video.  It was a really intense class, I think around 24 hours of information.  First of all I would like to say thank you to Vincent for doing something like this, and I have to say the $129 price tag could have been 10X that and still would be worth every penny, so thank you Vincent!!!!  Also another thing I noticed is that he never seemed to run out of words, a very educated photographer, and director.  (also a few appearances by a master of sports photography & motion Chase Jarvis….a big time bonus to the video)

Please check out his online class!!!!

So I decided to give Vincent’s online class a try and sat there taking detailed notes and making sure I was soaking all the information I could.  It was jam packed, almost to the point I could not take it all in.  So many cameras, tripods, lenses, gears…..which at the time was frustrating, but as I went to buy some of the gear, I felt very prepared thanks to Vincent.  He reviewed what seemed like every piece of gear known to man, and I learned tons and now know all the gear.  I have had training with extreme high speed cameras, like the Phantom shooting thousands of frames per second.  I love shooting on that sort of camera, but for now I picked up a 5D Mark II.

I really miss shooting super high speed photography and motion, and the whole reason I graduated in Industrial and Scientific Photography was to some day use that knowledge to enhance my sports shooting.  So its all coming sooner than I thought and I am very excited for my future.

I started working up a few concepts for my agent Katherine Kennedy from Other Films.  I wanted this first project to show off my skills of lighting, and creative ideas, and of course showing my passion for sports.  I talked to Katherine a lot, coming up with different ideas, and spec campaigns.  We ended up landing on doing a 30 sec spec ad for Under Armour.  I became very excited for a new challenge and the whole process proved to be way more difficult than I anticipated.  The pre-production took a lot of time, and ended up helping the final spot, and I am very happy that we put the time in that we did.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

A few other notes I would like to mention about shooting this project:  There are a few companies that helped with this project, and it could not have been done without their help.  First off I would like to thank Katherine for all the inspiration and help making this all happen.  She is a master of her craft and one heck of lady!!!!  I would also like to thank Hoodman for providing me the compact flash cards that I used for this project.  The super fast RAW 675X UDMA 6 Hoodman 8 GB did the trick for this shoot.  I also used a lot of gear made my RedRock Micro, thanks to the advice from Vincent.  Their gear is top of the line when it comes to HDDSLR Cameras.   I also would like to thank Canon Cameras for the ability to create such a cool project using the familiar Canon equipment.

Equipment List:

Canon 5D Mark II

Ziess Lenes

Hoodman Compact Flash Cards

Redrock Micro

Cinema Gadgets

Manfrotto

Models: (In order as they appear)

Demel Traver

Boubacar Doumbouya

Zoe Malfetti

Hannah Herreid

Behind the Scenes

Joe Morahan Photography

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Here are a few images taken by Dominick Rich Photography.

They are from the basketball court we shot at.

All images © Dominick Rich Photography-



Athletic Portrait

Its been a while since I kept things very simple on a shoot.  This is one of my favs from a recent shoot.  I used one light, no flashes,  no rim light, just very simple-

Of course I would like to thank Michael O for his photoshop wizardry, and a link to Michael O website: www.bymichaelo.com

Image Discription:  This image shows a fitness model Boubacar Doumbouya standing with a Nike jump rope in an old garage.

Athletic Portrait in Old Garage by Joe Morahan Photography

Athletic Portrait in Old Garage

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/4; 1/100 sec; ISO 1600; 5616×3744 Pixels
Focal Length 17mm; EF 17-40 mm f/4 L USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III



Nike Roots

So I have been working on a new series of traction based spec work.  I will be posting more soon, but for now this is whats going up.  Its a Nike Tempo with the cleats growing roots into the ground.  The shoe sits on freshly cut glowing green grass, with a beautiful deep blue sky in the background.  The shoe has cleats that grow roots straight into the dirt below the grass.  The image is a play on the Nike cleats and the traction that they provide.  The key to a great pair of boots is the grip, and the surface they are on.  One pair of cleats might be perfect on a certain field one day, and the next if it were to rain, you may want a new pair of cleats with deeper studs providing the traction desired.  So there is no one perfect type of cleat, however if they grip the ground its all good!!!

Nike Roots by Joe Morahan Photography

Nike Roots by Joe Morahan Photography

Shot details: f/16;  1/250 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 40mm; EF17-40mm f/4L USM

Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

RAW 675X UDMA 6 Hoodman 8 GB CompactFlash Professional 500,00 Cycle Cards.



Running the Dock on Bora-Bora Island in the French Polynesia

This creation I was really looking forward to!!!  I knew going to the French Polynesia Islands would help me create some really cool images.  I was able to take many plate shots so I could photoshop at a later date, and it was even relaxing taking the images.  It’s really easy to shoot in flip-flops I found out.  Normally it’s steel toe boots, and rugged pants, but not this trip.  It was a real treat shooting these most beautiful islands, both above water, and under as well.  I still have plenty of images to put together but here is the first of them all.  It shows a young women running down a dock on Bora-Bora Island in the French Polynesia.  You can see thatched hut roofs behind her, with the huts just sitting on the water.  Its mid to early morning and a beautiful day on this tropical island, a perfect day for a quick workout.

