Stories about location lighting, gear choices, site logistics, working under challenging conditions, permit requirements, liability concerns, and planning the shoot.
In order to capture the immense scale and curvaceous walls of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the ideal lens would need to almost wrap around the building’s metal skin to fully show it’s beauty. In addition, the lens would have to be able to properly render the architecture without unwanted distortion or vignetting. And, of course, the lens must be razor sharp.
Brad Smith, the former director of photography at Sports Illustrated, says, “Photo shoot is Latin for “‘problem.’” Problems are relative, of course, but there is something about a photo shoot that seems to generate more than its fair share of hurdles to clear. Overcoming those problems can be one of the most satisfying parts of creating photographs—especially when you’re working with more than 70 of the world’s best athletes at the MLB All-Star Game.
One of the reasons to fear location photography is the terror you experience when you first see the space you have to work with. The sun may be in the wrong place, the site may be difficult to reach, or the room may be cramped. But, solving those challenges is also what can make location photography so deeply satisfying.
With just the mildest case of failing vision, one could easily mistake David Ortiz for a bowling ball with an icebox underneath for support. The Red Sox designated hitter is 6’4″ and 250 pounds, but he seems much more grande than that. And he is. Not just when he’s in front of the camera, but […]
Architecture and design of all kinds have always been something that my camera has been drawn to. Buildings, homes, interiors, sports stadiums—even satelite dish arrays have a beautiful architectural quality to them. But there was one kind of architecture that I’d never been commisioned to photograph until a few years ago. The architecture of the […]
Boxers are a special breed of athlete. To willingly put yourself into a position where you have a very real chance of being rendered unconscious by another human being takes guts. More guts than I have anyway. Sports Illustrated assigned me to photograph boxer Victor Ortiz who will be fighting Floyd Mayweather this Saturday night […]
