Unufe setup

"The Provo High School football team poses after a portrait of one of their players in the Provo High School locker room on Wednesday afternoon."

I'll post the outcome of this sportrait tomorrow. But if you're wondering what's going on in this picture, let me tell you.

I had to shoot a local football player who has scored six touchdowns in the past two games and his team is now 2-0 for the first time in years.

After scoping out some locations, I figured the locker room would be the best place to setup my lights.

So I setup, made some test frames on some lingering students and then informed the coach where I'd be and waited.

I guess I wasn't thinking, but the entire team then funneled into the locker room after practice. They all asked what I was doing, and when I told them, their adrenaline started pumping.

I told my subject, Keomaka Unufe, what I had in mind, and as I peer over my shoulder, the entire football was cheering, screaming and ribbing Unufe. It was awesome.

At first, Unufe couldn't put on a serious face. He was nervous. He kept laughing. I shot a bunch of frames of him acting goofy, and when I chimped, the entire team would burst into hysterics.

But finally, I got him to a good place. I said, "Pretend you're going out to play Timpview (they're biggest rival)." Something snapped. He, as well as the rest of the team when crazy. Screaming. Yelling. Going wild.

I got my frame, but I needed one more. I have never had that many people watching me shoot a portrait before. It was loud, it was smelly and it was hot. The locker room was tiny, but without the rest of the team, I don't think I would have gotten Unufe's true personality .