Young woman running on a dock in Bora-Bora in the French Polynesia Islands

Young woman running on a dock in Bora-Bora in the French Polynesia Islands

***Composite***



Timelapses from around the World
July 24, 2010, 7:48 pm
Filed under: timelapse, video | Tags: , , , ,



Fitness at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed

I recently had the honor of shooting with Branden Nicholson at the Dry Lake Beds in El Mirage.  Here is a quick link to Branden’s website.   Anyway the shoot was a success and here is one of my favorite images.  It shows Branden with a resistance band, stretching it over his head.  The form is what caught my eye, and I had him stand in front of the sun.  It made for a cool silhouette, and was very graphical.  The image is straight forward, nothing special, no lights, no compositing, but ended up being one of my favs.

Fitness at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed in Southern California

Fitness at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed in Southern California



Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowepro Team!!!

Lowepro is now the Sole Digital Carrying Solution Company of Joe Morahan Photography

Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowpro Team!!!

I’m pretty excited to announce that Joe Morahan Photography has teamed up with Lowepro!!!! I have decided to make Lowepro my sole digital carrying solution and will be reviewing the bags and gear produced by Lowepro. I have been using Lowepro gear for years now, and they have already been the company I trust, when traveling with my camera gear. It doesn’t matter if its a long journey through Southern Africa, or a 12 mile trek through the Grand Canyon, I have always used a Lowepro backpack. That being said, I have a few different types of bags already……but nothing even close to this cool!!!

DryZone 200-Totally Waterproof Backpack

Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowpro Team

Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowpro Team

100%!! Only time will tell…..and of course….me throwing it into the river ; ) So I am sure I will test this bag, like its never been tested before. Through the river, sand, salt, cold, and hot I’m sure this bag is gonna see it all.

I was on a shoot a few weeks ago, up in the Rocky Mountain National Park and kinda fell in the river. I say kinda cuz the camera in my hands started to fall towards the rock, and I swung it around and fell a bit in the water…..camera was fine, no bumps, no water, I got a little lucky. I was talking about this with the great folks down at Lowepro and we decided that a great bag for me to test, try, and write about would be the Dry Zone 200.

Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowpro Team

Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowpro Team

Here is what Lowepro says about this bag on their website about the DryZone-200

lowepro.com

DryZone is the world’s first totally waterproof, soft-sided camera backpack. Even fully loaded, they float so your gear is always protected. The inner drypod with patented, waterproof TIZIP™ zipper provides 100% watertight protection. It’s like a drysuit for your equipment. When less protection is needed, leave the TIZIP™ open and fasten just the inner zipper and top clip for easier access. The heavy-duty, padded camera compartment inside is fully customizable while the outer shell comes complete with a technical backpack harness. Also included, ergonomic lumbar support, fully adjustable CollarCut™ shoulder straps, tuck-away tripod holder, self-draining mesh pockets, drain hole, rubber handle, and attachment loops for SlipLock™ accessories. DryZone packs are comfortable to wear and give you total peace of mind in extreme environments.

Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowpro Team

Joe Morahan Photography joins the Lowpro Team

So my first impressions are…..

Well….after the shock of the bright yellow color, and of course the slick appearance that Lowepro always seems to have. I opened the front cover. It seems like a nice place to put filters, cords, and other small objects. This section is not water proof…..just a place to hold things. My knife and other survival gear will call this area home, when traveling in the outback. Then you get to the water-proof section, which was a bit hard to get open….but after smearing all the grease they supplied, it came open with a bit of a tug…..not something I would store my gear in, if I’m going in and out of the bag, however, there is another section that zips up. This means, you could leave the water proof area open, and be able to get in and out of the bag with easy and speed. (and still have the gear zipped up and protected) But when trekking down a river, or mother nature starts to pour, that’s when I will get that water-proof zipper locked. I really want to know if I throw the backpack in the river, first….will it really float as they say….also going through rapids and getting dunked will to still remain dry? When I do give it a shot….no camera gear will be in there…..but I need to know how water proof this DryZone 200 really is. I will report my results after the tests.



Running at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

Running at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado

 

Ever since I moved back to Colorado…I have been wanting to shoot at Garden of the Gods.  Its way south of Denver….maybe an hour and half, but it seemed so far away.  Anyway I had some pressure to get back out and shot some sportrature, so this was at the top of my list.  I went out and scouted the location a day before the shoot, and was blown away by these amazing rock formations.  It was breathtaking to say the least.  I drove every road in the park, and looked at every view point on the map.  I drove around, hiked a few trails, and then went up.  Straight up  in fact,…..walked off the road and went up the side of the mountain….and there it was…a great spot to shoot at!!!!  This was one of the only locations from the positions I wanted to shoot at, that worked for my needs.  Most of the land around Garden of the Gods has thick scrubs and its difficult to see through them, so this was truly one of the only clear spots.

