Outreach - 2/8/10

Interning with the University of Arizona Athletic Department

I had the opportunity to be one of the first photography interns for the University of Arizona Athletic Department last semester. The experience was great, I got to work with a well organized team of photographers and use a plethora of Nikon gear that I’d never had a chance to shoot with before. I was almost like real world..The deadlines were real, and so were the rewards (…I use that term loosely. All I’m gonna say is the internship was UNPAID.) If I got a good enough shot, my photo ran front  page on the Athletic Department’s website, not to mention give me a solid clip to add to my portfolio..so I was motivated to say the least, even though I was a willing participant of slave labor.

At the beginning of each month I’d sit down with my supervisor and pick out which sporting events I’d like to photograph. Assignments were divvied up between each of the interns, but there was always more than one available slot to chose from for each sport.

I was only required to spend eight hours a week in the office since I enrolled as a part time intern.  Outside of shooting, I spent about half my time editing my work load and tagging the names of players  and key words like “coach,” “fans” and “Wilbur” etc.

The unbeatable access to football, basketball, soccer, volleyball and softball, was great, but the equipment I got to use really  just wasn’t up to par. The D2x I got to use is more or less the Nikon equivalent of my Canon EOS-1D Mark IIn…which is cool (especially because my Canon sucks at life when it’s shooting in low light conditions) BUT the shutter button was sticky, as if someone spilt soda on it…so it sucked to use.. As if shooting sprinting athletes isn’t hard enough to anticipate, using that camera made me shoot .05 seconds BEFORE the decisive moment even happened . Utterly RIDICULOUS.

Don’t get me wrong, having access to this gear was great because I haven’t had much time on the Nikon system and I’ve been told that shooters for mags like Sports Illustrated and the AP will often times will only be allowed to shoot Nikon depending on the event…so becoming proficient with the “dark arts” of Nikon is a must…it’s just a shame that they didn’t have better bodies for us to use.

So, needless to say, I avoided using that Nikon like the plague. Instead, I opted to toss on their big 300mm 2.8 white boy on my Canon and just go about my business with out ‘em. On most shoots I’d carry the 300mm on the Mark and a few of my spare lenses in my bag: a 15mm f2.8 and a 17-40mm f4…sometimes I’d even snag my buddies 50mm f1.4 since the AD didn’t have a 70-200mm for me to use.  (I finally bhad to buy my own 50mm… that shallow depth of field..Something about it makes photos so raw it’s incredible.

I also got to use Pocket Wizards that wirelessly controlled the strobe lights hooked up in the rafters of McKale during basketball and volleyball games, which was a pretty interesting experience. I’ve shot in McKale before for the Daily Wildcat without using the strobes and the difference they make is amazing. The only thing you need to keep in mind while shooting is that there’s a recycle time of a little over a second, so you have to pick your shots wisely.

The workload that came along with shooting a sporting event was pretty intense. During the halftime of basketball games we would rush back into the office and  select our best five-fifteen photos, edit them for web and upload them to the server all before the second half began.

During football games I’d keep track of key photos that I took on a piece of athletic tape that I put on our lenses. About ten minutes before the second quarter ended someone would come around to collect my card and tape so my photos could be reviewed, edited and posted online.

There was always a lot of material I would have to stay on top of. I’d have a shoot list of key players that I’d need to focus, along with graduating seniors and individual coached. Keeping track of which photos where on which memory card was always crucial (as always.)

Overall I feel I gained a lot of useful experience from this internship. Learning about how to handle and edit a large workloads and using a Nikon will most definitely help me out in the future.  It also showed me that I most certainly do not want to limit my sports photography experiences solely to collegiate sports.  If anything, I’d like to avoid them at all costs. My desire to shoot extreme sports really became apparent to me after this internship finished. I used to think that shooting NFL games or the NBA would be fun, but after seeing how limited the creative aspect of the genre is compared to that of say extreme sports (relatively speaking, of course) I know now for sure that my heart is set on the that culture..not only in the sports photography aspect, but also journalistically. 

I'll be posting some of the work I did with them over the next few posts. As of right now, the only photos I have on my laptop are from a swim meet I shot..the rest are backed up on my 1TB drive. I'll grab 'em soon. 

US Snowboarding Gran Prix - Mammoth

Over winter break this year I spent a week up in Mammoth, CA snowboarding like a mad man. It was my first trip to a real mountain, and my first exposure to snowboard photography. The US snowboarding Gran Prix was going off the weekend that I was up there, so before I left I packed up my Canon backpack with all my gear and stuffed my expired Arizona Daily Wildcat press pass in a side pocket, just in case the opportunity to shoot the event presented itself. 

I could of applied for a photo pass online, but the form was a tad bit confusing and I didn't feel like calling up the AP and asking them about credential procurement...so I rolled with the approach that always works best for me: throwing up a prayer and winging it. 

The tournament was going on all week, but the finals weren't till the weekend..so I decided to enjoy my vacation and board. I had a tough semester working hard on personal photo projects and school assignments, so I desperately needed a break to clear my head. 

I made it up to the mountain early Saturday morning and ran into Peter Morning, one of Mammoths premier action sports photographer. I asked him how he approached snowboard photography and he was pretty short with me, but he did mention some key things like long lenses and early morning light, so I can't complain too much. I asked him what the deal was with photo credentials for the tournament and he told me to take my ass down to the media relations office and pick one up even though I didn't request one online. 

