Here’s the video from my recent shoot with Sally & Rooni.
weightlifting
First Shoot for 15 Months!
in Shoots
I’m back in the saddle… & it was great!
I shot two British champion weightlifters on Thursday - Rooni Siraj & Sally Bennett. This was my first shoot since before Covid - and I was genuinely nervous. As I assembled the gear the day before I found myself unsure of aspects that were just second nature before... “how many lights will I need?” “which backdrop - & where is it!”
I made the shoot more difficult by using a new camera too. Canon kindly lent me a mirrorless R5 & matching 24 to 70mm lens to try out. Talk about putting yourself under pressure. I needn’t have worried about the camera though. It was a joy to use & directly transferable from my normal 5D Mk4… I found my way around the menus in minutes & all the light triggers etc. worked from the off.
The shoot went really well - I was super happy. Alex made a video too, so we’ll be releasing a behind the scenes video shortly.
I’m so, so happy to be back behind the lens!
Sally Bennett & Rooni Siraj
Rooni Siraj - Weightlifting Champion
in Sport
I had the pleasure of photographing my good friend Rooni Siraj yesterday. Rooni is a weightlifting champion who represents England - but above & beyond that he’s a really nice guy. I met him on a weightlifting project I started 18 months ago and he’s the first Pro sportsperson I’ve got to know well. The dedication & sacrifice these people display is awesome. I photographed him at the British & the UK Championships last year & it really adds an extra dimension when you are rooting for one of the competitors. This image conveys how I see him - a real sporting hero (of mine).
Haroon Siraj, Weightlifting Champion
Weightlifter workup
If you’re interested in how I process my images you might want to take a look at a 12 minute video I’ve added to my YouTube channel. I take you step by step through the Photoshop layers in working up the image below, plus some of my thinking behind why I processed it that way.
The 170kg Lift