Call time for everyone to meet up in Denver was 3:30 am.  And to me, thats way too early, but to get the shot that’s the time we needed to leave.  So once we hit the road, we arrived at Garden of the Gods at around 5:00am.  We had to hike up the mountain in the dark, which is always fun.  Hard to see anything, freezing cold, but we made it.  I set up fast, and got a minute or two to relax before the sun came up.  Once it started to hit the rock formations, everything came together and worked out fine.

Running and Fitness at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs by Joe Morahan Photography

Running and Fitness at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs by Joe Morahan Photography

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/6.3; 1/125 sec; ISO 400; 5616×3744 Pixels
Focal Length 34mm; EF17-40mm f/4L USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

This was the first time I used some of my new Hoodman gear.  It was great!!!!  I ended up using the HoodLoupe 3.0 Glare Free LCD viewing loop.  For the first time in a long time, I had no trouble viewing the images on the camera.  This little tool made a big difference, and will be used by me, for most every shoot.  This was a big surprise that it worked so well, and made my life a little easier.  Which we all need on photoshoots……so a big hit in my eyes!!!

Another piece of equipment used for the first time was the RAW 675X UDMA 6 Hoodman 8 GB CompactFlash Professional 500,00 Cycle Cards.   Hoodman sent out a tons of these cards, and it was used for the first time.  So I guess I have only 499,999 more formats on that card…..which will take me sometime to get to….but I’m on my way.   I have nothing but great things to say about the cards….and that only seems right.  They were fast in the camera, and my download of 8 gigs took no time at all.  These little guys are getting so fast.  I will be testing out some of the equipment soon,  then posting the results as they come in.

Behind the Scenes!!!!!!

I will be posting a behind  the scenes from this photoshoot.  It was an early morning….3:30am call time, and we did a cool video to go along with this shoot.  I should be posting it soon, within the next week.  The video was completed by Deanna Washington Photography located in Georgia.  Link to her site. Its around 3 minutes long and shows what goes into my shoots : )

Model: Kari White- What a pleasure it was working with her.  Nothing was impossible….and I look forward to working with Kari again!!!



Yoga at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs by Joe Morahan Photography

Yoga at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs by Joe Morahan Photography

So while out shooting running and other fitness images, I decided to take a few yoga shots.  The back ground was so peaceful looking, I just had to create some peaceful looking images.  This location took a while to find, but offered some amazing views of the Garden of the Gods.  I was shocked how well the mountains lit up, and the detail that ended up in the frame.

This was the first time I used some of my new Hoodman gear.  It was great!!!!  I ended up using the HoodLoupe 3.0 Glare Free LCD viewing loop.  For the first time in a long time, I had no trouble viewing the images on the camera.  This little tool made a big difference, and will be used by me, for most every shoot.  This was a big surprise that it worked so well, and made my life a little easier.  Which we all need on photoshoots……so a big hit in my eyes!!!

Another piece of equipment used for the first time was the RAW 675X UDMA 6 Hoodman 8 GB CompactFlash Professional 500,00 Cycle Cards.   Hoodman sent out a tons of these cards, and it was used for the first time.  So I guess I have only 499,999 more formats on that card…..which will take me sometime to get to….but I’m on my way.   I have nothing but great things to say about the cards….and that only seems right.  They were fast in the camera, and my download of 8 gigs took no time at all.  These little guys are getting so fast.  I will be testing out some of the equipment soon,  then posting the results as they come in.

Yoga at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs by Joe Morahan  Photography

Yoga at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs by Joe Morahan Photography

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/10;  1/60 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 70mm; EF70-200 f/2.8L IS USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

 

Image Description:

This image shows a young woman sitting performing yoga on a set of reddish rocks.  In the background is the Garden of the Gods located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The shot was taken at sunrise in the park, showing the jagged red rocks, and the pine trees below.

Behind the Scenes!!!!!!

I will be posting a behind  the scenes from this photoshoot.  It was an early morning….3:30am call time, and we did a cool video to go along with this shoot.  I should be posting it soon, within the next week.  The video was completed by Deanna Washington Photography located in Georgia.  Link to her site. Its around 3 minutes long and shows what goes into my shoots : )

Model: Kari White- What a pleasure it was working with her.  Nothing was impossible….and I look forward to working with Kari again!!!

