Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based photographer Chance Robinson says he loves creating images with motion, so when he was creating senior portraits for his cousin, Landon, he wanted something that conveyed action, movement and energy. “I wanted to get some shots that were powerful and that would make people say, ‘How did you guys do that?'”

The duo has done a photo session together in the past, so Landon was already relaxed on set, Robinson recalls. Also, as a player on his high school basketball team, it wasn’t hard for Landon to nail some impressive moves. Despite these advantages, one trick Robinson likes to use when photographing senior clients is to show them the first shot. “That single image preview gives them all of the confidence and attitude they need from that point forward.”

For this particular shoot, Robinson says the hardest part was nailing the focus. “It was almost completely dark outside and my flash [a Yongnuo manual flash with an octabox on camera right] didn’t have enough power for me to shoot at a higher f-stop,” he says. The autofocus assist wasn’t cutting it either, he recalls, but once he nailed the focus, “I left it there,” and continued shooting.

(Captured using a Canon 5D Mark III with a 70-200mm lens at f/2.8.)

Photo © Chance Robinson

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