I had the pleasure of shooting Rocky Boiman for Cincy Magazine last month (you can read the article HERE). An ex-NFL linebacker who played for the Titans, Steelers and Chiefs and earned his Super Bowl ring as a Colt in Super Bowl XLI, Rocky is currently pursuing a career as football color commentator and has also been active in local politics.
I have always enjoyed doing environmental portraiture, much more so than studio work. From my perspective being able to incorporate aspects of a subject's personal space in their portrait adds so much to our understanding of that person in the final photographs. People also tend to be more comfortable and at ease in their own environment so theoretically that should led to a more relaxed and honest image. Of course it adds all kinds of new challenges to the shoot as well. I am walking in cold, having never physically met the subject before and having absolutely no idea what that environment will look like. What will the nature light be like if any? Will the space be neat or cluttered? What personal items will be available that can enhance the shot without looking forced or kitschy? What equipment/lenses will i need to handle the space? Enter the unknown…
In this case we can also add that i was not quite sure going in exactly what aspect of Rocky's life the article was going to feature. Were they more interested in his past career as linebacker, his current career as a color commentator or his involvement in local politics? I had spoken to the writer earlier that week, but never had an opportunity to see the article he was writing before the shoot, so this wasn't really clear to me. My best bet was to cover my bases as best i could (yes, i do realize i just used a baseball metaphor in reference to a football player). 
©David Sorcher 2014
I must say, i was quite impressed when i arrived at the home, a modest mansion of sorts at the end of a long driveway atop of a hill with glorious views. It was a new home for Rocky, his wife Kelli and their brand new son Beau and fortunately the rooms had nice, soft, natural light coming in through the windows on all sides of the house. I had brought some lighting gear, of course, but i do really prefer to use natural light when it is appropriate and available.
After making a quick survey of the house for good set locations and determining just how much time Rocky actually had for me (he could give me an hour) we got started in his study. This seemed like the best spot for a shot that might hint at his political aspirations. So i tried framing him up against the map in the background while he sat on the edge of his desk. The rich, dark woods and room tones seemed to emphasis this aspect of Rocky's life quite well. The light is from the window to the left with a white reflector as a shadow fill. I got lucky with that as serious dark rain was forecast for later that day, but when i arrived a hazy-sun sky was still throwing an adequate amount of light into the room.
©David Sorcher 2014
It also seemed a good bet to put at least some emphasis on Rocky's family life. They were happy to do this as they hadn't really had any official photos done of the family since Beau's arrival. Little Beau wasn't exactly the most cooperative subject, but we all did our best to work with his fidgetiness and i think this one didn't turn out too bad. Getting one person to look good in a photo is often difficult on its own. Two people is, of course, just a bit harder. Add a third and make that third an infant…well, you see where i'm going. It probably took more time for this family portrait that any of the others. Kudos to grandma, by the way, who stood behind me attempting to focus young Beau's attention in one spot for at least a second or two.
©David Sorcher 2014
We finished up the shoot in Rocky's "man cave" in the basement. I had communicated prior to the day that i would be interested in working some memorabilia from his glory days in football into some of the shots, including his Super Bowl championship ring. I was a little worried that this idea wouldn't work out when he told me that much of that stuff was still in boxes from the move, but i was pleasantly surprised to find most of his trophy room set up when i arrived.
©David Sorcher 2014
Since the house cuts into a hill the basement had glass doors out to the backyard so i was able to make use of the windows for my key light again. The background was getting lost, though, in the dark corner of the room and i also felt i needed some kind of accent lighting on the left side of Rocky's face, so i set up a white translucent umbrella and shot two speedlights (Nikon sb-900 and sb-910 triggered with the su-800 ) through it. I also used a reflector to fill in the area between the key light and the strobe for a smoother transition. I hate lugging around heavy and bulky studio equipment on a location shoot like this, especially when i'm not working with an assistant. Set-up and break down times are time consuming and i'm not convinced the larger lights would really do that much of a better job in this situation. Big lighting equipment can also seem invasive in a subjects home as well as distracting.
©David Sorcher 2014
I ended the shoot with this headshot, showing off his Super Bowl ring (and, of course, his rugged good looks) with his Colts #50 jersey framed in the background. It wasn't until later that i realized what a perfect complimentary contrast the room colors made with his striking red hair. Just for full disclosure here, Rocky does not wear this ostentatious ring around on a daily basis, but retrieved it from a safety deposit box for the sake of the photos. He told me that he did wear it for about a week after the Super Bowl victory back in 2006 and who would fault him for that?
All in all i was quite pleased with my final results. You just never know what you are going to walk into no matter how much you prepare. Frankly i was a little worried from my pre-shoot research as i could not find many off-field photos of Rocky on line that i thought were very good leading me to wonder if he might be a little stiff in front of the camera. Sometime you get a subject that just can't relax no matter what you do and that always shows through in the final images. But aside from being a really nice guy Rocky handled himself like a pro which always makes our job as the photographer just a little bit easier.
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