Steve Smith Workout
Over a year ago I was working with a great high school athlete and his trainer. The trainer mentioned to me that he and Steve Smith (NY Giants) do a beach workout from time to time. This sounded cool. Unfortunately it’s tough for photographers to directly pitch editorial departments on story ideas. Fortunately my friend writes for ESPN The Magazine. I mention it to him, he mentions it to his editor and presto, another shoot. Takeaway lesson: always keep ears open for other jobs.
So the premise is simple: Steve Smith, a wide receiver for the New York Giants and USC alumni, returns home in the off season and works out every-so-often on the beach. The workout activates and strengthens muscles that I presume I don’t have.
We (me, my assistant, the reporter and the video crew) show up early for the morning shoot. Not too long after his trainer shows up. By this point there were some thick, ominous clouds, which would definitely help with lighting. However, this is a typical Southern Californian morning so they will quickly cook off leaving me with just a blue sky and a harsh direct sunlight. I was praying we’d get this in before the clouds leave.
-
- Steve Smith Workout
-
- Steve Smith Workout
-
- Steve Smith Workout
-
- Steve Smith Workout
-
- Detroit Lions Paul Pratt
Here is a portrait I did of Football player Robert Woods a few months back. I couldn’t post it until it was printed.
I was very happy with how the shots turned out on this shoot. Robert was a real class act to work with and even told me about Sand Dune Park! Where he works out…along with a bunch of other athletes including Kobe Bryant. You might remember that guy from the NBA Championship he just won. Alas, I did not take a portraits (or even see him) on this shoot.
The first photo was at Sand Dune Park in Manhattan Beach CA. When you first step up to it, it looks simple but I was surely winded after just walking (at a fast pace) up the hill to a little over the half way point and I was training for a marathon!
One of the baseball players I took pictures of for the cover of ESPN rise just graduated high school and was drafted 5th overall by the Orioles! Im really happy he went so high. Hes a great guy and I wish him the best.
Here are some photos.
Blogging and I have a love/hate relationship and we weren’t speaking for quite a while, but now we are back together. (it was a very heartfelt reunion) Well anyway I have a few posts in the works so stay tuned.
These are not all of them, just some ones I had in front of me.
For the last few months, people have been asking me about the post-production involved in the photos on my blog post "70 basketball portraits I did in two days." I always planned on sharing it with everyone but just haven't had time to put anything together until now. Recently, I was asked to do a guest post for Scott Kelby's blog and thought, "What better way to share this Photoshop tip with everyone than on Mr. Photoshop himself's blog, Scott Kelby?" I was pretty giddy, to say the least.
Here are some portraits I did for ESPN Rise magazine on one of the top female basketball players in the country. She was great to work with and was a natural in front of the camera.
Plus I felt pretty short next to here (shes 6’2).
This was for a cover and inside feature story so I tried to get some photos in her normal clothes as well as her uniform.
Here are some of my favorites.
Be sure to click on the photos for larger sizes.
I had the privilege to photograph a boxer a few weeks ago and here is one of my favorite shots from the short session. I had to place black stretching mats behind the ropes because there were large mirrors surrounding the ring. I placed them behind the ropes so I wouldn’t get a lot of reflection from the light and so you wouldn’t see me in the frame.
For the shot I used a ABR800 ring flash at a very low power to fill the front (I find it very harsh at higher settings) I also used an Alien bee B800 with a beauty dish above him pointing towards his back for separation from the background.
So, its been a long time since my last entry, I know. I have a few excuses! I swear! First, the magazines I work for have to print the photos before I can post them. Second, I’m lazy. OK, well I’m not lazy, but over the past few months I have been neglecting my blog. That is going to change. I am going to try and blog a lot more often. I have a few blogs I am going to try and post this week starting with this one, so please stay tuned.
I will be speaking at the PDN Photo Plus expo in New York this year for the “Sports Photography Today” session. I had the opportunity to do this last year and am very grateful to be ask back again to act as newcomer on this panel with three of the greatest sports photography minds of all time.
I just got a few tear sheets (PDF’s) from ESPN Rise magazine the other day as well as a nice surprise from SI in the mail.
These photos where chosen by the magazine but were part of my initial edit when I sent them the raw files.
The rise magazine photos booth ran at a page and a quarter (or so).