Running through a forest

Last friday I shot a photograph in my series Human males in contemporary society, inspired by the movie Under the skin (2013). Thanks Joep Cornelissen for running and big thanks to Martijn ter Schiphorst for assisting me!
For some time I wanted to try the motion effect where the camera is riding on rails keeping up with a subject in stead of regular panning. Objects closer to the camera have more motion blur because they move by faster, giving the image a distinct look. This is also a step towards achieving more of a cinematic look in my photography.

Setting up the camera and shot of the flash in the forest
Setting up the camera and a picture of the flash in the forest – photo Martijn ter Schiphorst
Pentax 645D on dolly, ready to roll
Pentax 645D on dolly, ready to roll
Some instructions to the runner
Some instructions to the runner during the shoot – photo Martijn ter Schiphorst

Because the result would be a still photograph I could not handle too much foreground potentially blocking the subject, and wanted to be safe regarding the blurring, so I used a long lens (135 mm f/4). Next time I will use a shorter one. To freeze the runner and to add a bit of spookyness (Gregory Crewdson…) I illuminated the path of the runner with a flash in front of him.
Final photograph (no editing except color correction):

Human males in contemporary society - Under the skin
Human males in contemporary society – Under the skin – photo Joeri van Veen 2016

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