By Rob Mattson, AAEA Member
Trying to find a quote that adequately describes the unseen wind in the portrait “Russ Jackson,” I settled on one from author Tracy Rees: “The wind whispered secrets in its own incomprehensible language.” Now imagine being at a death metal concert, complete with mosh pits, unintelligible words and standing right next to a giant speaker. That’s about how gentle the wind was whispering when this shoot took place just outside of Mountain View, Okla., on the morning of Feb. 18, 2020.
(Photo Courtesy: Rob Mattson, Noble Research Institute)
Making photographs in adverse weather certainly presents unique challenges, so with Mother Nature coming at me like a spider monkey, my fear was that gear would bend or break in the constant 30-40 mph winds. I’m not talking about cameras and lenses, because they can take almost anything. If a light stand breaks, however, that’s a different story.
Because no one wants a projectile coming at their head, I elected to go with a smaller light modifier than normal. To achieve the effect I wanted, I had Jackson kneel, which still allowed me to get a full-body shot, but without the massive falloff that would have occurred if he were standing. Kneeling myself also allowed me to get really close to an important part of the story, the soil, and make pictures without getting rattled by the wind.
Speaking of “getting rattled,” what you don’t see is the writer of this story, Courtney Leeper, getting tossed around like Mary Poppins trying to land in a hurricane. Fortunately, she took on this role with the seriousness of Rick Astley … She never gave up, never let me down, she didn’t desert me, no crying, no goodbyes, and no one got hurt.
(Photo Courtesy: Rob Mattson, Noble Research Institute)
“Christmas Gift,” is a photograph not all that different from “Russ Jackson,” both technically and compositionally. They are slightly underexposed for the background. Both subjects block the sun. And both subjects are illuminated by a side light with a softbox light modifier. The part that makes this image stand out, at least in my opinion, is how the visual concept materialized. My belief is that our communications team is nothing short of rock-star quality when it comes to creative collaboration. I liken the approach to SNL comedy writers bouncing skit ideas off each other, but it can also more serious at times, especially when discussing how we never lose sight of stakeholders who see Noble Research Institute as a guide. I think we succeed on most days, but no one is immune from coming up short, or failing altogether.
The first attempt of this Christmas image was an epic failure … just know that trying to pull off a miniature effect with soil is really difficult. Fortunately, time was still left on the clock, so we elected to roll with “plan b,” which involved decorating a native grassland species. After learning how to make a gigantic bow (thanks YouTube!), and getting help from our senior graphic designer, Josh Meo, this is the end result of our efforts.
In closing, I’d be remiss to pass up an opportunity to thank Noble for creating such a fantastic work environment. I also want to thank AAEA for supporting the work that we all give so much to produce, and for creating a forum through which all of us can continue to learn, grow, be inspired and recognized.
Equipment used:
Camera: Canon 5D Mark IV
Lens: Canon EF 24-70/2.8L II USM
Filter: Heliopan ND 1.8 filter (-6 stops)
Light: PC Buff Einstein 640
Light Modifier (for Russ Jackson): 24”x36” Creative Light softbox (with coffee stain on front baffle)
Light Modifier (for Christmas Gift): 47” PC Buff octabox (also with coffee stain on front baffle)
Other equipment used: PocketWizard Transceivers (old school, 4-channel), and 15 lb saddle sandbags (2x)
Rob Mattson took home eight AAEA 2021 Communication Awards in Photography (5) and MarComm (2), and was named the 2021 Photographer of the Year Honorable Mention at the AAEA Communication Awards ceremony.
Rob Mattson is a staff photographer and imaging specialist at Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Okla. At the start of his career, Mattson’s mom dropped him off in front of a comedy bar, and he never looked back… It was his first photo assignment for a major metro paper at the age of 16, and he was hooked. That was 1993. He’s since grown a little, both outward and upward, and is now a husband, father of three, University of Colorado at Boulder alumnus, former collegiate rower and dedicated documentary photographer with close to three decades of experience in newspaper, contract, academia and non-profit photojournalism. On the side, he’s primarily worked for the New York Times and Washington Post, but has also worked for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Time, Gamma Liaison, Affärsvärlden (Sweden), The National (UAE) and MD Anderson Cancer Center, to name a few. Mattson’s work has been recognized at the state, regional, national and international levels, but that’s not why he continues making photographs. For him, it’s all about the visual challenge, engagement with new and interesting people, being a witness to the best and worst of humanity and documenting everything with an objective, open and creative mind for those who care about learning and understanding each other.
(Photo Courtesy: Rachael Davis, Noble Research Institute)