Special Olympics Washington’s Polar Plunge
Driving on the way to Special Olympics Washington’s Polar Plunge, I went through my excuses. “You know, I’d love to, but my cameras…” and “I’d love to, but then I’d have to change clothes and probably miss some photos”.
Basically, while over 1,000 people gathered to jump (voluntarily!) into the frigid waters of Lake Union in February, I had no desire to do so myself.
Plus, I was there doing my job, shooting for the Special Olympics.
(Whew, that was close).
Former Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller, an active member of the Board of Directors for Special Olympics, was on hand to “plunge” along with all the brave folk who raised funds for this great cause while willingly taking basically the equivalent of an ice water bath.
As expected there were great visuals all around. Because why not wear a bathrobe to an ice bath? (He won a costume award, btw):
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 24mm, ISO 400, 1/250th sec.,f7.1 + fill flash)
And there’s this young woman who took first place in the costume competition:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 24mm, ISO 400, 1/250th sec.,f7.1 + fill flash)
After the awards, it was time to freeze some butts off:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 70-200mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 110mm, ISO 200, 1/1000th sec./f2.8)
Many members of local police departments took part, and displayed a different kind of bravery in the cold water:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 70-200mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 200mm, ISO 200, 1/1000th sec./f2.8)
Next, it was Kasey Keller’s turn. He said he’d turned down a dare from his P.R. agent to wear a Speedo or a “Borat” slingshot…
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 24mm, ISO 400, 1/250th sec.,f9.0 + fill flash)
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 24mm, ISO 400, 1/250th sec.,f9.0 + fill flash)
The family dressed in pirate regalia even brought some brave young ones to join in the frigid fun:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 70-200mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 82mm, ISO 200, 1/1000th sec./f2.8)
Costumes, cold water, and charity. A great event and kudos to those who participated!
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 70-200mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 190mm, ISO 200, 1/1000th sec./f2.8)
Sounders FC: Mauro Rosales for The Champions League
I took well upwards of 10,000 frames of the Seattle Sounders FC in action last season, and while its main use is for photo galleries and in-season p.r. and marketing, we also rely on file images to prepare for the upcoming season.
However, for 2012 the Sounders will debut a new “3rd kit” (in American parlance that’s an “alternate uniform”) while retiring the bright “Electricity” kits they’ve worn in friendlies and non-MLS competitions for the past two seasons.
Here’s an example of the Electricity kits:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 400mm/f2.8mm VR lens, ISO 400, 1/1000th sec.,f2.8)
While they were popular with the fans, the uniforms were tough for photography. Not only did the bright yellow wreak havoc on proper exposure, it also tended to add a color cast to faces. In other words, the Electricity kits added another 25% to my post production time. If you properly exposed for a dark face, the jersey would “blow out” in the highlights, and you’d have to lasso and isolate to get the colors and exposure back to that they eye originally saw. Likewise, especially for Latin players who already have a complexion that leans towards yellow, the florescent color would “bounce” back up into faces and that cast would have to be removed afterwards as well.
So it was to my great relief that when the club released its new 3rd Kit, the predominant color was a blue called “Super Cyan”. It will undoubtedly be an easier color to work with photographically.
Getting back to my original point, none of the images I shot of our players in Electricity can be of any use this season. Our new designers came to me wanting to a photo shoot with Sounders midfielder Mauro Rosales. Problem was, we didn’t have much time as the team was about to leave on a training trip and the shot would have to be made while I was also shooting the new online catalog for the team’s Pro Shop.
It was decided that we would shoot Mauro Rosales during a quick break in the catalog shooting. “Just a simple photo of him in action will do”.
I’d been toying with action/portrait ideas for awhile and thought it’d be a good chance to put one of the ideas in action.
Why not have him flying in the air doing a scissor kick?
One of the rules of shooting athletes is to always shoot a test. 1) So you something to show the subject before you ask him to fly in the air, hammer a soccer ball with a scissor kick, then land with a thud on the turf. 2) To make sure you can actually pull off the shot.
Enter Leanne, one of the models, a soccer player herself and willing test subject. I didn’t ask her to actually make the jump, but just wanted to get an idea of the light and composition.
Got lucky with the weather, which was sunny. Even though I was shooting indoors in the practice facility at the Seahawks facility, there are huge translucent windows that face east, capturing the morning light.
