A fellow photographer, Jeanine Leech (http://www.doubleplaydesigns.com) let me know that I had a photo in ESPN the Magazine. How cool? She is an awesome photographer who has been shooting the Pittsburgh Penguins for years. Maybe she'll let me have a game or two this upcoming season?
Now, the magazine isn't like Sports Illustrated. They don't have large photo after large photo. Normally, they just have 1x1 or 1x3 images that go along with the story. They selected an image I took that was an emotional one of Lastings Milledge of the Pittsburgh Pirates showing his disgust after striking out.
Anyway, I've now made it on SI.com (Sports Illustrated) and into ESPN the Magazine. And for anyone who is interested, both images were licensed through my new relationship with Icon.
I also had my first assignment with the local newspaper in town. I think I will be doing a bit of freelance work for them shortly. Here's the shot from the newspaper. I'll tell the story of it, too. It's a great "Murphy's Law" story.
Okay, so this is supposed to be a quick, get a shot that sums up the graduation ceremony and you're done. Wasn't even required to stay the entire time. The photo editor seems like a cool guy.
So, I go there early (20 minute drive through winding country roads) and start taking some shots. Got a few, but really none to brag about. The commencement starts and I get the Valedictorian speaking with a nice, clean background. I get a few more that are keepers. Ones that will be fine for the paper. So, I leave. The ceremony started at 6pm and there are only 150 students. It's not going to be a long graduation.
I leave, drive the twenty minutes home and pop the CF card in the PC. Nothing. Yep, the card was blank. Well, the Canon 1D Mark II also has an SDHC card slot you can use, so maybe they're on that card. Nope. I sat and stared at the screen for about 10 minutes. This was the first assignment I was sent on and I have ziltch, nada, nothing. Perfect!
Well, I jump in the car and speed back to the high school (It's 7:15pm at this point). Let's just say it took 11 minutes this time. I get there just as they are starting to walk off the field. Shit... I missed the ceremony. Now what? I can't go home empty-handed.
I immediately looked for an attractive subject (tattoos, piecings, although I have nothing against them - they just wouldn't really apply in this scenario) who was having fun. People having fun is good - especially ones that are easy on the eyes.
From 75 yards away (estimate), with the 300mm lens and 1.4x TC still on the camera, I shoot about 15 frames of these two young ladies cheering, throwing up the peace sign - celebrating the end of high school. They were about 5 feet from exiting the field and I'd be in a tougher spot.
I milled around the crowd, got some shots of parents and their kids - some even played it up with kisses & hugs, etc. I just wanted to send more than this one shot with the beautiful railing going right across the middle to the editor.
Well, to end the story, I drove home in 12 minutes and did the fastest editing I could. The images beat the deadline by 5 minutes. Little did I know that the non-traditional, non-posed, "fun" shot would be the one chosen. It just proves, you never know which photo an editor is going to like. That's why we're not editors.
Moral of the story...
IF YOUR CAMERA HAS A FEATURE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO WRITE THE IMAGES TO BOTH CARDS AND CALLS IT "BACKUP" - USE IT! HAD I USED IT, I WOULD HAVE NOT HAD TO RUN BACK TO GET SOME LAST MINUTE SHOTS.
Funny, too... another photographer (who shall remain nameless) had the audacity to ask me "Why would you leave before the diplomas were handed out? And, why in the world would you get the parents involved in your pictures?"
How dare I be so unprofessional?? :-) If I wouldn't have left, I would have really been screwed. At least I had time to get back there to salvage at least that picture.
I'm thinking in my head, although I just ignore that stuff is, "You have no idea what the editor wanted. You don't know that he said 'Shoot something and get out of there', you basically are talking out of the southern-most point of your body".
Eventually all this type of person people will just go away if you ignore them. It does no good to TRY and be respectful and be-friend them, thinking that they will be mentors - they won't. Don't waste your time. You'll eventually find one that will be helpful and not wear iPod headphones that aren't attached to anything, just jammed in their pocket (yes, they do that) so they don't get asked questions. For some reason, when a photographer (some, not all) become successful, the already huge ego gets out of control. Everyone is beneath them. I just don't get it. Do they forget what it was like when they started out?
* DISCLAIMER: If any of the people I am quoting as pompous, arrogant or rude are reading this, feel free to contact me and let me know that you weren't being that way and I simply misunderstood. Then, I'll write a post saying how humble and nice of a person you are.
