Some days shooting are better than others. Today was one of those "better" days. Is there any greater way to spend a few hours working than driving around on a golf cart on a beautiful golf course on a beautiful fall day taking photos? The leaves were better in some areas of the course than others, so I'll probably go back again next week in the late afternoon when the greener trees have changed and to get different holes from other angles. Bonus on a day like this is the benefit of being on the links and not getting frustrated with poor golf play. No bogeys for me today, only sweet images.
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This one of those moments in photography that I like to refer to as "gravy." Whenever a shooter gets an assignment, the first rule of thumb is to get the "meat and potatoes" before anything else. You shoot what the editor requests and then when that's secured you shoot what you want. If the subject is willing, you play around and see what happens. In this case (shooting for the Alumni magazine), I was shooting a researcher at ABB on Centennial Campus with a new petroleum product that would be used in transformers and was not as volatile. I shot the usual posed shot of him holding the vessel with transformer in the background. I noticed his tie was enlarged within the liquid and after I got the main photo, I asked him to look through the beaker. Viola! His eye enlarged and I knew I had the photo I wanted. To my pleasant surprise, the magazine ran the unusual image instead. And the rest, as they say, is gravy...
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I used to love shooting Wolfpack baseball games back when I was in school. Nothing like a sunny Spring day, a package of salted peanuts, an ice cold Mountain Dew and shooting America's game. This image is one in a series in which these players make an awesome catch. From what I remember, the second baseman bobbles the catch with his glove; reaches for it with his bare hand (this frame); misses; the right fielder backing him up dives and ultimately makes the catch. I'll see if I can locate the contact sheet and post a scan here of the series.
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Here's the downtown Raleigh skyline photo I shot yesterday afternoon at dusk. Overcast, rainy conditions were nearly perfect for this kind of image. The late afternoon bluish hue in the rain clouds made for just enough separation between the buildings and sky - and the damp streets gave a nice glow from the streetlights and auto lights. I was really pleased with this shot, despite the miserably cold rain and the occasional obnoxious honking motorist. This was the last frame shot of the night.
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The North Carolina State Fair starts tomorrow, so I figured I would let today's image be from the Midway. I have been shooting the State Fair now for 25 years and seen my fair share of nice sunsets and other various pretty photos, but this shot stands out from the rest. The tonality from sinking sun to the midway and ride lights is what makes the image sing.
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This photo's existence is courtesy of Photoshop. Jim Valvano was quite probably the best coach I ever photographed. He was always up, always haranguing the officials, always yelling at his players and always calling the shots. Sending in play "number 2," coach inadvertently flashed what would eventually become a pair of trademark "Vs." Shot from the upper deck of Reynolds Coliseum during the 1983 season (the year of the Wolfpack's Cinderella run to win the National Championship), the film that this was shot on was improperly processed, leaving a streak across Jimmy V's arms. In the darkroom, the image was totally unusable and beyond any attempt at printing. Fast forward to modern times (negative scanners and Photoshop) - and viola! - we have rescued an image that turned out to be iconic of the man himself and a best seller for Replay Photos.
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President Obama spent his final primary hours campaigning against Sen. Hillary Clinton on campus in Reynolds Coliseum. I usually try to keep my political shots localized, meaning I want my viewer to know where the photo is taken. While this particular shot does not read where he is and could have been taken anywhere, I like the American flag background because there was no good signage that said "NC State"and a flag backdrop is better than anything else. Prior to his addressing the huge crowd, I was fortunate enough to meet and shake hands with him and the First Lady in the basketball offices downstairs - one of the nice perks of the job.
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