disecting a photograph. SOME HELP PLEASE

[scotty]

I came across this photographer by the name of Nick Knight.. and fell in love with this photograph... However it has stumped me as I cannot figgure it out.

does anybody have any ideas on how he created this photograph?
do you think that it is a background being backlit in a studio or what?
it looked like trees in the background but then look at the ground... you would also need a good lens to create that blured background.

Im wanting to recreate that extremly blured background with a skate boarding shot but I need to figgure out how first.

Any ideas would help alot.

ALSO if you are a skater in auckland and wouldnt mind being a test subject for my photography ideas let me know.

Regards
Scott Eyre

http://i.models.com/oftheminute/images/2008/11/susiebpdp.jpg
( PHOTOGRAPHER : NICK KNIGHT)
http://www.nickknight.com/



MY website
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottyzphotos/

[thirdkid]

IMO the background is like that due to the large aperture he shot in.
The picture aura can be made by adjusting a few things in photoshop (color, white balance and contrast)

I may be wrong so dont take my word hehe

edit: or it could be a studio background

---------- Post added at 11:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 PM ----------

Also, very nice photos. Just checked your link and you got some great photos

[Redal]

It looks like a studio shot using seemless white paper and two strobes to light the background one with a yellow gel and one with a blue gel.

Looking at the light on the background, the modifiers aren't your usual barndoors / standard reflectors .
Maybe softboxes with gels placed on parts of the front material , so you can have the blue in parts and yellow in others. So when the two softboxes are lighting the background you can adjust the mash of colours till you get what you want.

Thats my guess.:)

---------- Post added at 12:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 AM ----------

It looks like a studio shot using seemless white paper and two strobes to light the background one with a yellow gel and one with a blue gel.

Looking at the light on the background, the modifiers aren't your usual barndoors / standard reflectors .
Maybe softboxes with gels placed on parts of the front material , so you can have the blue in parts and yellow in others. So when the two softboxes are lighting the background you can adjust the mash of colours till you get what you want.

Thats my guess.:)

Scotty,
to create a blurry background with skateboarding , you need a fast telephoto lens and you need to watch your backgrounds ( cleanbackgrounds) and try to get as much distance between the skateboarder and the background.

This is not easy as skateboarding is a urban sport, so you are going to have building and the like in your backgrounds.

What also will help is getting as close a possible to the skateboarder, the problem with this, is most images of skateboarders show the ramp/rail/ over which they are doing a trick. And you could lose that from the image.

[Cory Varcoe]

My 2 cents... Studio background...
I'd do the same, shoot the skater again a plain background and edit in a new background

[scotty]

interesting ideas. I will have to see what happens. Ive got a few ideas Id like to try out.,

if I focus just before where the skater will actually land I could also make the DOF shallower? something like when you photograph landscapes you focus 1/3 below the horizon to maximize the DOF?
well wouldnt it work the opposite too? I think im confusing myself. the best way is to try i guess... thanks for the ideas

kind of like this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v330/saanga/photospot/images/ill_02.jpg

do you get me??

if you bring the foreground focus closer you also bring the background out of focus more