Leanne and I shot a quick test:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm /f2.8 zoom lens @ 38mm, ISO 800, 1/000th sec.,f2.8)
Moments later, Mauro walked in. We’d shot together before, but nothing like what I was about to ask him to do. I showed him the test of Leanne, and he said, yes, he knew what I wanted and could do it. “I’ll juggle the ball and when I’m ready to kick it, I’ll let you know so you’re ready”, he said. I told him that wasn’t necessary, I’d pretty much know when to shoot.
He got into position (I switched him to the other side for composition reasons). Here’s the first take:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm /f2.8 zoom lens @ 31mm, ISO 800, 1/1000th sec.,f3.5)
I thought it was very good. Very close to what I wanted. Mauro took one look and shook his head — “I will turn my face a bit more this time”.
Sounded good to me, as my plan was to move to my left ever-so-slightly to show his face more anyway.
Here’s take two:
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm /f2.8 zoom lens @ 26mm, ISO 800, 1/1250th sec.,f2.8)
Done. It was perfect. Light, composition, jump, face.
Zoomed into the image to make sure it was sharp and then a quick shake of hands, and he was on his way.
Designer Ashley Hjalseth worked on the layout and here’s the finished product:
Pittsburgh’s 9/11 Memorial
Right outside the Seahawks team hotel in Pittsburgh is a nighttime memorial to those who died on United Airline Flight 93 on 9/11. As is well documented, a group of brave passengers seized after the hijacked plane from the terrorists and it crashed in Stonycreek Township, PA.
Projected murals line two sides of 10th Street near the city’s convention center. On one side, a huge projection lists the names of those who died in the crash, and on the other side are three rotating projections, all of which are roughly five stories high. It’s quite stunning to walk along Penn Avenue and see this somber reminder of that tragic day.
The first three images rotate on a wall on one side of the street.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 3200, 1/60th sec./f2.8)
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 3200, 1/60th sec./f2.8)
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 3200, 1/60th sec./f2.8)
On the other side of the street is the listing of names. It’s much darker on this side. I slowed the shutter speed down to 1/8th second for two reasons — 1) to capture a bit more light, and 2) to add motion blur to the cars passing by.
- (Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 3200, 1/8th sec./f2.8)
Seahawks: Under the dark of night.
The Seahawks arrived here in Pittsburgh last night, touching down just before 10:30pm local time.
We wanted to put a quick photo onto Twitter, for those fans who love to keep track of the team, on and off the field.
The players disembark from the rear of the plane onto waiting buses. I came out the front, not really knowing what, if anything would make a picture.
From under the wing, I could see the players descending, lit by the lights on the stairs. The spotlight on the back of the motorized staircase added fill beneath the stairs, onto the tarmac and the bottom of the plane.
Messed around with exposure for a second, waited until some players in lighter colored clothing descended (to allow them to separate from the dark background), then held the camera still and hoped that the slow-shutter speed required to shoot in relative darkness would not allow motion blur.
Ended up liking this shot at ISO 4000, 1/5oth sec.,f2.8. In the next hour, it garnered over 1,000 views, which was not bad for a Friday night.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 48mm, ISO 4000, 1/50th sec./f2.8)
Please be my assistant for a day.
If you’ve ever dreamed about being on the sidelines of a Seahawks game or a Sounders FC match at CenturyLink Field, you now have your chance.
One caveat, you have get to do so with me.
Thanks to both teams, my good friend Mike Gastineau of Sports Radio 950 KJR-AM in Seattle is auctioning off opportunities to join me on the sidelines as part of his 17th annual Kares-a-Thon. There are myriad great sports memorabilia and once-in-a-lifetime experiences up for auction, with the proceeds going to charity.
One of those charities is Gloria’s Angels, of which I have a special affinity. Jerry Brewer, a great friend and former co-worker, wrote a book about young Gloria Strauss, who died of a rare form of cancer, but not before she touched the lives of the local community at large.
If you come to work with me, you’ll work as my assistant, which has about three total duties — carry an extra body and lens, carry a towel if it’s raining, and laugh at my jokes.
That said, there are some great benefits, too. You’ll see football (either our kind, or the rest-of-the-world kind, depending on which item you bid on), from a very unique vantage point. You’ll get to experience genuine media food and eat as much of it as you like (c’mon, you’ve seen some portly members of the media and wondered, “what the hell do they eat?” — no, not you, Gasman). Sure, you can bring your camera and try your hand at what I do as well (it’s alternately very easy, and very hard, as you will see).
At a Seahawks game you’ll be working right next to the Sea Gals (yes, they will smile at you, and no, not because they think you’re cute, but because they have to), and you’ll be amazed at both the speed and power that NFL players have to bring to the table each and every time they take the field.