 

 

 

 



Slammin around in Huntington Beach, California

Basketball in Huntington Beach, California

Image Description:

This court is right across the street from one of the greatest beaches in the world. Huntington Beach, California. I lived a few hundred yards from this court and it looked as though it has been there a long time. The rim was rusted red and had cracks through the metal. The net was hanging on by a thread, and the court even had grass growing on it. A photographers dream come true. Also Branden being the model helped as well. He is a talented athlete who can dunk with great accuracy. Its a good thing because for this shots I was balanced on a latter just under the basket. The basketball player would jump and come flying toward the camera almost killing me on every shot. Thankfully I never fell and we got a great shot from it.

Joe Morahan Photography
Joe Morahan Photography

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/13; 1/250 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 17mm; EF17-40mm f/4L USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Slammin around in Huntington Beach

So its been a few years since I moved away from Huntington Beach, California and boy do I miss it.  I can almost smell the ocean breeze some days, but then get a blast of the cool mountain air, not the warm ocean…..but enough daydreaming….the reason this all came up…  is I have a possible basketball job and wanted to check through some of my old shoots.  What things went well, what did not,…..angles, compositions ext.  There were a couple of shots that needed a complete make-over and so it finally happened.  It took a long time and some great help from my photoshop wiz Michael O. Also having a bad-ass athlete that can do anything also helps, and a big huge thanks to Branden Nicholson for making these the great images they are.

Joe Morahan Photography

Joe Morahan Photography


Joe Morahan Photography has joined forces with Hoodman
April 23, 2010, 10:30 pm
Filed under: **Press, Hoodman, sponsor | Tags: , , ,

I am very happy to announce that Joe Morahan Photography will now be using Hoodman RAW Compact Flash Cards exclusively!!!!!!

So I can’t even start to explain how very excited I am now that I have teamed up with Hoodman Compact Flash Cards.  Not only are they known for being the best/ most reliable cards out there, they are made right here in the USA!!!  If you are not familiar with Hoodman check out there website for all the details.   The RAW UDMA Compact Flash Cards are tested to 500,000 formats and that’s just the beginning. They are rugged, and will keep on working.  They cost a bit more than some of the others out there, being the mass produced cards, but Hoodman cards are worth every penny.  Most of the other card companies have around 2%-5% card failure, however Hoodman has 0 Card Failures!!!!  And that my friends, is why I trust Hoodman with my images.  When I travel to Africa, or hiking days through the Grand Canyon trying to get the shot, it would seem silly to save a few bucks on a card and have it fail on me, while I go through so much to create the images I do.  So that being said, this is why I have chosen Hoodman as my ONLY Compact Flash Cards.

I look forward to reviewing the gear and trying a few new tools that they slipped into my sponsorship package.  The one tool I have never used before is the HoodLoupe 3.0 Glare Free LCD viewing loop.  I used a loop all the time back in the day with the old 4×5, but I am really excited to use this.  I have a feeling it might get me to take a minute to view images, helping my mind slow down a think of other parts to the image, helping me create better images.  Of course it will help with the glare of the sun, especially that I mostly shoot outdoors.  So this will be a tool that I will use on every shoot.

Also sent to me use a Hoodeye Digital SLR Camera Eyecup, that will help me fight the glare I face-off with everyday.  I look forward to seeing if this is something I can use from now on….I assume it will take a little getting use to but I will get it more than a far shot and see how things work out.

Of course I will need the best card readers around town to download all these cards that were sent to me, and to download,  Hoodman sent me a few card readers.  One is the RAW Professional FireWire Reader Designed for 42 MB/Sec UDMA CompactFlash Cards.  The other card reader is a USB 2.0 UDMA Reader RAW Professional Designed for 42 MB/Second UDMA Compact Flash Card; also supports CF, SD, and SDHC Card Formats.   From what I here, these cards readers blaze through downloads with maxim reliability, but also keep up a ridicules download speed.

And to top things off Hoodman sent me a handful of RAW 675X UDMA 6 Hoodman 8 GB CompactFlash Professional 500,00 Cycle Cards.  These babies will get there fair share of use.  From the travel, sand, salt, and all the other strange places I go creating imagery we will see how they do.  I have already had a few Hoodman cards and all have never given me one problem.  These should last a lifetime!!!

Look for more updates with Joe Morahan Photography and Hoodman Compact Flash Cards.  I will also now be featured on the RAW Shooter List on the Hoodman website.  www.hoodmanusa.com. To be on this list of shooters is beyond words for me.  This exclusive list of the finest photographers from around the world, and to be even mentioned on it is a really great step for my company.  So a big thank you to Hoodman for teaming up with Joe Morahan Photography!!!!



2nd Place in the first AABI Visual Arts Contest titled “Nature vs. Man.” Alumni Association of Brooks Institute (AABI)

I was pretty stoked to find out that one of my sports images took 2nd place in the first AABI Visual Arts Contest titled “Nature vs. Man.”

 

Joe Morahan takes 2nd place in the first AABI Visual Arts Contest titled “Nature vs. Man.”

