Rise and Grind: Sunrise Triathlon Portraits in Galveston
Shooting pro triathlete Liz Baugher on East Beach at dawn with one beauty dish, a footprint focus mark and some very cold surf.
I recently photographed pro triathlete Liz Baugher in Galveston. We wanted to show the "rise and grind" lifestyle of a triathlete by setting the shoot on the beach at sunrise. Texas weather wrecked our plans for the first few weeks, but we finally made it down to the island and were blessed with gorgeous light, great weather and some extremely cold water!
The warm-up
We started the way any good athlete starts a workout: with Liz warming up and stretching before we moved down to the beach for the run. The catwalk down to the beach framed the stretch well, and the sun just cresting the horizon gave us beautiful backlight. The space was cramped, but by moving around and switching to a wide lens, we made it look and feel much larger than it was.
The sun gave Liz a backlight and rim light that wrapped around her face with an orange glow, and I used a beauty dish as the main light. I would have loved a larger light source, but anyone who's been to Galveston can tell you the winds on East Beach don't play nice with large surfaces. So the small source was a little harder, and we had to sneak it in tight for a softer look.
The run
Next we hopped down to the sand and shot Liz running at the camera. The setup was again very simple, the sun plus one beauty dish as the key light, but we hit the jackpot with the sunrise, and the run photos were some of my favorites of the day. Switching angles and lenses let me vary the images without adjusting the light.
For focus, I marked the spot where we wanted the light to hit Liz with a soft footprint, then watched Liz and the footprint until the two met. You only get one shot per run-up, so timing is everything. Nailing the stride, the placement and the light together keeps you on your toes behind the camera. I loved it!
Her determination showed in every frame, and we kept running until we felt we had it in the bag before we dared jump into the frigid, chocolate-milk Galveston surf. Liz had her BlueSeventy wetsuit; I had to grin and bear it.
In the surf
Before we really got in the water, I wanted some simple portraits of Liz standing in the surf in her wetsuit and goggles. One of my favorites came when I slowed the shutter way down and closed down the aperture to balance the exposure. That captured the movement of the surf coming up over her feet while the strobe froze Liz in a crisp shot. The effect was ethereal.
But the attitude she gave me when I had her turn around and look at me was awesome. It said "fearless," and it showed the mindset I believe every pro athlete has to have: a "come and take it" attitude that shows no surrender to yourself, the pain you're feeling or the competitor creeping up on your heels.
In the water
When we finally braved the water, it got interesting, because we don't use the lights in there. I had to watch the sun much more closely and time Liz, the waves and the angle of the shot as well as I could. I used an EWA-Marine bag to shield the camera, as I have on earlier water shoots, and it kept everything safe and dry again. The controls are a little hard to work through the bag, but if you set your settings close before you start shooting, it's well worth it.
We tried something different and had Liz diving into the water like a beach start, rather than exploding out of it as we've done with other athletes. I loved the entry splash, and the sun coming through her hands reinforced that early-morning splash-and-dash feeling every triathlete knows and loves.
On the bike
After drying off and warming up, we finished with Liz on the bike. Instead of driving in front of her, as I have on many other shoots, I stayed put and had her ride by so I could capture angles the truck doesn't allow. The low, looking-up shots were great, and the strobe's short flash duration let me freeze Liz as she flew by. The setup changed a little because the sun was higher by then, but we still used the single beauty dish and kept the sun behind Liz as much as possible as a backlight and fill on the shadow side.
The final shots of the day were simple portraits of Liz in her tri kit with her Aussie Cycle Works custom bike. Again, the attitude was radiating, and I loved the results. She is a truly gifted athlete.
The behind-the-scenes video from that Galveston morning is below.
The film
Watch the behind-the-scenes film
Originally published on the Ruddock Visuals blog, January 2015. Lightly edited in 2026.