Vladimir Voronin (@actiongrapher) is an extreme and adventure sports photographer who works all over the world. As an athlete himself, he's able to get extra creative about the scenes and perspectives he can capture. "In my field, I often have to shoot or set up lighting systems in hard-to-reach locations, so my parkour and climbing skills come in handy." Earlier this year we learned how he created this photo of macro mountain biking action in a single exposure, and now he’s back with another extreme shot, this time for Halloween. Keep reading as he shares how he captured the shot in a single frame by utilizing the Alpha 9 III's global shutter.
Photo by Vladimir Voronin. Alpha 9 III. 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/500-sec., f/5.6, ISO 320
It All Started With A Spider Web
I was shooting some MTB lifestyle photos in the forest. At that moment I hadn’t planned anything special – it was more about having a good time and capturing a few clips of the athlete riding. By chance I noticed a beautiful spider web with a spider in it, perfectly positioned with the jump in the background. The idea came instantly. But I had no macro lens with me, and even if I did, a spiderweb is way too small to keep both it and the athlete in the background in focus. We tried shooting with what I had that day, but I wasn’t happy with the results. So after an unlucky attempt I gave up on the idea, but started searching for ways to make it real. Even renting a macro lens wouldn’t solve the problem the way I wanted.
Using The Alpha 9 III’s Global Shutter With Flash
After looking for possible solutions, I decided to order a special type of lens called a Split Diopter. These are often used in movies when you need both the foreground and background sharp in the same frame without masks. Another challenge was that the web blended too much with the forest background. To separate it from the background, I decided to light the whole scene with flashes, highlighting only the parts I needed. Once the lenses arrived a month later, we went back to the forest.
BTS Photo by Vladimir Voronin
Since I had no any experience using Split Diopters, I brought the most versatile lens - the 24–70mm f/2.8 G Master - to freely play with distances and framing. I also knew I would need to stop down the aperture and use a lot of light, so the Alpha 9 III with Global Shutter allowed me to completely overpower daylight and play with the lighting exactly as I wanted. For flashes I used the Godox AD600Pro II (to highlight the athlete) and AD300Pro (to highlight the spiderweb).
Multiple Attempts To Get The Shot
When we returned, obviously the original web was gone. So we had to search for another one with the right alignment for the trick. There were many webs, but most were either too small or badly positioned. Eventually, we got lucky and found the perfect one – with a spider sitting in the center. Credit to the spider, he didn’t move for the entire shooting process.
Framing and composition took a long time. The athlete needed to fly over the web while the web itself stayed sharp in the foreground. And when you’re holding a Split Diopter in your hand in front of the lens, even the smallest movement ruins the focus. To minimize this, I put the camera on a tripod, stopped down the aperture to f/5.6, and held the Diopter with my other hand, waiting for the perfect jump. Around the fourth or fifth attempt, we finally nailed the shot.
No Photo Manipulations
Of course, some will say I could have just composited two images. But my credo is simple: no photo manipulations (like collages) and no AI. For this shot I only used Capture One and Photoshop for color corrections.
See more of Vladimir Voronin’s work on Instagram @actiongrapher.
Read the story behind more of your favorite photos at alphauniverse.com/explore/bts.
Add the power of global shutter to your arsenal, purchase the Alpha 9 III.
