Gamers

I've been attending a regular game night with friends since about , at least 2006. We play on Wednesday nights, and it has been very much fun. I am not a hard core gamer like some of them, more of a social gamer who shows up for the photos, beer, and an occasional game play.
For a long while, I have been posting my photos of the games and people who are playing them. It has been a fun exercise. I've seen my photos get a lot better along the way. From available light, to other lenses, to bounce light, to multiple remote light triggers. I like the challenge, and it is a great way for me to get regular practice at photography.

In early 2011, the President RBM design studios, Rodger MacGowen, contacted me about my game night photos. He offered some mutually beneficial exchange between me and his group. He would send some magazines and games for photos to be used on his website for his magazine- C3i. Alrighty then... I had no clue who the guy was. I talked to my gaming buddies, and as it turns out he has put out a CRAP load of games. He is part of the management team at GMT.

To put it mildly  the dude is in gaming. He contacted me for photos to use. Really?


Rodger asked me to do some photos for the C3i magazine, adverts. The first couple were not QUIET what he was looking for. Ok ok ok... they were total ham shots. I wanted to come up with something slightly better.

My mind started thinking of posed shots- not the impromptu shots I am used to getting with the gaming friends. Rodger game me a couple ideas he was looking for, and I ran with them.

First, I needed to light the C3i magazine. Thats a given. Snoot or grid spot. That takes care of one of my two light sources. The 430EX because of the ability to dial down to like 1/64 power. Ok...  Then a soft light for another axis of light. This would be on the subjects face while 'reading' the magazine. That would get my Vivatar 285. Which means I had to go 1/4 or 1/16, as it does not have 1/8 power. *sigh*

Seemed like a great idea, the problem is I don't do this type of shooting enough to just setup and go. It took me a good 10-15 minutes to dial everything in. But once I did get it, I was just nailing shot after shot. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Nice soft light on one side of the subject away from the magazine cover, and the cover nicely highlighted with a direct light source.

Rodger was very happy and turned it around the next day for an on-line advert.

[follow-up] I often joke with the guys that if a GMT game is on the table, I am legally obligated to photograph it. Rodger did me one better, he said I was ' "unofficial" GMT photographer.'