This past weekend when heading to Portsmouth for the Community Photo Walk, I also packed an off camera flash, soft-box and monopod just incase an opportunity arose to take a portrait, and boy ... am I glad I did!
Chris Taylor; (parading The Waterlooville RNA Branch Standard)
Served on HMS Invincible in 1982
Richard Shenton; (parading today, the South Atlantic Medal 82 Association Standard)
Deputy RNA National Standard Bearer
Area and Branch Standard Bearer and HMS Bristol Standard Bearer
Served on HMS Bristol in 1982
Dean Deakins; (parading today, HMS Exeter Standard)
HMS Exeter Association Standard Bearer and Royal Naval Association (RNA) Area 3 Ceremonial Adviser
Served on HMS Exeter in 1982
All are proud holders of The South Atlantic Medal (with Rosette), Falklands Veterans and members of the RNA.
With it just so happening to be Liberation Day on the day of the Photo Walk, there were lots of Royal Navy Falklands War Veterans present for the morning service, who there then congregating near an area called "Hotwalls".
I was stood with Geoff Sargeant at the time, both of us watching with me at one point spotting a gent that would be so good to photograph. I pointed him out to Geoff and the decision was made ... let's go for it!
I grabbed the kit from my car with the help of my mate, Andy Hughes, and by the time I'd headed back to Geoff, I could see he was in conversation with the very man (and his colleagues) that I wanted to photograph.
Still taken from video filmed by Lee Churchill
Thanks to Geoff, after a quick introduction and explantion of what I had in mind, all 3 were "Game On" ... although asking them to walk on the stoney beach in their brightly bulled parade shoes took a little convincing. But, "Game On" they were.
I'd only brought along my Medium Westcott Octa as I'd only imagined taking individual portraits on the day if the opportunity arose, but with the weather conditions as they were, this worked out great. Having Andy hold the lighting ( Westcott FJ400II ) a little further back meant I was able to get even light across all 3 Veterans, but also create the same light and shadows being created by the sun.
Photograph by Brian Lee
Having the camera in Manual, I dialled in the necessary camera settings to give me the "scene" I wanted with detail in the sky, I then decided to use the Flash in TTL as the lighting conditions were constant i.e. no fast moving clouds to change the light as they covered then reveal the sun)
Kit + Settings
Fuji X-T5
Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II
16mm
1/200sec
f/9.0
ISO 80
Lighting
Westcott FJ400II
Westcott Rapid Box Switch Medium Octa
TTL with no + or - compensation
Photograph by Brian Lee
*In 'Post' the metal railings and concrete platform have been removed to give a clear backdrop of Portsmouth Harbour from where the 1982 Falklands Task Force: the Royal Navy’s carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible sailed from, heading for the South Atlantic on 5 April 1982, at the start of the Falklands War.
Final image has already been sent over to each of the Veterans with the offer to also send over a print should they wish to have one.
Consequently after this, a Falklands War Veterans Project has been born!