It was obvious at the outset of starting this project that the bond between Coach Harper and the players was very strong. They love her; it’s obvious every time I am around the team. I have a wider shot of this scene, but I like this one most. It concentrates on the interaction between the team; faces aren’t important here — the bond is.

As I mentioned earlier on this site, I was commissioned by the NC State alumni associated to do the photography for a story they are doing on Kellie Harper, NCSU’s new women’s basketball coach. They asked me to pick my favorite photos from the story. Easier said than done though with some 1,000 pics to cull through.  But I was able to pick out my favorite eight from the season and here they are. Read the rest of this entry »

We knew she was sick, but it is still hard to believe.  She was strong. Whenever the cancer struck her, she struck back harder. Always a survivor. When it tried to break her spirt, she came out stronger. The photo below I took in March 2007 when NCSU lost in the NCAA tournament. We all thought it would be her last game as a coach. A year later, she proved us and the cancer who was in charge as she was still out on the court directing her team to victories even a year later. But in the end, NC State head basketball coach Kay Yow lost her battle to breast cancer. It took decades to finally take the strong-willed woman home; but last night it finally won. 

As a team photographer, I have photographed many coaches, in many sports and at many schools.  Coach Yow I always liked. While doing a photo shoot for NCSU’s athletic department for the W BBall media guide, I had the opportunity to work with her. She was a delight. Patient, friendly and kind spirited. I left that photo shoot thinking what a wonderful person she was. I have not always left with that feeling with other coaches.

Coach, we will miss you. But no one is going to ever forget you. Say hello to Coach V for us. 

NCSU head coach Kay Yow in March 2007. (Photo: Peyton Williams/NCSU Athletics)

Russell Wilson with "Trust" written on his wrist bandage

Oh, I wish every game at NC State was like this for me.  To be sure, working at NC State covering football has had it’s ups and downs.  When Daniel Evans threw the “hail mary” 2 years ago to beat Boston College:  That was euphoric.  But for every good moment, there seems to be even more bad ones.  Traveling to USC with the team was an exercise in masochism.  Insult to injury was Russell Wilson’s concussion that put him in the hospital overnight.  But back to the point:  It is a lot more fun to work for and photograph a team that wins than one that doesn’t.

Today was one of those good days.  In what turned out to be an exciting game, North Carolina State upset East Carolina (ECU).  Some fans may dispute the use of “upset”, saying that ECU was not as good as they were thought.  But, in the end, NC State did beat a ranked team.  Here are some of my photos from the game.

You know how I like random photos, and the photo in this posting is both random, and one of my favorite photos from the day.  It is of NC State QB Russell Wilson.  Actually, it is a close up of his hands during the press conference.  I noticed his wrist taped with the word “Trust” written on it.  After taking a few photos of it, a reporter asked what the message meant.  Russell said it means “Trust in God first. Then trust in your teammates.”  Anyways, I hope Russell wasn’t wondering why I was zooming in on his pelvic section.

So college football season has started, and I am back in full force on the sports photography circuit.  Last week I traveled on the team buses down Columbia, SC with the NCSU Football team when the played the Ol’ Ball Coach.

It goes without saying that with a final score of 34-0 for South Carolina, it was a rough game.  Worse though was the injury of QB Russel Wilson.  I was walking around USC campus with Brandon in athletic communications saying that with all the injuries, the only thing that could be worse if if Wilson was hurt.

Beyond the score and injuries, I had a great time down in Columbia.  Brandon and I toured the campus and I was able to by my always essential survenior for every campus I visit: a shot glass.  I also had a great talk with team orthopedic surgen Dr. David Fajgenbaum, whose son, also named David, I’ve known back when I worked at Georgetown and David QB’ed there.

The enviroment was also a fun one.  The fans certainly get into the game, and it was loud there.  I can only imagine the intensity that comes from a Clemson – USC game.  I did hear that the NCSU fans said the USC fans were welcoming and respectful, which was great to hear.  Good to have an intense, but cordial enviorment.

Speaking of enviroment, one of my favorite photos was of Andre Brown, just as the team was about to enter the field.  He was checking out the stadium, and I was only about 2 feet from him when I took the photo.

Wednesday, with the help of my friend Danny, I did the team photo for NCSU men’s basketball.  Usually it is one of my more stressful events of the year, but this year it went off without much of a hitch.  Brian Reinhardt, media relations director for basketball, had the day’s events remarkably organized, arriving with a diagram of where each coach and player would sit or stand.

We also did some photos for marketing.  They needed some photos of Ben McCauley, Courtney Fells and Brandon Costner.  In a light hearted moment, I snapped them doing a faux pose before we did the real photo shoot. (sorry it is not composed very well; I brought my camera up from the floor and snapped this moment real quick)  Moments like these are great because they remind you that these guys are just every day guys like you and me who have a sense of humor, and I think most fans would really appreciate that.

Trevor Mack

Every August, I pack my lighting gear and head to NC State to set up for a two-day head shot day.  All the winter and spring athletes come in anytime between 9am and 4pm to have their photo take.  Staff are also welcome to come.

Typically I do both days, but travel with football to South Carolina precluded me from doing the Wednesday session.  So my friend and fellow photographer Karl Deblaker filled in on Wednesday.  On the first day, I was getting a couple outtakes and Pat Norris in the media relations office suggested that we keep a collection of all the outtakes on file, and post them to the new blog on gopack.com.  So I wanted to link you to the blog so you can check out the outtakes.

Hopefully this is something we can do on an annual basis.  We thought the fans would get a kick out of the photos.

