Hi, I'm Ben Akers
ben@benakersphotography.com
Photography has been a huge part of my life for the past 8 years. I’ve done many different styles of photography but my portfolio mostly consists of landscapes and portraits. For this capstone project, I went back to where I started, photographing an event. I was able to combine my knowledge of photojournalism with a more recent photography skill which is off camera flash.
The Hashknife Pony Express is a volunteer organization that preserves the spirit of the Old American West. Each year dozens of riders carry mail from Holbrook to Scottsdale on horseback. This year was the 65th anniversary of the event and I was one of the photographers invited. With this project I captured a variety of images with most of them being outdoor shots along the highway. I also had the opportunity to take headshots of each rider using a backdrop and a small off camera speedlight.
Over the course of the 4 days we were on the road I was able to get to know a few of the Hashknife riders and volunteers and they appreciated that myself and the other photographers volunteered our time to photograph their event. This project reminded me that I enjoy photographing event photography just as much as a more setup image like a landscape or portrait.
