Visuals > Redwood County Fair Quad Freestyle

Behind the Scenes

Created By: Andy Kawa
Website: http://www.andykawa.com

Camera: Nikon D300, Nikon D90
Lenses: Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII, Tokina 12-24 f/4, Nikon 17-55 f/2.8
Lighting: (2) Nikon SB-800, (1) Nikon SB-600


The Scoop: What a crazy event! Definitely one of the funnest freestyle shows I've covered. This time around I tried to spice things up a bit and do a few things a little differently than I normally do. I tried different framing, turning the camera more and putting some of the end products together a bit differently. It ended up being a nice mix of traditional and not so ordinary images.

These guys put on a show that produces such stunning imagery it's hard not to just stand and stare; but it also makes it so easy to make sweet photos. For sure a day I will not soon forget.

Favorite Photo: I really enjoy how this image turned out. Normally I would finish the sequence and put the rest of the photos of Derek landing this trick; which he did successfully! This time, however, I opted out and wanted to try something new.

I ended the sequence at the height of the trick, which is the point anyway, and it created a very pleasing composition. Your eye follows Derek into the sky, and you can see each step he takes to move his body from riding position to bring it upside down and backwards. The rest of the pictures are not needed, your brain fills in the line of him landing and then you continue back around into a loop. It balances nicely with all the action happening on the left and the mound of dirt on the right with a connected implied motion. Then to top it off the sky has some epic clouds. I love it!

Special thanks to Stacey Kanarski for all the behind the scenes photos!

Want more dirt on this project? Read Luke Parmeter's *Behind the Scenes