Andrew Brackman treated by Andy before playing Garner-Webb.

A little bit of blast from the past.  As many of you know, I spent the Spring of 2007 with NC State pitcher Andrew Brackman, who would go on to be drafted in the first round by the NY Yankees.

This is how I remember Andrew best, with his Sidekick device.

Today I discovered a slew of photos that were sitting on my web

server that I forgot to publicly release of Andrew.  Many of these of these are photos that not even Andrew or his parents have seen.  (well, except for the fact that I emailed them to say they are there.)

Towards the end the work I did with Brack, combined with all the other work I did, I got overwhelmed and honestly forgot that I had all these unreleased photos of him.  I hope that all the Brackman fans out there enjoy the new archives of Drew.

For those wondering, Drew is in Tampa right now doing conditioning.  I talked to him a week or so ago over IM and he’s doing well.  Saw a Poison concert last month.

Click here is to see the photos.

I worked for the good folks at Inside Carolina for the Spring Football game.  The head photographer for Inside Carolina, Jim Hawkins, was stuck in San Antonio still after photographing the Final Four, so I got tried to be Jim for day (I didn’t have the bluetooth earpiece so I couldn’t pull it off.)

Linked are some photos from the game posted on Inside Carolina. [Gallery 1]  [Gallery 2]

Interesting note from after the game.  I had to photograph the post-game press conference in the football facility (which is amazing for those who have not been lucky enough to go in there).  When I left, I was only only the 2nd floor but had to go to 1st to get out.  I was lost and had no idea how to get to the first floor without taking the elevator.  So I hit the down button and prayed that no one would be on the elevator going doing, lest I feel like a lazy oaf.  I hear the elevator slow down to 2nd, the doors fly open, and no one is there but head UNC football coach Butch Davis himself.  ”Crap!” I thought, but he quickly said in a friendly tone “You going down?  Well come on man”.  So whew, embarassment avoided.  In the 10 seconds I was with him in the elevator, plus what I heard of him on the field and in the post-game press conference, I can see why this guy is so well respected.  He’s the kind of coach that players would run through walls for.  They love him, you can tell.

BTW, I’ve lately had close encounters with all three local football coaches in the last two months.  In February, I was in Duke football coach David Cutcliffe’s office photographing him and the Manning brothers.  Last month, I was at the residence of NC State head football coach Tom O’Brien, photographing him and his family for NC State.  Then this encounter with coach Davis.

Art Chase at Duke University sent me an ominous instant message of just “call my cell”. I thought at first I was in trouble, but Art asked me if I could photograph some “guests” that would be with the new Duke Football coach, David Cutcliffe. I wasn’t jumping at the chance to do it, because the shoot was going to be at 8pm Saturday, just one hour before the 9pm tip-off for the Duke vs. North Carolina basketball game that I was also photographing. Usually its a stressful game to set-up for and shoot, and I thought I would be a basket case around 8pm. But Art has helped me a lot in the past so I said “sure”. As for who the “guests” were, I assumed it was rich alumni and donors and didn’t give it a second thought.

Before every game there is a press meal, and during the meal, Bob Rosato from sports illustrated mentioned that both Eli and Peyton Manning played for coach Cutcliff and that one of them had been spotted. I may not have gone to Duke, but I can put two and two together. So I walk over to Art and ask him, “Does one of the guests that I’m photographing tonight happen to have the same first name as I do?” He laughed, said “yes”, and I said I was now an even bigger basket case now.In the end, it was fine. I was even able to slip to the other side of the lens and get a picture of me with the Manning brothers. They are pretty nice guys. It was a room full of only a few people, so it wasn’t like they had to put on a show. I think it reflected who they really are — pretty down to earth.Also walking around was a guy whose voice seemed very familiar, but I could not place it. I turned around to see that Matthew McConaughey was also there in the coach’s office. So man, I never thought I would be meeting the Manning brothers and Matthew McConaughey before this game. Crazy how things happen. (btw, Matthew, also a very nice guy)

Side note, if you are a photographer, and sports information director asks you to take a photo of an event, but is vague about who will be there, take the assignment. Two years ago Bruce Winkworth at NC State asked me to photograph an event at a NC State baseball game. He said there would be a special guest there, but could not say who it would be. I couldn’t do the event though as I was booked for another assignment. I found out later that the guest was none other than Alex Rodriguez.

ACC Football official Ron Cherry gives a verbal description on a foul during the NC State / Maryland game last Saturday.  Funny thing was I was at the game and totally missed this call.  I guess when I am photographing a game my head is in the game and I miss what is going on around me.  Enjoy…

In September, I photographed the shots that would be used for the NC State men’s basketball poster. Chris Alston in marketing and promotions wanted to have action photos of the players mirroring action photos of players from the ’83 team. 2008 marks the 25th anniversary of the national championship team with Coach Jim Valvano.

The players were given a copy of the photo by Chris of the ’83 player they were going to emulate while I set up the lights to strobe the court. For each player, I met quickly with him to look at the photo with him and discuss strategies to getting the right shot. We took three or four photos and compared what I had on the camera vs. the photo. Usually I needed to talk with the player again to have him move his angle or hands and retry. For the most part, the photos came out pretty good. The poses were not perfectly the same, but given the time pressures we had, I though it was a pretty solid job.

Kudos to Chris Alston and staff for coming up with this idea. I thought it was a really creative way to remember the the ’83 team. Thanks to the players too. They were eager to do the best they could to honor the ’83 players and do the best job possible. They were patient and accommodating.

Below is the poster. The ’83 player is in B+W behind the current player.