Morehead Planetarium at night
I have this thing for night photography and black + white photos. I have always enjoyed the moody look to them. This weekend I joined to of my photographer friends Will and Kevin and went out on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at 10pm to get some shots. Here are some of my favorites.
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 »
Well I made the jump and bought a Canon 5D Mark II. For those who don’t know (and if you don’t know, I can’t imagine you’ll be interested enough to read this post) the 5D is Canon’s first digital SLR camera that is a hybrid, capable of shooting both a 20MP still photo and HD video. It is also a full frame digital SLR. Given that I have only used the pro line of 1D cameras which usually have a 1.3x crop, I am finally back to seeing lenses as their native focal length.
I put a 24-105 4.0 L lens on the camera and was stunned to see how wide 24mm actually was. Using a 1.3x crop factor camera for so long has warped my perception of focal length. I haven’t had the nerve yet to stick my 14mm 2.8 L on the 5D yet. I can only imagine how wide it will look. So I am very excited to finally be shooting full frame again. Having a beautiful 20MP photo is also great plus.
But obviously, the pioneering aspect of this camera is its video capability. I have now taken a sudden interest into watching movies, specifically how cameramen handle angles and execute the art of motion video. While being comfortable in the art of still photography, motion videos are a different dimension. I don’t think a still or video photographer could move into the other medium immediatly without a little bit of learn curve. But, I do think the transition in either direction is easier after having mastered one art form.
I found that some habits from still photography have bled over in a not so good way into how I shoot videos. While at a UNC basketball game, I was there early enough to get early bird shooter JB Tanner (who is always the first one out to do practice shots) doing his warm-up. Not thinking, I turned the camera vertical to shoot the video. Perfectly natural in still photography, but who has ever heard of a vertical video!? So I have lots to learn, but honestly, that is the best part. Like every other photographer I know, I enjoy a challenge of learning something new.
There have been some disappointments. I also own a Canon 1D Mark II and Mark III. Each of those has a different battery type, and the 5D Mark II has yet another entirely different battery. That means I now have to support three different battery types and keep three different chargers around. That is annoying, but not a deal breaker. Coming from the pro-line of 1D cameras, I can’t help but to make the comparisons between the pro-level 1D line and the “prosumer” 5D. First, I really miss the integrated vertical grip. It just doesn’t feel natural without the grip and I ordered the separate vertical grip within 3 days. At times, I felt like I could easily drop the camera because there was nothing to hold onto.
The build quality also no where near the quality of the 1D. The CF door feels flimsy in comparison for example. Also notably missing from the box was an AC adapter that allows me to power the camera via AC power instead of a battery. For me that is important because I will often use a camera as a remotely triggered camera and use the AC to power it while keeping the camera in “pre release” mode (thus in a mode that can drain a battery). Also, when I do head shot at NC State for the athletic dept for all the athletes which lasts about 6 hours, I have always plugged in the camera so it runs all day.
But overall I am delighted in what little experience I have had with the camera. Next week or so I have an assignment with Inside Lacrosse to do a photo shoot with some members of the UNC men’s lacrosse team. This will provide a great opportunity to really try out the camera.
Pardon the non-sports posting, but I got some warm fuzzies after reading this story.
As photographers, we depend on licensing our work to pay bills. I think most non-photographers would be stunned to know how much it costs to be in this business. The equipment we have to purchase is astronomically high. I have a set of strobes in the Dean Smith Center at UNC-Chapel Hill that alone cost me over $7,000.
Often, I get requests for people to use a photo of mine for xyz (where xyz could be anything from a poster to a website). I say sure, but we need to discuss licensing. I often get a stunned response. They wonder why would I charge for a photo. After all, it doesn’t cost me anything to email a photo, right? What they don’t consider is the amount of money and time I had to invest to produce a particular photo in the first place. Here is just a short list of investments I’ve made:
I could go on ad nauseum frankly. The point I want to make is that I spend more money and time producing images than the casual observer understands. I went into photography to be a good photographer – not a half-ass photographer (or “guy with a camera” as pejoratively known in the industry). As such, I require income to invest in top-of-the-line gear as well as repair it. I have one lens than easily costs $500 for simple repairs. For a camera, Canon charges me $150 just to open the box if I send one in for repair.
So I get obviously frustrated when people ask for my photos for free, unless it is for a legitimate charity. Worse though, is when someone tries to download an image from my website and print it. That is flat out theft. I would imagine that those who steal my images have jobs — don’t they expect to be compensated by their supervisor for the work they do? Shouldn’t I also expect to be compensated for my work?
Well, getting back to the story I wanted to link to. A photographer in Minneapolis was victim to a very overt form of image theft, when a real estate and financial services firm stole an image from his website, and used it in a advertisement. The photographer tried amicable solutions, but when put off by the company that stole the image, pursued the case in court, represented himself, and won almost $20,000 in a copyright infringement case. You go Chris. Glad to know that copyright still means something.
Whoever said “timing is everything” in sports photography left out the other important part: lighting. This post will be of little interest to most people, but for students of photography or those looking to learn more about sports photography, I hope you find it of interest.