Joe Morahan takes 2nd place in the first AABI Visual Arts Contest titled “Nature vs. Man.”



Winter Reflections

Winter Reflections shows a portrait of a girl snowboarder hanging out near the half pipe at Copper Mountain, Colorado.  She watches as USA Snowboarder Andy Finch pulls a huge air in the halfpipe during the USSA Snowboarding Grand Prix at Copper Mountain in Colorado.

Winter Reflections by Joe Morahan

Winter Reflections by Joe Morahan

*Composite



MediZine-Diabetes FocusSummer 2010 issue
April 8, 2010, 6:21 pm
Filed under: Surfing

Nothing more that I like doing than doing good in the world.  I got a wonderful opportunity to help make a great article come together about Scott Dunton and Diabetes.  Scoot has struggled with Diabetes for years now, and has become more than just a role model to others faced with this issue.  He lives a wild life, surfing, playing, and hunting and nothing can slow this kid down.  It is great to work with MediZine Magazine and the great people they are drawing attention to.

Cover Diabetes FocusSummer 2010

Cover Diabetes FocusSummer 2010



1st Place Image
Joe Morahan Photography 1st Place Image

Joe Morahan Photography 1st Place Image



Forced Prospective Running through the Desert

Here are two shots from my new series that I have been working on.  It uses the forced prospective to a max and they are turning out to be quite fun.  The only problem is I can’t seem to close down enough to keep focus throughout the image.  Thank god for photoshop, but I would like to get one of these on a piece of film some day.  Maybe the old 4×5 closed down at f/64 might work, but till then I have been blending the different shots and layers together.  I specifically remember with Ralph, one of the greats was teaching us this in class and it seemed so simple there, and when shooting nature, it can be.  But having the bottle only a few inches from the camera, it’s really hard to keep that focus in the back ground.  And as soon as you move the bottle back a bit, the neck hits the horizon killing the overall look to the shot.  Anyway this series has been driving me nuts, and has been a fun challenge and expect to see a few more.

H2O

Image description:

This shot shows a woman running through a cracked and dried up lake bed.  She is running around 45 yards from the camera making her a bit small in the frame, and is in the overall background.  In the foreground a bottle of water rests on its side dripping some water from the cap.  The bottle is very close to the camera creating an illusion to the camera prospective.  The cracked ground fits together like a puzzle, and is in desperate need of water.  As the drop falls from the cap is looks like the drop of water is the same size as the runner in the background.  Its a play on hydration. Shot in El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, CA ***Composite***

Running through desert forced prospective

H2O Running through desert forced prospective

This shot has similar aspects to the other image, but was shot in Denver right after a snow storm.  Its a play on forced prospective.  The water bottle which sits near camera, just inches away is set around 30 yards in front of the basketball hoop in the background.  The bottle has a drop of water coming out that looks as though its going to fall through the basketball hoop.  The drop because its close to the camera looks around the size of a real basketball. Layers were used in this shot, to keep focus and for other image compositing.  Shot in Denver, Co.

Basketball Forced Prospective

Basketball Forced Prospective

*Composites



Light Tracing

So lately I have been feeling the need to do more industrial and scientific photography.  I use to do it all the time, shooting bullets, blowing stuff up and thought now that I love shooting sports and am taking that very seriously it would be the perfect time.  This is a sample of photos that are my first sports/industrial photoshoot.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

It was great to get back to the science stuff and it was just as challenging as I remember.  There is no real right or wrong with these…..just personal preference.  I set the shoot up in my kitchen while the g/f was out of town.  I had to put a few holes in the ceiling and a few other marks that will remain from the shoot.  This is a really cool technique of lighting and results in some cool ass images.  These are all one shot.  There is no photoshopping to the images to make the designs.  Just simple color/curves.  It was tough to get the exposure right on, but once I hit the magic spot pretty much all exposures were the same, other than the time.  The time has to deal with the pattern that the light creates.  The more time, the more streaks of light.  Its a lot of fun playing around with this.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Oh ya….I almost forgot to mention…..this was my first time shooting this type of photography digital.  Normally I would shoot film for something like this.  Chrome film does not show much grain during these long exposures.  However I used my Canon Mark III 1DS and a 17-40mm lens.  I used long exposure noise reduction and it worked like a charm.  It’s weird to me that I can do pretty much everything now digitally.  I thought for sure I would have issues with this shoot shooting digital, but after a quick check….it looked perfect.  One small problem….most these exposures are around 300 seconds….so it takes a while for the noise reduction to work and a lot of dead time between shots.  Film you can fire away, but have no idea till later exactly what the lighting looked like ext…..so I was overall pleased shooting this digitally and in fact I was surprised how well it came out.



