Mike the Mailman
Posted under: Mike is the man. Well, he is the mailman. For years now, I have seen Mike hard at work and I have always greeted him with a just a wave. Mike the mailman is hard to miss. His captivating look is unique with his hair, boots & shorts. It wasn’t until recently that I finally took the time to talk to him and ask him if I could take his portrait. Mike agreed and come to find out he is a photographer himself. He scuba dives and does under water photography. We coordinated a time and place to meet and thanks to the weather gods, we had a short window before a storm just crashed down on us. I think one of these will make my portfolio so let me know which image you prefer.
(click images to view larger)
Some of you have asked about lighting in the comments. Sorry I forgot to include earlier. I used 1 Paul Buff Einstein in a 22″ White Beauty Dish with a diffusion sock. Image 1 and 3, the light was on the left and image 2 it was on the right.
Canon 7D, Sigma 17-70mm @28mm, ƒ/8.0, 1/125s, ISO 100, Pocket Wizards.
Mike the mailman is the coolest mailman I’ve ever seen!
Great photos! I feel liked get to know him better in either the second or third shot.
haha… this is awesome! the 1st way is my favorite.
So great! The last one is my favorite.
I like the last one, would you mind posting a strobe setup by chance when you got time?
/T
Posted the info after the last image.
Cool shot, I like the first shot best but wouldn’t pick it because the front end of the mail truck is cropped off, so would pick #3 as a keeper because he just oozes coolness in it. Would you care to tell us what the lighting set-up was for it and how you took the shot?
My father is a mailman and now you inspired me to try and get a photo of him. Been wanting to do a series on him working on his route for a while now but just haven’t done it yet.
Take some shots of your Dad! Posted the lighting info after the last image.
Matt….you continue to amaze me with your talent!!!!
Thank you Pat! Hope y’all are getting some nice prints from the wedding
Great work! He looks as tall as the truck in image #1.
Love your lighting setup for every picture you take. I also shoot with the 17-70, and it’s my workhorse. All three pictures are great, but my favorite would either have to be the 1st or last. The first one is epic because it’s got the whole truck, and you can see his whole outfit. The Third is great because of his timeless expression.
Keep up the awesome photography!
-your fan, Ethan
love the third shot. it’s got some lebowski to it.
Fantastic shoot as always but I’m gonna differ from the others. I love the second one. The light on his face in the third is perfect but the second one just feels more real. Great job though! I’m sure he loved them!
I LOVE this series, you really photographed him well! The light and processing is top notch.
the third one is my favourite.
One of the things that struck me is how he would be a great model to use as Jesus in a shoot. I’m not religious at all, but in the second image he looks like how Jesus is portrayed in all those children’s books.
The second one rocks. Sort of a closer shot of the uniform with a relaxing smile and good lighting.