If you bid on the Sounders match, we’ll be less than five yards from the pitch, and you’ll get to witness the grace of Mauro Rosales, the tenacity and leadership of Kasey Keller, and the finishing skills of Fredy Montero and Lamar Neagle.
Come join me on the sidelines. I promise you’ll have a blast.
Bid on the Sounders FC package
2012 Sea Gals Calendar Launched
Each year brings new challenges and opportunities, and this year much of my late spring/early summer was spent photographing the 2012 Seattle Sea Gals calendar. The calendar has just been released for sale, and I can finally share the cover image from the shoot.
With the help of two great assistants in Jon Hawley and Joe Nicholson, we photographed 32 dancers in two days (!) in and around CenturyLink Field. Mark Terao of Pure Image, Inc. produces the calendar, and everything is overseen by Sherri Thompson, the longtime Sea Gals director. I think I had the easiest job of anyone — shooting and directing the photos. Jon and Joe hauled c-stands, packs, lights, modifiers and sand bags over nearly every inch of the stadium and were amazing to work with.
I found it interesting that the big questions after the shoot were where in the calendar which dancer would appear — which month, in which of the multiple uniforms they’re photographed in, and the big question — who was chosen for the cover? Sports Illustrated does the same with their supermodels for their annual swimsuit issue. “Who got the cover” becomes the big question.
What was interesting wasn’t so much that the women themselves were kept in the dark — it’s that I had no idea either. I’d see Sea Gals at training camp or other appearances and they’d ask how their photo looked and could I tell them what month they were? They absolutely didn’t believe me when I told them I didn’t know who was on the cover, much less who was going to appear in which month. The way I was kept in the dark is that the Mark and Sherri sent me multiple images of each woman to prep, leaving me with no idea which of the 60+ images I did post-production on would appear in the final version of the calendar.
Hopefully, they’ll believe me now, right? Btw, that’s Gelly on the cover…
Having spent most of the past two decades on the sidelines and baselines, I’m no stranger to professional dance teams and the women who comprise them. Contrary to popular stereotype, these are not vapid, air-headed women who are only concerned with appearance and fame. Members of the Sea Gals include attorneys, business owners, teachers and college students. They practice two-to-three times a week, have performances outside of games, and do charitable work as well. They are hard-working and professional women who are great to work with.
The calendar is a fundraiser for the team. Proceeds help them with uniforms, travel and other costs. I’ll update this post with links to purchase the calendar as soon as they become available.
Lastly, in the next few weeks I’ll post some actual images from the shoot and what went into each of them.
Beautiful Day: U2 at CenturyLink Field
It was indeed a Beautiful Day at Qwest Field in Seattle as U2 put on a great show on one of the prettiest days of the year.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm/f2.8 lens @ 21mm, ISO 800, 1/20th sec., f/5.6)
Bono in the spotlights.
UFC — Fight Night 24 in Seattle
Had the great opportunity to photograph UFC Fight Night 24 at KeyArena in Seattle, WA. Shooting UFC is definitely a challenge. Shooting through the cage forces you to manual focus much of the time, and to add to the degree of difficulty, there is light falling onto the chainlink fence, making focus even more challenging. In this photo, Chan Sung Jung, aka “The Korean Zombie”, takes a flying leap at Leonard Garcia.
Seahawks: Smoke and Fire in the Pregame Tunnel.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 24-70mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 70mm, ISO 1600, 1/1000th sec., f2.8)
One of the many great things about working behind-the-scenes for the Seattle Seahawks is the private moments I get to witness. Here, Seahawks safety Lawyer Milloy exhales on a cold Seattle day before leaving the tunnel during pregame introductions to the roar of 60,000 fans at Qwest Field. His eyes are on fire with concentration and he is at this point of the day clearly focused on the job at hand. The light is dramatic which always helps — backlight and sidelight are bouncing around, highlighting his breath, and there’s just a touch of daylight to let us see his eyes.
Seahawks: Playing with Shadows
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 29mm, ISO 400, 1/1000th sec.,f5.0)
Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant stretches during pregame warmups and the low winter sun provides an interesting shadow. A sunny winter’s day in Seattle? Really? As the kids say, “I know, right?”. Took me a minute to find the right angle. So many of us photographers want to “see” in horizontals, especially when working with a wide-angle lens, that I find myself having to mentally “step away” in order to find the photo right in front of me.
