Preston Mack Photography

MLB Postseason Gigapans!

2011-11-01T16:21:00.002-04:00

In October 2011, I flew just over 9000 miles ...

from New York/Orlando/Dallas/Milwaukee/Tampa/St Louis/Orlando to St Louis.

That is easily the most travel that I have done in a one month period.

St Louis Cardinals manager Tony Larussa speaks during the World Series Celebration

Shooting panoramic gigapan photos from the entire 2011 Major League Baseball playoff run was an amazing experience. My friend, David Bergman, a leader in the use of gigapan photography, brought me on board to help him tackle this MLB project. We were tasked to shoot gigapans of every MLB playoff game during the 2011 postseason. What an assignment!

For those who do not know, the gigapan is a device that helps you to take extremely detailed panoramics by stitching together hundreds of photos together. You just program the device with the scene you want to capture, and you let it go!

The St Louis Cardinals World Series Celebration

Most of the images that I made were comprised of about 300 to 400 images (each one, shot with a Nikon D700, a 12 megapixel file) and stitched together the file is easily in excess of a 4 gigabyte file. The amazing thing is that online you will see the wide shot of the baseball game, but you are able to zoom in and see people in the stands and, if you connect with Facebook, you can also tag yourself and your Facebook friends. Of course, the art of the gigapan is subtle. Anyone can get a gigapan on and let it shoot, but are the players in the right spot? Are they duplicated somewhere else on the field? Is there a real moment on the field of play?

Fans at Game 6

On October 27th, I witnessed World Series game 6. In addition to seeing one of the greatest postseason games ever, I was the first person to ever shoot a World Series gigapan from behind home plate. Normally, the position has to be in dead center field because the goal is to showcase as many fans as possible. I was able to shoot from behind home plate because for games 6 and 7, David and I produced "dueling" gigapans from opposite sides so that we could virtually photograph everyone in the stadium.

World Series Game 6 - Texas Rangers at St Louis Cardinals . All the blue squares represent all the people who tagged themselves on Facebook.

This web feature has been very popular with the fans who pop onto the MLB.com website. According to a recent USA Today newspaper story, the use of this technology has driven over 100,000 page views on MLB.com this season. Here is a link to the 2011 MLB Tagoramics that David and I produced this postseason.

A photo of me from World Series Game 7. This is from David Bergman's gigapan from home plate.

Curtis Stone for Hy-Vee

2011-08-18T21:21:00.001-04:00

Here are some nice clips from my recent advertising shoot in Kansas City.

I had a week to shoot Celebrity chef Curtis Stone for Hy-Vee, the premier grocery chain in the Mid West. My photos are now being used for all the print advertising and in store displays of Curtis. In addition to being a really great photo subject, Curtis was a really down to Earth guy. I could not have asked for a nicer subject!

Southwest Airlines print ad

2011-08-11T23:03:00.001-04:00

My favorite image from the shoot - A "Charlie's Angels" inspired pose.

I was really excited when got the phone call to bid on a national Southwest Airlines print ad. Southwest always has always shown really interesting and creative ads on air and in print. Southwest Airlines wanted to create a nice print piece that would help announce their purchase of Airtran Airways. All four of the talent would be actual airline employees.

After getting awarded the job, I quickly assembled my team:

-Local art director Julio Lima from Say it Loud rented me his studio for the day

-Gaffer Michael Smallwood is my gaffer and lit the set

-Ana Rivera from Beaute Speciale handled the hair & make up

-Tammara Kohler from Fused Fashion took care of the wardrobe

On the day of the shoot, we had transportation pick up the 4 Southwest Airlines executives, the 3 ad agency creatives and the 4 talent from Orlando International Airport. We got them all to the studio safely and fed them a nice catered lunch before getting started.

On the white cyc wall we shot many variations. Different groupings, posing and wardrobe. I lit the talent evenly at first, but after reviewing the comp with the art director, I added a high sidelight on the left. We needed to match the "daylight" from the existing plane image that would be used in the composite. My favorite were the funnier, looser grab shots you get after the crew gets to know each other. Below is the final print ad.

