Shooting portraits in the middle of a road isn’t something that many photographers do. Some roads, though, are worth it, especially when they have such good looking surroundings. For Photographer Keydrin Franklin, it’s become a speciality and it’s why many of his clients choose him. For this session, the destination was the 7th Bridge, in Fort Worth, Texas.
DIYP got in touch with Keydrin to find out more about the shoot.
When shooting on a road, the biggest concern is always safety. You don’t want to be fiddling with your camera when a car comes rushing up behind you. You also don’t want to be holding up traffic. Keydrin takes no chances with this aspect of a shoot. Although this is not my preferred time to shoot, I was confident that my Profoto lighting system could handle the harsh natural sunlight with no problems. I wanted to shoot on this particular bridge for a while, so when Jamal and Heather said they were comfortable with it, we went right to work.
I began assessing the traffic flow prior to doing anything that involved them moving into the road. Although this area is pretty popular, it was not as crowded on this particular Sunday afternoon. For Keydrin, sessions like this often become a family affair. His wife, Kara, acts as lighting assistant. Their kids become spotters and shoot behind the scenes images. To further prepare, I made the necessary camera adjustments before moving in the road. I first set my aperture, followed by ISO, and then adjusted my shutter speed to underexpose the background by ¼ of a stop. Profoto lighting for this shot was set to TTL power level 10.
Having people you can rely on in situations like this is vital to making sure everybody stays safe while still getting great shots. If it looks like it’s going to be too risky, then don’t take the chance. Move on, and find somewhere safer. Like a park.
Keydrin often lies down on the job to get a lower perspective. The Nikon 200mm f/2 VRII helps him produce a great cinematic look, but means he must often shoot at a distance. This doesn’t always make giving direction easy, but the results are sure worth it.
So, if you’re going to shoot near a potentially dangerous location, always make safety your number one priority. You’ll also want to have several backup locations handy, too, just in case.