Slick Stop

This is another industrial/scientific sports photography concept that I have worked on.  This shot shows a hockey player coming in and doing hockey stop.  The speed in which the skater was traveling was great creating a spray effect of the shaved ice off the rink.  The shot was 1/250 of a second, but I had the indoor lights turned off and used a profoto B2 to get the super fast light.  The flash duration was not timed for this shoot because I had to keep changing the light power, but I would have to guess 1/2000 of a sec.  The fast flash duration help stop the high-speed action in its tracks and can offer some cool shots of ordinarily events.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC



Water Reflections
March 1, 2010, 1:51 am
Filed under: fitness, Stretching | Tags: , , , , ,

Not sure how this happened, but the theme for my month of Jan 2010 must be reflections…..not sure why all these reflections shoots all happened in one month but they did.  I build a water box on my back deck and filled it up with water. This gives off a great reflection and can create some great images.  I feel like the quality of the whole shot depends on the quality of the box built.  I had a fun time setting up this set with my brother Jimmy.  We built the box upside down and then had to flip it……we should have planned a bit better….but whatever.  I used a dark brown tarp in the bottom of the box to give a dark feeling and helping bring out the best in the reflections.  The box was only 3.5 inches deep and that all you really need.

Reflections by Joe Morahan

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC



A female fighter

this shoot was a fun one that turned out great.  I was super happy with the results of the shoot.  The model is Zoe who is great to work with and here is a link to her page.  I was looking for a portrait with a female fighter just after a fight or training.  Zoe happens to be in incredible shape and her figure shows it.  I wanted to create a dramatic feel but still at the same time keep it raw.  I did not do too much fancy stuff on this shoot…simple lighting and let the subject speak for herself.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC



Midnight Yoga

Yosemite National Park is a wonderful place to do many things….take pictures, rock climb, and yes….even yoga.  This shot shows a young woman performing a yoga pose near midnight in Yosemite National Park.  She is on the bank of the Merced River that runs through the Yosemite Park.  It is a big river and carries much of the mountain run off out of the park.  The lights from a near by camp site gave me just the amount of light I was needing to light the trees.  Sometimes shooting on location just works out and sometimes not…..but this time the ambient light was exactly what I was needing.  The woman is on the bank of the river in an eddie and the reflection can be seen in the water.  I love the way the sky turned out to be a deep blue, almost purple color.  The stars fill the night sky and the moon happened to be right behind the subjects head.  Giving a great rim light, and even a glowing effect to the subject.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

*Composite



Christmas Day Running near Downtown Denver, Colorado
December 25, 2009, 2:57 am
Filed under: ***Sportrature, Colorado, Denver, fitness, running, Sports

Running through the city park golf course just east of Denver, Colorado.  This is a sweet location for a shoot.  The city of Denver in placed just in front of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains.  The foreground is covered in snow from a storm that moved in the day before Christmas in Denver.  The young women is running through the snow with ease and is enjoying the beautiful day off.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC



A Night of Basketball at Huntington Beach, CA
November 21, 2009, 4:23 pm
Filed under: ***Sportrature, Basketball, Sports

So I flew back to Cali for a few meetings and a few shoots as well.  I hate traveling with all the gear.  It really sux and by the time I’m shooting the back is killing me….Well whatever and the show must go on.

I talked to Branden who happens to be one of the greatest athletic models I have ever worked with.  He has a sharp look to him and can jump over my head.  He has game….football, basketball whatever….no problem.  Thats why I had to call him for this very important shoot. (branden website) My new wonderful agent Katherine wanted to see some studio style sports images.  And since I dont have access to a gym or pro court I tough it might work well to shoot at night.  Drop everything else out other than the subject and whatever I wanted to keep.  So it was fun switching things up a bit and shooting at night vs. sunset or a magic hour of some sort.  Here are a few of my favs from the shoot

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC



Gemma Nguyen in Studio
November 20, 2009, 4:57 pm
Filed under: studio

Gemma Nguyen Tricking in Studio.  A few of my favs

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC



Studio Tricking with Gemma Nguyen
November 20, 2009, 4:37 pm
Filed under: boxing, Sports

Gemma Nguyen tricking and showing off some Karate skillz.  When around Gemma keep your head low because this girl kicks harder and faster than anyone I have ever seen.  Put it this way.  I had an easier time catching a bullet in frame than some of her trick kicks.  Which you won’t see in here for may reasons.  As she does some of these kick you can actually here the wind cracking as her leg whips around.  Some might say a death kick.  Here’s a link to Gemma site and she is a great model who shows up on time and is open to suggestion and has been a pleasure working with every time.

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC

Joe Morahan Photography, LLC



Green with Envy
October 25, 2009, 5:59 pm
Filed under: ***Sportrature, Composites, fitness, running

Green with Envy

While on my trip to Maui for a vacation, Tiffany and I went to explore the island like I have never been there before.  We went to many places, but one really stood out to me.  It was the bamboo forest.  We went to Haleakala National Park and went hiking around.  While we ascended into the rain forest we hit a bamboo forest.  It seemed so out-of-place for Maui and the Hawaiian Islands.  It just sort of appeared from nowhere and we were fully surrounded by the thin narrow and very green bamboo trunks.   We shot for hours up there, getting infrared images, panos, and some simple shots as well.  It only seemed fitting to work a sports image out of the shots.

