The Grit & The Grind: Max Dower’s Athletic Lookbook Session at Sehmel Homestead (Gig Harbor, WA)
0830 hours at Sehmel Homestead. Frost on the ground and golden light in the trees.
When a name I recognize comes across my notification screen, I get a little excited.
Form Submission – Lookbook Application – Max Dower
I knew exactly who it was. Max is a standout athlete at Gig Harbor High School. He has darted in and out of my viewfinder quite a few times from the sidelines, but we had never actually spoken. My "Lookbook" initiative was designed exactly for this—to bridge the gap between photographer and athlete, moving beyond the jersey to capture the person.
Max suggested Sehmel Homestead Park in Gig Harbor for the location. While I’ve driven through the Harbor countless times, I had never shot at Sehmel. This is where I trust my clients to be the scouts.
The Intel: Sehmel Homestead Park
We met at 0830 at the edge of the parking lot. I arrived early to scout the sector. It was a freezing morning—the ground was covered in frost, glistening in the early light and cozied up in a blanket of fog. It was the perfect natural mood setter.
I started unloading the payload: light stands, strobes, remotes, battery packs, and cables. As a photographer who specializes in "The Grit," I don't just rely on the sun. I bring the studio to the field.
The Execute: Frost and Fire
Max arrived, and we established the game plan immediately. We headed to the far side of the field where the sun was just beginning to bathe the forest in golden light. This gave us a dual-tone palette: the warm, golden trees as a backdrop against the cool, blue-frosted grass in the foreground.
I set up my lighting to complement that morning energy. We snapped the first few test shots, and I knew instantly—the frost, the fog, and the flash were working in perfect sync.
We moved into the woods to try some technical motion shots. I attempted a complex High-Speed Sync (HSS) setup to freeze him in mid-sprint, but the tech wasn't cooperating with the heavy tree cover. In photography, as in sports, you have to pivot. We stripped back the complexity and focused on the quiet intensity of the athlete. Max handled the pause with total ease, proving that the mental game is just as strong as the physical one.
Into the woods. Using off-camera flash to carve out definition in the deep shade of the trails.
The Magic Hour
Focus and determination. Max Dower, a standout athlete from Gig Harbor High School, captured at Sehmel Homestead Park.
We headed back out to the open field as the sun fully crested the tree line. This is where the magic happens.
I positioned Max with the sun at his back, using it as a "kicker" or rim light to separate him from the background. I set up a beauty dish with a strobe opposite the sun to fill in the shadows. The result was incredible.
We captured the crisp, hyper-real aesthetic of the clear blue sky, but also shifted gears for some moody silhouettes. By underexposing the ambient light, we turned the forest into a dark, graphic backdrop that highlighted the solitude of the long-distance runner. It wasn't just a photo of a kid in a field; it was a portrait of the quiet, still moments before the starting gun goes off.
Turning day into night. Underexposing the ambient light to create a moody, studio-style portrait in the middle of Sehmel Park.
The Mission Continues... This was just part one of a marathon creative day. After wrapping up this gritty, athletic session in the frost of Gig Harbor, I packed up and headed across the Narrows Bridge to Tacoma for a completely different vibe.
Technical Intel (Sidebar for Geeks)
Camera: Canon 1DX
Lens: Sigma 85mm f/1.4
Lighting: Paul C. Buff Alienbees B1600 with Beauty Dish Modifier + a second B1600 with a reflector
Location: Sehmel Homestead Park, Gig Harbor, WA
