Working with Special Olympics

All I can say is wow! From the time I was a kid, I have been amazed by people who have special needs.  They never take anything for granted.  They only see people for who they are and most of the time have big smiles on their faces.

I have been fortunate enough to be able to work with the Bobcats from the the time the team came to Charlotte.  The highlight for me is working the Special Olympics clinic the team puts on. It’s really nice to see the players with smiles on their faces as they go through some really basic drills. I give the players two big thumbs up for giving up their time during a busy and exhausting schedule to come out an essentially change these kids lives forever.

Every year there is always one quote from one of the kids that makes me laugh.  This year one of the older participants said, “you use up a lot of energy playing out here, the only way it would be better is we had some Metallica playing”.  Then he just smiled.

On Thursday, February 18, the entire Bobcats team hosted a clinic for approximately 150 Special Olympics athletes and their coaches.  The athletes participated in stations such as ball-handling, passing, lay-ups and defense before taking a group photo with the Bobcats players.

Boris Diaw sits with the Special Olympics kids

Raymond Felton shows off his skills

19 Beautiful Women and Only One Day to Do It.

So, this job can be glamorous at times, but there is no time to bask in the sun until the hard work is over. Whether you are creating images of the President of the United States in only 5 minutes, or just photographing regular people,  you are often working at an extremely fast pace to get the most out of what you are doing in the shortest amount of time.

The same is the case in today’s photo shoot where I have 19 beautiful women from the Charlotte Bobcats Dance Team at the studio and, I am to capture the best possible images of them, in just one day.  We have setup the strobes and background, the makeup was added, and then, the work really begins for me.  My assistants and I are hard at work before the shoot to make sure everything is in place.  Once they arrive, it’s time to get the camera rolling.  We have very little time with each girl in order capture one shot that will be used in the very high demand poster they use all year to market their talent.

I usually like to spend a little time with whom ever I am working with before I begin shooting to make them feel comfortable in front of the camera, that will not be the case today. I will be flying from girl to girl to capture that one image.  I will be looking at the faces and bodies of each girl to try and find the best possible light to use on them and create the ultimate look.

Today I will be shooting on a white background with women wearing white outfits.   This is one of the hardest things to do in lighting.  If I over do it, they will look like they are flying in the air; under do it it will appear I am shooting on a muted grey background.  If I don’t nail the exposure correctly, the outfits become part of the background. And, because of the tight schedule there is not time for me to correct each person’s tone and hair color which can create further issues.  Being aware all of these external factors, it is extremely important to know what the final product is going to be in order to determine the correct exposure for the background and subject.

My advice for the day is:

Do not get out of control.  Take your time and have fun…just remember your having the time of your life doing what you love.

Make sure to visit the website for more images-  Kent Smith Photography

Here are a few quick images from the shoot.

Janel shows her smile for the camera.

Charlotte Bobcats Lady Cat Jordan shows her smile.

Charlotte Bobcats Lady Cat Dawn shows her form off in this shot.