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 day I asked myself, “If someone were to give me the complete freedom to shoot anything I wanted with an unlimited budget, what would that be?” This was meant to be an existential question about who I wanted to be in the future as a photographer. The answer changed my life as a photographer and might change yours as well.
Whether on skis, at the gym, or in the studio, Lindsey Vonn is hard-wired to work at the highest level. She’s an Olympic gold medalist, the women’s record holder for World Cup victories, and she is one of the most naturally beautiful women I’ve ever photographed.
You never know how a day of photography is going to turn out. Some projects can be one challenge after another, while others proceed without a hitch. One thing you never expect is a day of photography that ends with someone almost dying.
Football players are built differently than the rest of us. They’re taller, they’re wider, and some of them weigh as much as three cheerleaders. But what happens when you have to include 19 of these big men in the same frame for a Sports Illustrated magazine shoot?
If you want to make the leap from the photographer you are now to the photographer you want to be, what’s the best way to make that leap? What is the fastest way to learn techniques that will separate you from the crowd? Where can you spend quality time and develop personal relationships with the […]