The final print ad

Roy Halladay cover shoot

2011-07-13T15:28:00.000-04:00

Here is the Roy Halladay photo shoot that I did in February 2010 for the Sporting News. Although it is over a year old, people still email me and ask questions about it. I had some behind the scenes video, so I put this together for you.

Roy Halladay Photo cover shoot from Preston Mack on Vimeo.

Photo shoot with Tampa Bay Ray's All Star Matt Joyce

2011-06-25T23:00:00.007-04:00

Here is my first video blog about my recent Sporting News photo shoot with Tampa Bay Rays OF Matt Joyce.

Matt Joyce photo shoot - Preston Mack photo blog from Preston Mack on Vimeo.

Throwing footballs with an NFL QB

2011-06-25T22:35:00.003-04:00

I was on a corporate photo assignment when an elderly gentleman looked over the two cameras I had slung over my shoulders and asked me “What is your favorite photo that you have taken and can you tell me about it?”
I have been asked variations of that questions many, many times but I never really have a clear way of explaining that I do not have a favorite. The joy I receive from this profession is from the actual process, not the finished product. My next photo shoot was the perfect example of this...

I got a call from USA Today to photograph college football great and current Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow as he worked out near his Jacksonville home. The NFL owners locked out the players, so many of them are coordinating practices on their own. The access was worked out through his agent, not the team.

In my almost 20 year career, I have shot over 350 NFL and NCAA "Division 1" football games and practices. I was interested to see what an NFL event with no PR handlers would be like. Of course, I had two factors in my favor. Tim is probably one of the nicest professional athletes that you could ever deal with and I have photographed him 5 times previously, putting him on four Sporting News covers.

Tim Tebow stiff arms me after our first photo shoot

In each of those earlier photo shoots, it was vital to be as professional as possible. I would always arrive early with my assistant, set up the lights quickly, have an efficient plan and end early. When you schedule these high profile athletes, you will always have a set amount of time that the athlete will pose for you. It is a good goal to surprise them and finish before the subject wants to go. That will endear you in the eyes of the team and the player. I also made sure to bring 8x10 prints from each of the previous photo shoots so that he could give to friends and family.

When Tim pulled into the parking lot next to the grass field near his home, he quickly exited the car and gave me a warm welcome. Joining him were three Denver Bronco receivers who flew into town to run routes for him. Tim was first to have his shoes on and was ready to go as his receivers were still sitting on the ground, spike-less.

I said “Tim, throw me the ball”. I backed up to about 20 yards and threw the football with him. Normally, I am not one to be starstruck, but throwing a football with an NFL QB is very cool - definitely a moment to remember. Now, judging by my friend's comments on my Facebook post regarding this, I will answer the most common questions:

1-Yes, Tim has fixed his throwing motion. There is no more hitch.
2-Yes, he throws the ball very hard. (He is an NFL QB)
3-Yes, I threw tight spirals right back at him.
4-Yes, it is weird catching a ball thrown by a lefty (it spins the wrong way)
5-No, it was not as cool as catching Roger Clemens but only because baseball was my favorite sport growing up.
6-Yes, I did manage to drop a few balls, but I refer you to #2.

Over the next hour or so, I shot Tim throwing curls, digs, slants and go patterns to his receivers. It was weird to be able to walk up next to them as they discussed the routes and then shoot the action with a 15mm lens. As someone who was annoyed with the media handling during games and practices, this was a once of a lifetime experience. I tried to deliver photos that were normally impossible to get. I doubt I will ever be able to feel the speed of the receivers running around or feel the quickness of the QB’s drop again.

At the end of the day, you should always remember that shooting good photos is not all about photography skill. Much of the work is cultivating and developing a relationship with the photo subjects. You always strive to make a positive, lasting impression that you can build on for the next shoot.
Preston Mack is a photographer based in Orlando, FL. He has shot photos from the Pace car at Daytona, caught Roger Clemens (while he was still juicing), played paintball with a Bee Gee, rode a roller coaster with Justin Bieber, hit fungo to Cal Ripken Jr, got punched by Sugar Ray Leonard and got a golf lesson from Tom Watson. (I am currently looking for an NBA superstar to play me one on one....)