This image show a young woman running down a path through a bamboo forest.  She is in mid-stride and fully surrounded by bamboo trees.  The path is dead center in the photo and is made of planks of wood.  The shot over all has a green color shift to it, from the reflection of all the green foliage, and also from the green leafs creating a green source of light.  This was shot with the intention of stock photography for Getty Images.

Green with Envy

Green with Envy

(Click image to enlarge)

Shot details: f/10;  1/250 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 300mm; EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

*Composite



Running into Winter
October 3, 2009, 6:12 pm
Filed under: ***Sportrature, fitness, running

Running into Winter

This is a shot of a young women running in front of Maroon Bells.  She is slightly bundeled from the morning chill, and running in a grass field.  The massive Maron Bells is directly in the background.  The snow is startiung to build on the mountain side, and the tress are dieing showing the last colors of the season.  The trees are green, yellow, orange, and some are even red.  The sky is a deep blue color and the light on the Bells is prstine. This was my second time shooting the fall season in Aspen, Colorado and i thought it might be a great spot to shoot some sports images.

Running into Winter

Running into Winter

(Click image to enlarge)

Shot details: f/10;  1/160 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 70mm; EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III



Mooney Falls Yoga
September 9, 2009, 8:21 pm
Filed under: ***Sportrature, Composites, fitness, Yoga

Yoga at Mooney Falls

So I am gonna totally skimp on info for now, but I will update this info soon, but i have been very busy.  This shot shows a young woman doing yoga at Mooney Falls.  Mooney Falls is 12 miles from the nearest road and is quite a trek to get to.   I packed mules and donkeys to carry in the gear for me and I am very glad i choose to do that.  The 12 mile hike was a bit harder than i was expecting, but everything went fine.  We camped near Havasu Falls and walked to Mooney Falls first thing in the morning to get this shot.  It was down a 200 foot cliff, no ropes, gear, just don’t slip.  There are pieces of re-bar stuck in the rock for grip and things to hold on to.  It was insane and I would never do that again knowing how crazy it gets toward the bottom.  Oh also did I mention that all the rock was soaked from the massive waterfalls mist, making the surface wet, slippery and all the more dangerous.  Anyway I got the shots I needed to creat this image.

Yoga at Mooney Falls

Yoga at Mooney Falls

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/22;  1/8 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 17mm; EF 17-40 mm f/4 L USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

*Composite



Rock Climbing at Red Rocks, Colorado
August 28, 2009, 3:10 am
Filed under: ***Sportrature, fitness, Rock Climbing

Rock Climbing at Red Rocks near Denver, Colorado


Rock Climbing at Red Rocks near Denver, Colorado

Rock Climbing at Red Rocks near Denver, Colorado

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/13; 1/250 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 15mm; EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III



Running Mirage in the Dead Vlei
July 19, 2009, 1:45 am
Filed under: ***Sportrature, Composites, fitness, running, Stretching
Running in the Dead Vlei near Sossusvlei Namibia

This shot shows a runner racing between two dead trees in a dry lake bed called “The Dead Vlei” located near Sossusvlei, Namibia. This particular dry lake bed in one of the most interesting places on earth. The trees you see are around 700-900 years old. I know that seems hard to believe but its true. There are three reasons why this dry lake bed as trees still standing after being dead for hundreds of years. Reason one, this is one of the driest places on earth. They get very little rain, in fact sometimes it goes years without any water other than the morning mist. Another reason for the trees still standing after being dead is the fact the they are full surrounded by massive dues, the most massive in the world. These dunes help protect the dead vlei from the wrath of the wind and shields it from mother nature. And the third reason is these dunes are the biggest in the world and there is tens of thousands of miles of sand dunes making life here almost impossible. There are no bugs and insects here to eat the trees. That is why these trees stand in the same place that they died hundreds of years ago.

***First Place Image***

Running in the Dead Vlei near Sossusvlei Namibia

Mirage
(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/14; 1/250 sec; ISO 100; 5616×3744 Pixels
Focal Length 148mm; EF70-200 f/2.8L IS USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

This shot is of a young women running through the dry lake bed. She splits the trees and she heads straight toward the camera. The lighting was camera left and was a 1 to 9 ratio. She is in great shape and is working out in one of the hottest places on earth.

*Composite



Portrait of a Boxer in an Old Garage
June 28, 2009, 1:30 am
Filed under: boxing, fitness
The Life of a Boxer

This shoot was kinda different from my average shoot. It was indoors and I had very little room to work in. Unlike being in nature where I have all the space to work I could ever want. The boxer featured in the shots is Alex who is a personal trainer in Denver, Colorado. He has a fighting background in MMA and trained back in Brazil.

