‘Exposure’ Challenges Photographers to Take Photos In-Motion
Hulu Reading Time: 5 minutes
The third episode of Exposure is out now. This week, the challenges focused on “Bodies in Motion.” Photographers had to capture memorable still moments of a not-so-still subject. Capturing action has its own set of challenges. With less control over lighting on your subject and timing needing to be perfect, it can get stressful. For one contestant, the challenge proved to be too far out of their element, while another felt right at home.
The Flash Challenge – Dancing on Air
Walking into the studio this week, the photographers entered into a whole new vibe. The set was lit up to have more of a club ambiance and four different dancers were showcasing their moves. Each photographer was randomly assigned a dancer and given 50 minutes in their studios to capture a still image that embodies their performance.
Each taking a different approach to the challenge, the creatives get to work rigging the lights in their studios to set the tone. Some contestants have more familiarity with capturing dancers or subjects in motion like contestants Jose and Krys. While Michele and Anna are a little less experienced with action in their subjects. The marriage of the different styles of dance and each photographer’s creative process gives the judges such a range of beautiful images to critique.
Winner of the Flash Challenge
This week, the flash challenge turned out all winning images, but it was Marilyn, Jose, and Michele that were named the top three photographers. Each image felt true to their natural style of photography and the judges were more than pleased with the artistry of each.
Michele delivered “big” in this week’s flash challenge and won the test. She used a wide-angle lens to give the feel of a larger space, which also elongated the movement of her subject. Cole’s mesmerized by how it feels as if it were shot on an actual stage rather than a 15′ studio. Michele also added a creative texture to the photo in post, which went over well with judges.
Jose seemed humbled by being spared from elimination last week. This time he made it a point to take over 200 photos for the challenge. His image was recognizably more his style. Featuring dark vignette to focus the viewer’s attention and draws the color out more. The judges couldn’t have been happier to see him stick to his style after straying away in last week’s portfolio challenge.
Portfolio Challenge- Skaters in Motion
In this week’s portfolio challenge, the photographers took it outside when they traded in their studios for the skatepark. They were each paired with a skateboarder and given two hours to shoot and edit their photo. The world of skate photography is very niche and how you approach your subject can make or break a photo.
Pretty much everyone had zero experience with skateboarding, let alone skate photography, except for Jose. As a skater himself for 20 years, Jose had a huge advantage (and all the pressure) to win this challenge. For conceptual portrait artists Krys and Parker, the challenge was very concerning. For them, trying to document a moment is a whole new ball game.
Once at the skatepark, the photographers scattered to figure out the best park feature, angle, and approach for their skate photo. Jose and Krys immediately butted heads after looking at similar camera angles on the same feature. Jose asserted his confidence when he implies he’d win if their shots ended up being similar. Krys eventually gives in finding inspiration elsewhere, but that’s only because Jose was a distraction in every shot.
After two hours of shooting and editing, the photographers took their skate photography to the judges.
Portfolio Challenge Top Photographers
This week’s guest judge is a legend in the world of skate photography and a photographer for Thrasher Magazine, Atiba Jefferson. He’s not only a credible skate photographer, but he’s also shot portrait and lifestyle photos for big names in music as well as commercial clients like the NBA and Nike.
This week, the judges were impressed by most of the photos. Shockingly, some of the photographers with the least experience around skateboarding turned in images that had Jefferson convinced otherwise. The judges felt some landed the mark of skate photography more than others, naming Jose and Anna as the top two.
Winner of the Portfolio Challenge
After some deliberation, the judges decided Jose as the challenge winner. The decision came down to the difference between adding a filter or keeping it pure.
Who Missed Their Shot?
Finding themselves at the bottom this week were Tommy and Parker. Their images felt the furthest from skate photography and missed the mark of the challenge.
After weighing out the flaws between the two bottom images, the judges decided that Parker had missed her shot, and she was eliminated. They felt her photo was the least dynamic and had too much noise between the heavy filter and oversaturation of color added in post.
Catch Up on ‘Exposure’
You can check out all of the photos from this and previous episodes on Hulu. Tune in every Monday for the new episodes as they release.