(This blog post originally appeared on the Sport Shooter website.
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/2535)

Airline pilots video for USA Today

2011-06-21T09:41:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, USA Today asked me to work on a story about the booming demand for airline pilots. I knew that meant running out to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach and flying. The weather was dreadful, and at 2 hours out, I thought that there was no way we would get up in the air.
After only an hour or so rain delay, we were prepping the plane for take off. My pilot, this young 20 year old Costas Sivyllis, was a very interesting guy. He not only is a student, but also teaches flight to beginner students, and is the editor of the student newspaper.

Bachelor Contestant Marissa May

2011-05-29T19:52:00.004-04:00

Nikon D3 - 160th at 2.8 , ISO 400

Every time I see my friend Marissa, I think of pop star Justin Bieber. No, she isn't Canadian, sing/dance or even date Selena Gomez. When I first met her, she was working as a public relations handler when I got to ride a roller coaster with Justin and take his photo.

Recently, Marissa was chosen to be one of the contestants on the 2011 season of ABC's The Bachelor. This marks the first and only time I actually watched the show. After she was eliminated in episode 5, I stopped watching. (I think Marissa may be too normal and sane to be a reality tv star!)

Since she has come back to Florida, she has a need for publicity photos. I was more than happy to help her out.

My idea was to have her walking on water. I have seen many gorgeous photos like this, and I knew exactly where to do it. My home in Avalon Park has a lot of water, and this one particular retention pond looks like a giant lake, I knew that it would be beautiful at sunset. My friend Mike built the entire underwater platform himself and submerged it. It was surprisingly stable! When Marissa got out there, we just lit her with a Profoto 7B and a beauty dish.

I need to thank my crew. This would not have been possible with out them!

Michael Smallwood - Grip

Ana Rivera - Hair/ Make up- www.beautespeciale.com

Tammara Kohler - Wardrobe - www.fusedfashiononline.com

UPDATE: Here is a link to Marissa's blog where she talks about the shoot.

Graeme McDowell for ECCO Shoes

2011-02-03T17:54:00.045-05:00

Graeme McDowell for ECCO Shoes

I have been working with ECCO shoes for over 3 years now. It has always been to shoot PGA Tour Pro Stuart Appleby at his home course at the Isleworth Country Club. Recently, they changed it up by asking me to photograph Graeme McDowell, the current US Open Champion.

Graeme recently signed a shoe contract with ECCO, and they were excited to welcome him to the brand.
They asked for some solid portraiture and action photos that they could use to promote the relationship. The art director provided some comps and we hashed out a plan. We would only have Graeme for 1 1/2 hours (from 10:30am to 12pm) . Immediately after the photo shoot, he was going to test some new Srixon golf balls, so we could not run over the time limit.

The shoot was going to happen at his home course in Orlando, Lake Nona. We picked the photo location at the driving range. This way, we could squeeze every minute with him until he had to leave and hit golf balls. I brought along Cy Cyr, a local photographer and friend. Cy is an excellent golfer and it is always a plus to have knowledgeable people on your team.

My latest lighting fad is with the beauty dish. I just love directional light - so easy to control but not harsh like from a normal reflector. I always try to light as minimally as possible, and achieve the best overall exposure. The dish allows me to do that. I had previously used the Profoto beauty dish, and I was happy with it, but it costs $375.
Normally, if I need a piece of lighting equipment, I would just buy it. I never buy inferior gear, but I also don't want to waste money. I knew that the Speedotron Beauty Dish is of a similar design and finish, but costs only $139. I just bought the Speedotron and changed out the speed ring to a Profoto speedring.