After a 30 minute journey I finally found the conference room and casually asked the director if I could still apply for a media pass. I informed him that although my press pass was expired, I was a legit AP freelancer and was covering the event for my own personal portfolio, and that I’d truly appreciate a photo pass. He entertained my long winded story and told me that the best he could do was toss me a media pass because the remaining photo passes had been reserved by other photogs online.

The catch: media pass holders weren’t allowed on the actual superpipe during the competition. When I heard that I knew the day was going to get interesting…there was no way I was going to come this far and not get on that pipe.

To my luck, both the photo and media pass came with the same bulky yellow lanyard that stuck out like a sore thumb…so when I walked up to the security checkpoints I tucked the pass under my shirt, puffed out the lanyard and put my camera in my hand like I was getting paid to shoot it.

I walked through not only one, but three different security checkpoints without a problem, all because I walked into the venue like I was meant to be there. I held my camera near my chest (nice and visible) and purposefully put on my 17-40mm because it was the largest looking lens I own. I tucked my pass into my shirt and puffed out the bright yellow lanyard so it stuck out like a sore thumb. Each time I passed a checkpoint, security would first look strait into my eyes, then at my lanyard and then to my camera. By anticipating their thought process I was able to confidently portray myself exactly how their subconscious expected an accredited photographer to act.

An old boss once told me that it’s always better to ask for forgiveness than permission…and this situation was is a perfect example.  

Walking up the superpipes’ steep, narrow and frozen pathway was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done. The walkway was only about 4.5’ wide and falling off it was flat out not an option…the 22’ drop to the ice floor would of wrecked your world…insta-death style.

As I clambered up the pipe, I observed what other photographers were shooting with and where they were positioning themselves. Most were somewhere in the middle of the pipe and had long lenses on their bodies (anywhere from 70-200mm to 400mm). The longest lens I had was a 50mm f1.4, so I opted to position myself near the top of the pipe where the riders would have their first big air out the gate (right under the area that the long lenses were pointed at.)

Getting a solid shot was pretty difficult. Each rider hit the pipe differently, so some runs they would fly right over me, but more often then not they would take off and land 20-30 feet down from where I was squatting or on the other side of the pipe completely.

I did my best to anticipate their trajectory, but what worked best was asking advice from the couple of groms (kids) that were standing behind me and sounded like they knew what they were talking about. “Shaun White’s gonna hit it right there man!” said this little ten year old who was talking with his buddies about the different tricks they were going to do when the pipe opened up to the public later in the day. I’ve found that if you open up your eyes and ears to the settings around you, there’s a really good chance you’ll pick up something that will make your shoot better. When in doubt, ask some one! You never know what can come of it!

I push myself to find angels that tell a story in a way that most media outlets chose not to. While I was busy moving around and trying to get a 360 degree view of the award ceremony, other photographers were busy taking the SAME photo for literally five minutes: 

BORING. 

How many times have you seen this kind of photo?! If I wanted to see Shaun White holding a trophy, I'd google it. Photos like this are necessary, especially if your reporting on the event for a publication...but there's no excuse for making this your only angle! There's so much more to this event than just this mundane overplayed view! It took me literally ten seconds to take the photo that these other photogs took 5 minutes making. 

The secret: BE AGGRESSIVE!

This is how I (the guy kneeling down in the white jacket and yellow pants in front of everyone) made this photo ..I took a power step and slid on my knees like a ninja right to the middle, right under the vantage point of all the other photogs. Look at all that lack of creativity behind me. How disappointing. Mix it up people! 

I just don’t understand the appeal of getting the exact same photo every other photographer standing next to you is getting. Sure, the one photo of everyone celebrating on the podium is necessary if your going to print and your photo editor is a conservative pussy, but c’mon! Why not run a wide angle shot of the whole media frenzy surrounding the podium and use the cutline to name the athletes that won?! Not only would the image tell a compelling story, but it shows the setting it's taking place in. I personally would much rather see a wide angle approach like the one posted here than a zoom in standard that everyone sees all the time.

Shooting this event was definitely one of the most monumental occasions in my photography career. I've never been so happy and excited and overwhelmed all at the same time! It really got me motivated again and excited for the future, especially after having the chance to talk to one of the editors of Snowboarder Magazine who was manning their tent at the event. I told him that I'd be interning over the summer at their sister mag Surfer and that I'd like to double it up and work with them as well, and he told me to get in touch with their photo editor..so that's what I'm doing as we speak! Hopefully I'll be able to transition from surf to snow seamlessly! 

Skateboarding 101

I'll be writing about this one probably tomorrow..Still trying to dial the settings for posting photos, this one for some reason just wont turn out the way I want it to.  I guess this version will have to do, so enjoy. 

Wolf Pack

After the women and children have there fill, Von opens the gates up to the anxiously waiting gentleman gathering outside of his yeard...but not before a quick sermon and prayer. 

"...Clearing his throat, Huff steps into the middle of the crowd and raises his hands up in prayer. “Dear Jesus, we ask you to help these dear people with every struggle they may face, and give them strength in their times of need. ”Some snicker under their breath, but others solemnly hold their silence. “God loves you. Always remember that!”

The Gem Show brings in all walks of life, especially those traveling in search of work. Sean, an accomplished tattoo artist and world traveler has come in to town to take advantage of the population influx.  He and his wife's journey to Tucson began on the east coast, and they successfully made it into town in four days time. With out any money in their pocket what so ever.