One aim of sports photography is to isolate your subject. Typically that is done through depth-of-field, namely a shallow one. You keep your subject in focus, but objects 2 to 3 feet in front of the athlete are out focus. Depth of field (DOF) is determined by three main things:
But light can also be used in to isolate a subject. In this case, a sports photographer has to be lucky but also has to be able to spot the chances where the perfect lighting can be had.
Below is a photo from Carter-Finley Stadium, home of the North Carolina State Wolfpack Football team. There is about an 8 minute window on the field when the sun is low enough that Vaughn Towers cast a shadow over the field and stands, but there is a sliver of light that cuts through the openings where the exits are. It lets in just a tad of light over a very small part of the field, but if you can get a picture of a play in this light, it’s just perfect:
Notice how only the player(s) are in the light, but the stands and even foreground are in the shade. These moments don’t come often, but keep your eyes out for when it comes.
—- Update October 8, 2007 —-
Below I thought I would add an example of a flat photo where the subject blends in with the background. This is typically what you get as again, the sun has to be in the perfect position to get the lighting like you saw above.
If you have ever wondered what it is like to do a photo shoot with a varsity athlete (and hey, who hasn’t?), then check out this video from Inside Lacrosse. Staff photographer James Schaffer does a shoot with some of the UVA recruits coming in this year.
I’m fairly fortunate to photograph and have access to sports that fans could only dream of. On the sidelines for NFL football games. Sitting on the floor of the Dean Dome or Cameroon Indoor Stadium for a UNC/Duke basketball game. All is a day’s work for a sports photographer.
As much as I enjoy the experience, it is times with my family that are most rewarding. Today my brother brought my little niece over for her sixth birthday photo. Photographing her is like shooting fish in a barrel. It’s just too easy. If only doing head shots of athletes was this easy.
With this posting is a photo from today. Just had to share. An uncle’s pride I guess.
Earlier this year, Annabelle Myers, NCSU associate athletic director for athletic communications, talked with me in her office about the athletic department’s vision for the 2007 media cover. They were inspired by the cover for the DVD to the TV series The Closer and wanted to bring the concept to our cover. The goal was to have Coach O’Brien at the forefront, with his hands planted on a reflective conference room table, and the players behind him. I was excited about their idea. It is always great to have a client that thinks outside of the box and wants to try new ideas.
The photo shoot took place at the Murphy Football Center in the TV studio that has a green screen installed. Wolfpack fans are familiar with this studio as this is where the coach’s weekly show is filmed. The green screen facilitated the process of photoshopping out the background around the players and placing them onto a solid black medium.
I packed every single light and light modifier that I had in my arsenal. The shoot was not overly complex, but I expected it would require a lot of light modification. Indeed it did. We used anywhere between three and four lights utilizing softboxes, grids and snoots.
We photographed Coach O’Brien first. The first challenge was finding a table that was high enough for him to lean on, and had a good reflectivity so that his hands would reflect. Annabelle, Pat Norris (also of sports information), Rob Bradley (my friend who was helping) and I scratched our heads for about 10 minutes trying to find a strategy. We finally settled on the coffee table that appears on the weekly coach’s show as a prop. We raised the table by stacking it on top a couple crates and boxes. It was ingenuity at its best; although coach had to be careful to lean too hard on the table or it would tip over. 
We had to work a couple angles and ask coach to move his hands in different places before we finally found just the right angle to that had the perfect reflection and perspective. Coach was very pleasant to work with and patient as we moved him around literally inch by inch. After we finished with Coach O’Brien, we photographed the six seniors that are pictured on the front. Each player was photographed seperatly because there was not enough room to photograph them as a group in the room. Also, we wanted to light each person slightly differently to the final image would not look flat.
For the back cover, we photographed the remaining seniors including Marcus Stone, pictured on the right. Marcus is smiling because Annabelle was able to get the always stoic Marcus to actually crack a smile.
(Quick note, the back cover is missing one person because we had one player not show up. I photographed him about 3 weeks later, but he did not make the pre-production mock-up that Annabelle sent me. The final printed version obviously has him.)
Given that I cover ACC sports in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area, and that there is an immense amout of interest in those sports by those who blog, I frequently find my photos being ripped off and used in blog entries. For the most part I have not really taken action against those who steal my work even though I have rights to seek damages against them. Although, what I have always found ironic is bloggers hate it when other bloggers steal their work, especially when the original writer is not credited. Yet these same bloggers seem to forget these rules when the comes to photography.
Today I was pointed to one of the most egregious acts of a blog stealing photos (although in this case not mine). Here is a quote: Read the rest of this entry »
Sometimes I feel like I missed the “golden era” of photojournalism. It seems every time I turn around my colleagues are loosing their jobs as newspapers seek to become more profitable.
So imagine my surprise and relief when I read this article from Reuters.
U.S. newspapers that spend more money on their newsrooms will make more money, according to a study released on Wednesday, which questioned the wisdom of the media industry’s trend of cutting jobs to save costs.
The authors of the University of Missouri-Columbia study, which was based on 10 years of financial data, said news quality affects profit more than spending on circulation, advertising and other parts of the business.
The study was done by a school of journalism which has a vested interest in people getting jobs in the industry. So take this as you will.