We set up at the driving range and picked up all of the range loose balls. We picked out a nice background - nice trees and some pleasant rolling fairways. When Grame arrived, we got started. I feel that for nice portraits, you need to have the subject's face in shade. You don't want the person's face to have different and ugly patterns of light or shadow, so it is best to shoot backlit in this situation and make sure his face is completely in shade. The exposure for the images was about 1/250th of a second and f/11, at 200ASA. As usual, I used a Profoto 7B on a boom. I also have a hand made diffuser sock over the beauty dish. The sock just makes the light a little bit softer, almost like a softbox light but with the directionality of the dish. The best of both worlds!
Graeme was easy to work with and the photos turned out great. I hope he has another championship year!

Reader's Digest Heroes

2010-08-16T14:14:00.009-04:00

Dr. Michelle Henderson and her hero, John Ritter

I was fortunate enough to get two great Reader's Digest assignments in back to back months. The first story was about Dr. Michelle Henderson. This 51 year old orthopedic surgeon is a real athlete. She is an accomplished runner, biker, longboard surfer and diver. She tried out kiteboarding as the next adventure. She had met and became fast friends with expert kiteboarder John Ritter. On one fateful day in February, her new friend would save her life.

On a morning ride on the Banana River, Michelle became concerned with the high winds. She had already decided to quit for the day when a gust of wind carried her up into the air. She desperately tried to engage the safety release, but her lines started to get so tangled that she was unable to. Luckily, John who had been following, pounced into action. He caught up to her as she was bring tossed into the air and dragged under water. He was trying to get her cords released, when he lost his board. Not having the leverage, he left Michelle in the water. John left to track down his wife, who was nearby on a jet ski. John came back on the jet ski and performed a miracle save, jumping from the jet ski onto Michele's tangled kite line, dragging it under water and finally collapsing the kite. They counted over 200 turns in her line...

For the photo shoot, I wanted to make a beautiful portrait of the two during sunrise. Sounds simple, but everything on the beach is more complicated...
When you shoot on the water, you always need to be careful of sea spray on both your cameras and your lights. I took my usually assistant Jorge to man the Profoto light and the beauty dish and a new assistant, Jeff, to just hold the cameras. You need to make sure you bring lots of extra towels and clean water. You need to wipe off the sand and sea spray immediately. All the extra gear you normally take with you you leave in the car. It is too hard to manage all the gear with the constant threat of salt water and sand.

We arrived about 30 minutes before the sun rise, and proceeded to the beach. It helps that her condo was right on Cocoa Beach, so there was no travel time from her place to the water. I tried to underexpose the clouds for the exposure. This exposure would change constantly as the sun rose. It gets brighter and brighter very quickly, so it always helps to shoot RAW. I used the Nikon D3 camera body with a 24-70 2.8 lens. The final exposure for the image they used was 1/250th of a second at F/11, 200ASA,

We tried many different variations with the kite, but in the end it was just too large, it took away from the people. The photo of the two of them with the boards were enough to convey the idea of kiteboarding without being too dominant. Many times, the photo is really an easy thing to capture. You just have to place the subjects in beautiful light and just wait for the sun to rise!

As always, special thanks to my wonderful agents at Redux Pictures and to the wonderful people at Reader's Digest.

Shooting Tethered to the iPad

2010-07-13T23:27:00.004-04:00

When I first heard about the new tablet computer by Apple (April 2010), I was thinking the same thing EVERYONE else was thinking... WHAT A BAD NAME!!!! An iPad? Really???

Anyway, despite the name, I REALLY wanted to want this device. It is essentially a giant iPod Touch. I was sure that I would enjoy traveling with this but it could not replace my MacBook Pro. I knew that I couldn't depend on it as a deadline device or as a transmitting computer. I wouldn't drop $600 to $800 for just a web surfing tablet with email. To further complicate matters, the iPad camera connection kit was in short supply. No one that I knew could get their hands on one.

On July 12, a photographer friend in West Palm Beach posted a status update on his Facebook account.

Steve Mitchell

I was waiting almost two months for an Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit, the local Apple store about twenty of them in stock as of today.

