Thursday I joined the North Carolina State University’s women’s golf team on their home course, the Lonnie Poole golf course in Raleigh, to create some promotional images for the school’s athletics website, GO PACK, and for their media guide. We shot headshots of 10 golfers and three coaches, made individual action shots of the golfers and then took group photos with the school’s mascots, Mr. and Ms. Wuf.

The entire shoot was festive and fun, and despite the heat, we all had a good time. Here’s an image of Mr. Wuf feigning dismay at seeing his “son” (a Mr. Wuf-shaped driver cover) tossed on the ground.

Lens: 50mm • ISO: 250 • Aperture: 16 • Shutter: 1/200

The individual action shots will be used with stories on the web about the golfers. I had the girls stand at the corner of driving range and swing at will, while I moved around and shot from varying distances.

Lens: 200mm • ISO: 250 • Aperture: 4.5 • Shutter: 1/2000

We actually started the day with these headshots, which were lit very simply. The sun is over the player’s right shoulder (camera left, not far off from directly overhead at 2 p.m.). To their left (camera right) is a Canon speedlight on full power in a beauty dish. This is Brooke Baker, the team’s lone senior who happens to hail from my hometown of Edmond, Okla.

Lens: 200mm • ISO: 250 • Aperture: 10 • Shutter: 1/200

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ISO: 125 • Aperture: 9 • Shutter: 1/160

ISO: 125 • Aperture: 13 • Shutter: 1/200

ISO: 125 • Aperture: 13 • Shutter: 1/200

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There’s probably nothing I like shooting more than performers. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon — hanging out with another person whose job it is to create something. This spring I shot David Bowden, a performance poet whose work deals with religious and social themes. He recently released his album Mute on iTunes.

SO: 100 • Aperture: 11 • Shutter: 1/200

ISO: 100 • Aperture: 11 • Shutter: 1/200

ISO: 100 • Aperture: 13 • Shutter: 1/200

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With my career as a fake pilot now behind me, I’ve turned my attention back to the serious pursuit of photography. In the past six or eight weeks, while finishing up my gig with Raytheon, I’ve shot NCAA Women’s basketball, engagement photos, some senior pictures, an Eagle Scout ceremony, a performance poet, a bit of soccer and a concert. I have plenty to blog about, so let’s get started, eh?

I shot some images of a local high school senior named Jack. He’s one of the funniest, most light-hearted young men you will ever meet, and I’m lucky enough to count him among my many cousins.

ISO: 50 • Aperture: 5.6 • Shutter: 1/200

I have an assistant holding a bare flash camera left, and another holding a reflector camera right.

ISO: 100 • Aperture: 9 • Shutter: 1/200

This has the same lighting setup, but the flash and reflector had switched places.

This last one was the very last image we shot that day. It was very much last-second, shot totally available light, and is probably my favorite of all of the images.

ISO: 100 • Aperture: 3.5 • Shutter: 1/250

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For those of you who are new to these parts, let me give you a brief introduction to the redesigned audreydodgen.com.

I’ve been fortunate, in the past year, to really narrow my focus professionally on editorial and commercial work, particularly editorial portraiture. I’ve still been able to do some documentary and news photography, but it has been really wonderful to work so often in the areas in which I prefer to specialize.

Since August I’ve been working part time for Raytheon Technical Services at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, doing simulations with Air Traffic Control students. When that ends at the end of April, I’ll be returning to full time freelance photography, focused on building my commercial and editorial client base. That will probably necessitate a move away from Oklahoma, but that’s a bridge I’ll cross when it comes and not before. For now, I’m quite happy being an Oklahoma-based editorial photographer.

So, that’s what’s new here. Please check out my new work, most of which you’ll find HERE. Keep looking to the blog for site updates and photos.

Today, I’ll leave you with this image, my great-grandmother, on the occasion of her 101st birthday (today).

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One of the great things in my life is that I have friends who think it’s perfectly reasonable to spend a Monday afternoon in a cemetery, having their pictures taken. This is Matt, and he’s a funeral director, so he’s frequently in a cemetery.

Here are some highlights.

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I find shooting children to be challenging because I can rarely predict what they are going to do.

That said, I do like the following from this weekend.

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I went to the south side of downtown Oklahoma City with a couple of friends, one who wanted her picture made and one who wanted to learn to use her camera. So, I shot one while teaching the other.

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While we were down there, we found this fantastic old truck and shot a few with it.

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Mike Huckabee @ OC ©The Edmond Sun

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