This shot shows the boxer taking a rest after a grueling workout session. He sits with his back against an old brick wall that is crumbling after hundreds of years. The light is coming from camera right beaming through a window that was close by. The heavy bag sits in front of him almost taunting him to keep on working.

Life of a Boxer

Life of a Boxer

(click image to enlarge)

Shot details: f/22; 1/250 sec; ISO 640; 5616×3744 Pixels
Focal Length 110mm; EF70-200 f/2.8L IS USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

This shot shows the boxer taking a second to meditate and think about his form and power. His abs shine with the light and he shows off his perfect figure. His head in bowed down looking toward his feet. The shot has a nice blue color shift giving a cold feel to this boxing image.

At Rest

At Rest

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/11; 1/250 sec; ISO 640;5616×3744 Pixels
Focal Length 17mm; EF 17-40 mm f/4 L USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Alex was a great model to work with and here is a link to Alex’s website:
http://www.alexcarneiro.com/


Running on Water
June 15, 2009, 2:02 pm
Filed under: ***Sportrature, Composites, fitness, running
Running on Water Along the Kanappali Beach in Maui
This shot was taken in the Hawaiian Islands. It show a woman running along the Kanappali Beach in Maui. The shot was taken from the water and shows both above water and below, showing the coral reefs that surround the islands. From the angle of the shot it looks as though the women is running on the water.
-More info coming soon-


Running on Water

Running on Water

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/4.5;1/2500 sec;ISO 200;2336×3504 Pixels
Focal Length 15mm;EF 15 mm fish eye f/2.8
Camera Details: Canon EOS 20D

*Composite



A Rock Climber in the Upper Slot Canyon Page, Arizona
May 15, 2009, 10:37 pm
Filed under: ***Sportrature, Composites, fitness, Rock Climbing

A Rock Climber in the Upper Slot Canyon in Page, Arizona

This dramatic shot was done for stock photography, and will be submitted to Getty Images.
(gettyimages)

It shows a young women hanging from the dramatic canyon walls. The Light beam shines down through the canyon at high noon but only last for a few minutes. She is partially lit and her body curves mimic the canyon walls. This shot was a creation of my imagination. I have never seen a rock climbing image from the slots, not to say that it has never been done, but I have never seen one. I wish I had a big client to shoot these sorts of images for, but I am on a limited budget so I had to cheat a bit. It is a composite of two images. One from the Upper Slot canyons at high noon, showing the beam of light and the canyon walls. The second shot is of a climber hanging on to a cliff. I used photoshop CS4 to combine the two images and get the final creation I had in my head. It’s one of the best parts of knowing photoshop and being a photographer. Coming up with a scene of something that I would like to create and going out and getting the shots I need. The most fun part to me is, combining images to creat a scene that never existed other that my mind.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the shot as much as I do ; )

***First Place Image***

The Slots

The Slots

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/9.0;1/640 sec;ISO 100;3679×5518 Pixels
Focal Length 17mm; EF 17-40 mm f/4 L USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

*Composite



2009 USASA National Championships at Copper mountain, Colorado
April 8, 2009, 11:41 pm
Filed under: Snowboarding

The 2009 USASA National Championships at Copper Mountain, Colorado

A huge air at Copper Mountain, Colorado

A huge air at Copper Mountain, Colorado

Boy oh boy it was quite a week in Copper Mountain. Many of the best in the world were there competing for spots to be on the upcoming olimpic team. There was no holding back as the season slows as the winter ends. Lucky for me there was plenty of beautiful weather. By that I mean clear sky at least in the morning for a few hours, but the temp was -9 one morning. That’s a tough way to start my day shooting. Having to get my gear up a mountain in bitter cold weather. But well worth in after I warmed up.

Benjamin Gammon (25) Strong, Me goes for big air during the slope style 2009 USASA National Championships

Benjamin Gammon (25) Strong, Me goes for big air during the slope style 2009 USASA National Championships

Benjamin Gammon (25) Strong, Me goes for big air during the slope style 2009 USASA National Championships

(click image to enlarge)
Shot details: f/5; 1/1600 sec; ISO 100;
Focal Length 26mm; EF 17-40 mm f/4 L USM
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Zack Black (18) Keystone, Co in the half pipe during the 2009 USASA National Championships at Copper mountain, Colorado.

Zack Black (18) Keystone, Co in the half pipe during the 2009 USASA National Championships at Copper mountain, Colorado.

Zack Black (18) Keystone, Co in the half pipe during the 2009 USASA National Championships at Copper mountain, Colorado.

(click image to enlarge)

Shot details: f/4.5; 1/1600 sec; ISO 100
Focal Length 15mm: EF15mm f/2.8 Fisheye
Camera Details: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III




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