Of course, I immediately called the local Orlando Apple stores and was able to get a saleman on the phone who did confirm that they had the iPad Camera Connection kit in stock, but he would not, or could not set one aside for me. So after driving quickly (but safely) to the Florida Mall, I was able to secure the kit. When I got home, I was able to test it out. I called my neighbor and friend Gabe, who was an early iPad adopter and had the 64GB 3G+WiFI model. I borrowed his machine quickly learned that the USB connector is not useable with the standard CF card readers. The port is not powered, so any device needs to bring its own power to work.

I then plugged in my Nikon D3. I am still shocked by how easy it is to set up.

When you plug in your camera to the iPad Camera Connection kit USB adapter, the Photo program in the iPad knows that a camera is connected. When you shoot a photo while tethered, a tab named "CAMERA" appears, and when selected, you will see the contents of your CF card on the camera. These small thumbnails are not large enough to view, but they load fast. You then select whatever frame (or frames) you want, then click import. After a few seconds the images are now on the iPad, under the "Photos" tab. (I shot both basic JPG files and RAW+JPG files. While the basic JPG only files loaded much quicker, the RAW+JPG files were not unreasonably slow. I am not sure if the RAW files are actually read by the iPad photo program. It may have been the larger JPG file associate the RAW)

When you click on the "Photos" tab ,all the ingested images show up. You can click on one to enlarge it. You can zoom in and scroll photos just like you do with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Now, you all may be wondering why you should do this rather than just tethering to your laptop.

Viewing photos live, on the iPad is a much more immersive experience than with a laptop.

The art director , the prop and food stylists on my Tupperware shoot were all AMAZED at the clarity of the photos and the ease of use. They were able to flip back and forth between photos, and setups to compare. They loved how they could zoom and virtually crop the images.

In EVERY other instance where I shot tethered to a laptop, a client or art director ALWAYS touched my laptop screen and that drove me batty since I hate having fingerprints on my screen. Now, with the iPad, I want them to touch the screen and interact with the photos.

I had told my friends how I did not want or need an iPad. I was talking about how the iPad doesn't do this, or that... but...

I may have approached it the wrong way. The iPad will never replace my MacBook Pro, but it doesn't need to. It does one thing really, really well - It provides an easy, immersive way for my clients to experience my photography. That in itself, is all the reason I need to get an iPad.

Now, I need to ask Gabe how much he wants for his iPad!!! :)

P.S. - I am not allowed to show images of the new products I shot today. After they are published by Tupperware, I will upload behind the scenes video of the iPad in action.

P.S.S - In the off chance that Steve Jobs winds up reading this, these are the 8 things that I would like to see in the iPad iOS4 release.

1- With import, allow iPad users to see and select only "tagged" images from the DSLR. This way, a shooter can edit in camera quickly, then import the edit without thinking.
2- Allow larger thumbnails in the "Camera" tab. If you can have larger images viewable, a person can make an edit on the iPad before selecting images. This can be a simple image browser, like "Photo mechanic" is on the Mac or PC.
3 - Allow photographers to pick which file to import. You should be able to import an JPG, and not the associated RAW file.
4 - In the Photos tab, you should allow tagging of photos so you can make new events or move images. Needs to be a better way to organize.
5 - The iPad needs a way to apply IPTC info onto the images. Batch IPTC application or individual files.
6 - Aperture "Lite" would be nice to have on the iPad. A simple way to tone and color correct images.
7 - Calibration of the monitor to Adobe RGB or whatever standard so we can have an idea of what the color will be on the photos.
8- A way to store images in a queue - ready for FTP, or email uploading.

Puppies!!!

2010-05-26T09:49:00.002-04:00

Puppies at the Guide Dog Campus

When I was attending the University of Miami, I was studying to be an architect.
In that 5 year track, you were supposed to pick a minor (12 credits) by your junior year. I wanted my minor to be in Motion Pictures. I took one film class and made one epic, 10 minute Super 8 student film. The only reason that I wound up taking Photojournalism as a minor instead was because I was not allowed to minor in film.

