Alyssa Salerno’s work snapping the athletes at Good Karma Studio,
Bestie winner for Best Yoga Studio and Best Kids Birthday Venue, helped
her snag a Bestie for Best Photographer. So we asked her to submit her favorite shot, and tell us how it was captured. alyssumphoto.mypixieset.com
Photographing the talented women from Albany’s Good Karma Studio is always an adventure. I’ve photographed the aerialists five times, and each time I’ve learned something new about shooting action photography. This image was taken during the studio’s student showcase at Putnam Place in Downtown Saratoga. We planned a practice shoot during their recital a few days prior; there, we dialed in the look and feel of the images, color lighting and overall space. This image was tricky due to low lighting and a fast-moving target. The low light that adds drama to their performances is counterintuitive to action photography when it comes to camera settings. So I had to get creative and come up with a happy medium. We decided to use spotlighting on both the ground and aerial levels to help illuminate the performers. To be sure we could capture the beauty of the students’ hard work, we prepared the perfect shot for each gymnast; we went over what their poses would look like, how long they would be in that pose, and what position I would need to be in to capture the photo. Ultimately, the images from the showcase came down to planning, communication, trust and a go-for-it attitude from both myself and the amazing athletes from Good Karma Studio.
