Chris Sinclair » Photo

Soccer Moments

Chris — Sat, 15 May 2010 08:41:05 +0000

Last night was nostalgic. The lights. The humidity. The long stretch of sideline: parents in lawn chairs on one end, sophomores grouped in a chanting cluster on the other far end, separated in the middle by the video dad and the announcer doing his best at providing play-by-play over a small sound system. The Thai equivalent of a hot dog stand was the ice-cream guy who strapped a portable freezer to his motorbike, surrounded by the younger kids. The ref. The tense field play. Then finally, after a 2-2 tie, the shootout that would determine the fate of a season.

It took me back to my senior year in high school when all this was a weekly tradition that shaped me. I didn’t realize until towards the end of the game, that this was a juncture night. The final game to be played by a number of the players on the field who have sweated together, tourneyed internationally together, won and lost together, and grown from boys to men, for as long as a decade for some.

After all the official snaps were made, and the parents cheered, the team gathered on the far end of the field for their own time. I couldn’t help but walk in their direction. It was quiet. All the emotions were spent. Just silence. Soft voices. I find that it’s often in these moments that all the action, toil, athleticism and effort speak the loudest and most clearly. A moment where the essence and virtue of any human interconnectedness is seen more magically and clearly, moving beyond the mere sum: “So if there’s any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind … Have this mind among yourselves…” Phil 2

~Chris.

Senior Portraits 2010

Chris — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 08:24:40 +0000

You ever wonder what it would be like to grow up in some far-off place like Thailand, go to an international school where English, Korean, Thai, German, and more languages are heard through the halls, then come to your Senior year, your mind begins to think more and more about which country you’ll move to for college, or gap year, and beyond?

That was the story, a uniquely formed identity, that I was trying to capture in a single image as I was preparing for a Senior picture shoot with 3 friends, Matt, Taylor and Evan. After living here for almost 5 years, what comes to my mind are stupas, orange, deep red bricks, evening light. So we met up first at the school, played around in the gym with a cheap lighting rig I rented from a local shop, then went to Wat Oo Mong here in Chiang Mai right as the sun was setting (I timed it out so we could get the deep blues and fill light).

I haven’t done many shoots with this approach. I lean towards the purist journalist, no flash, no staging. But when the time comes, embrace it baby. Your limits are now your creativity. I suddenly wished I was a trained stage lighter.

Regarding equipment, I had two battery-powered LitePanels, and enough parents with legs to move my light around on demand (an awesome idea. Better than static stands, I tell ya.). The LitePanels were made for video and dim light, so I knew they didn’t have enough output for bright day-time portraiture. I had to rent a separate light kit with DC-powered heads for the day-time shots, to push out enough wattage to overpower the daylight. But as dusk fell, I knew the LitePanels would work well as ambient fill-light. So at that point you’re basically working with model lighting. Shoot it with a Canon that has Live View mode (I used my 5D Mark II), and you can see your shot instantly, and dial your settings to taste on the fly. Bye bye old school light meter days (I run manual all the time, so it was lazy indulgence).

So as the technology changes to be more convenient, the creative preparation can take charge and explore new things. And when friends come along, it’s the perfect setup to just “see what happens,” get some “sure” shots, and then experiment.

I hope you enjoy the selection … and if you have a senior who needs pics, I know some people

An Indi Wedding

Chris — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:48:53 +0000

Over the holidays, I got to spend time photographing two friends from Indi: Andy and Kaitlin. I’m not usually a wedding guy, but most of my friends are fascinating people. That’s why they’re my friends. I thoroughly enjoyed their creative spirit and openness to my being a part of all the moments. Enjoy the selection. And if you have a special day coming up, who knows…drop me a line.

Faith.Love.Hope.

Chris — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:26:35 +0000

I’ve been given the opportunity to participate in the Dali International Photography Exhibition in Dali, Yunnan Province, China this week. Some of my selected work will be on display with others in an exhibition. I’ve entitled this selection of work as “Faith.Love.Hope.” after an important passage of text from the Bible that captures much of my understanding of the world I see through the photographic medium. Paul is the writer, and he is describing how this present world is but a mere reflection of the future world to come, and how our current knowledge and vision of the Creator God is only partial, but will be perfected at His return. The passage I refer to is 1 Corinthians 13:12-13, and reads:

¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I look forward to participation, making new photog friends, celebrating photography in Asia, and exploring the beautiful landscape around Dali for a few days.