So what does that story have to do with anything? I think that if I had been allowed to minor in film, my career path might have been dramatically different...

USA today hired me to do a combo assignment last week. The story was about "puppy hugging" that happens 5 days a week at the Southeastern Guide Dogs campus in Palmetto, Fl. The public is invited in to socialize with the puppies. This training is essential in the development of the dogs. Not all the puppies will become guide dogs, but they all will have their strengths identified and utilized.

Of course, the initial problem was that I did not own a DSLR that was video capable. I currently own a Nikon D3 and a Nikon D700. Both are great 12 megapixel cameras that are FX (full frame). I really want to wait for the Nikon DSLR that can shoot 1080p video at 24 FPS. Right now, the best Nikon DSLR video is 720p.

One possible solution was to buy a Canon 5D Mark 2 DSLR which is currently the BEST DSLR video camera made. In addition to being a 21 megapixel full frame camera, it shoots stunning 1080p video. This year's season finale of the Fox Tv show "House" was filmed entirely with this camera. My issue is that I do not own any Canon lenses anymore. I do not want to switch back and forth every time Canon and Nikon leapfrog each other with better technology.

I settled on using a Nikon D300s for the video assignment. Although it is a DX (1.5 crop) sensor and 720p video, I had used a D300s for my video of the mixed martial arts fighter I did earlier in the year, so I was familiar with it. I bought a Sennheiser MKE shot gun microphone and was ready for the shoot...
It requires a different point of view and mindset to shoot video. With still photography, you really need to think about moments and isolate them. Simple interactions that can show the heart and emotion form the event. With video, that is much harder to do. You need to shoot multiple angles so the editor has a lot of footage to work with. You shoot tight, loose and everything in between. You also need to be thinking about the audio the entire time since it is a vital storytelling component. I was so wrapped up in the video shooting that I almost forgot to shoot still photos! The main difficulty with this shoot was the room. It was a long with tile floor and no a/c. The loud oscillating fan was running continually so the ambient noise was really bad. I do not think there was a way to improve the sound unless the fan was shut off. It was a room full of puppies and people, so that wasn't going to happen! I did shoot the interviews in the main office so we could control the audio and capture some good soundbites.

After I shot all the images and video files, I shipped them up to USA Today where they did the final editing. It is interesting to see how others view your work and put it together. I had it structured in my mind a little different, but I loved the final product. I want to thank USA Today for hiring a video novice to shoot a professional video! I hope to do many more!

Mr. Mack goes to Washington

2010-05-02T16:38:00.005-04:00

As a professional photographer, I have worked in the Washington DC area on a variety of assignments - The Y2K celebration, a number of Washington Redskins football games and travel photography for Adventures By Disney.
This time, I was going to Capital Hill to document lobbyists for the Financial reform bill.
I had no idea how to do this. Where do they meet? How do you get access?
Just in case you have the opportunity one day, here is the lowdown. As you know the US Capital building is on the east side of the National Mall. That is where the members of Congress meet to discuss legislation. The offices for the Senators are to the north of the Capital in three office buildings - The Russell, Dirkson and Hart Buildings. The members of the House of Representatives are South of the Capital in the Rayburn, Longworth and Cannon Buildings. When people set up meetings with either the Senators or Representatives, they usually will meet them in their office. It helps to have a Congressional Directory. In this resource, you can look up the member by state or name and it will tell you their location and contact information. For instance, if you wanted to see Florida Senator Bill Nelson, his office is at SH-716. That stands for Senate - Hart building, room 716. When inside the Senate office buildings, it is possible to travel from one building to the other with out leaving. (Leaving is bad since you would have to re enter and go through the security check point again).

There is an underground tunnel that connects the three. There is also an underground subway that the Senators can ride to the Capital. I wasn't allowed to ride that since I am not a credentialed member of the press in Washington DC.

In these meetings, I had the chance to hear the pitch. I learned how the bill is currently written and how that would affect business. I heard how this bill differs from the House Financial Bill. It was an amazing educational experience. The Members of Congress are used to having photographers around, so they will just ignore you (the perfect situation) and I could move around and take pictures. I just had to make sure that I was respectful. No one wants to have a flash going off constantly in their face, so I had to pick and choose when I would use flash, and when I would just shoot a high ISO photo. The offices are often quite cluttered and busy - you have to try and make an interesting, story telling photo in dark rooms and not be disruptive.
Some may wonder about lobbyists and their role in Government. From my brief experience, I think that lobbyists are misunderstood. It is clear to me that the Members of Congress can not be knowledgeable about all topics. A lobbyist has to educate the Member on the issues and will try to present the case on why a piece of law is either good or bad for their represented industry. As with most things in life, there are very few absolutes - very few black or white situations. Most of the issues are shades of grey. It was very educational to hear the nuances of the proposed law and the impact that it would have on the banking industry. It is a shame that what the people hear on the nightly news will be a set of talking points that will be dumbed down for the masses.

New blog post on the Pocket Wizard site

2010-04-22T18:29:00.002-04:00

The folks at Pocket Wizard were nice enough to feature me on their blog site. Thanks Pocket Wizard!

http://pocketwizard.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/preston-mack-the-athletic-shooter/

Roy Halladay cover shoot

2010-02-28T19:28:00.091-05:00

My love of photography began with baseball cards. My brother Pat and I had thousands of cards, and I think I picked my favorite players based on the player photos. Whenever I have a chance to shoot a professional baseball player, this is always on my mind. When the Sporting News asked me to photograph Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, I knew it was an amazing opportunity. Roy had been traded from the Toronto Blue Jays and had never put on the Phillies uniform. I would be able to make the first ever photos of him in full uniform.

The assignment was to make a cover photo of Roy on the pitching mound. The Phillies hold their spring training in Clearwater, and Roy lives in nearby Odessa. He always reports early for camp which makes photo shoots like this possible. It is nice to be able to have this kind of access before all the other players arrive - before all the media requests and before they have a regimented schedule. I brought along two assistants for this shoot. My regular assistant Jorge and Shaun, a college kid out of Central Florida (UCF).

This is a breakdown of what I brought for the shoot:

-Profoto 7B generator with 1 head

-Profoto Acute 600B generator with 1 head

-Profoto Acute 1200 generator with 2 heads

-Profoto Acute 600 generator with 1 head

-4 speed rings, 2 White domes, 2 small softboxes, 1 Octobank , 1 Profoto medium softbox

-4 grid reflectors, 6 c stands, 2 100' extention cords, power strip

-2 Pocketwizard transmitters, 4 Pocket Wizard receivers, AA batteries

-1 large apple box, 2 sandbags, 1 multicart, 1 Scrim Jim, 6 foot ladder, 1 monopod, 2 mats, a baseball glove and major league baseball

-Cameras - Nikon D3, 2 D300's

-Lenses - Nikon 20mm, 50mm, 24-70, 70-200, 300 2.8

We had full access to Brighthouse Field, the main baseball diamond where the Single A Clearwater Threshers play. The only "negative" was that we had to shoot this photo at high noon. When you shoot outside, there are many things you can control, but the most important variable is the sun position. When it is high in the sky it is difficult to make the light look pretty. Overhead light is harsh and not warm. I think that most people would agree that low, colorful sunset light is the best.

I found out that we had Roy for a total of 1 and 1/2 hours. That is an eternity! I am glad he was so willing. Of course, I had 25 minutes, the rest of the time was for Sporting News reporter Steve Greenberg's interview. Most of my photo shoots with athletes are usually 7 minutes or less, so I was more than happy. With all this time, I wanted to make sure that I had multiple photo locations ready to go. The most important one was the cover shot, the vertical photo of Roy on the mound. We arrived at about 10am for the noon shoot.

Set up #1 - I always like to over light subjects, and this was no exception. I set up the Profoto 7B as the key light, about 5 feet in front of the mound, just to the third base side. I put the 5' Octobank here so I could get beautiful soft light on his face. This battery operated generator was set to 1000 WS. I made sure to position the light low enough so the visor on his ball cap wouldn't cast a shadow on his face. I put the Profoto Acute 600B between the pitchers plate and firstbase, with the zoom reflector. I put the Profoto Acute 600 on the other side, mirroring the first rim light. Both rim lights were set at 600WS, or full power. I normally would put a neutral density filter on the lens to knock down the exposure, but from the low angle I was shooting, there was no real background other than blue sky. When you shoot large aperture portraits, it is a nice look because you normally do not get such depth of field control with lit portraits. The light for this photo was 1/250th @ F/16 , 200ASA with the Nikon D3 (24-70) and Nikon D300 (70-200). Since the sun was at a high position over first base, I had my assistant Jorge stand on a 6 foot ladder with the Scrim Jim. He blocked out the sunlight so I was able to light him only with my light. At 12 sharp, Roy came out. I told him that it was weird seeing him in that red uniform! All of us are used to seeing him in the Grey and Blue of the Toronto Blue Jays. He smiled and said that it was the first time he put the full uniform on and he didn't even look in the mirror yet. He went out onto the mound and did about all you can do as a pitcher - He posed from the windup, the stretch, hands up, slightly down, ball exposed and hidden, smile, no smile, etc. I made sure to shoot tight, medium and loose shots, allowing plenty of space for the page designer. You always try to shoot a little loose because the dimensions of the magazine is never the same as your camera image.

Set up#2 - I have always wanted to shoot a low, wide angle photo of a professional pitcher as he delivered the pitch to home plate. I think that action photo captures the power and elegence of pitching. The light for this setup would be easy adjust for - I just needed to eliminate the light on the firstbase side and move the third base rim light towards second base. Now, with my position low, and to the third base side of the pitchers mound, I get a dynamic look, low angle view of Roy pitching the ball. The reason this photo works was because of the sun's position. Normally you would not shoot into the sun - however, when you have full power generators providing strobe light, you have the ability to knock down the ambient light and make a nice image. The stands at Brighthouse field would be backlit since I am shooting into the sun, but I thought it added a nice dramatic effect. One last bit of technique, I used a 8X neutral density filter on the 20mm lens. I didn't want the stands to have too much sharpness - you have so little control of depth of field with wide angle lenses so I use this whenever I can. The exposure here was 1/250th @ F/8 , 200ASA with the Nikon D3 (20mm). Roy was very interested in the shot and looked at the image preview on the back of my D3 a few times to get his positioning and action just right. I had to move his follow through angle to right of home plate so that I could get his glove to hit the sun when he broke his hands.

Set up #3 - If possible, I always try to shoot something different. You never know what the magazine would like to use, so this is where having extra gear is useful. We staged another setup with the Profoto Acute 1200 with the medium softbox on the dugout steps. I was going to put in a soft light onto the dugout bench and wall. The exposure here was 1/250th @ F/8 , 200ASA with a Nikon D300 (70-200). This was the simplest set up and the quickest to execute. The first image I shot was a close up of Roy holding a baseball. I love details of the game, so I wanted an image of him holding his sinker - that is his out pitch. This may be interesting only to me, but I think it is worth seeing. After that, I shot his portrait as he sat on the bench.

I was very happy with the shoot. It was a real pleasure working with Roy Halladay. He was open to all my ideas and posed for each image with a lot of energy. These images ran in the February 15, 2010 issue of the Sporting News. I think that the magazine looked great. My favorite image from the shoot is the wide angle image that became the full page opener inside the magazine. Special thanks to my assistants Jorge and Shaun.

Shaun also pulled double duty, shooting some behind the scenes video for this blog.

Video Profile of Julien Williams - Mixed Martial Arts Fighter

2010-01-07T11:57:00.009-05:00

Here is a video profile on professional mixed martial arts fighter Julien Williams. He trains with "American Top Team", in Orlando.

Julien WIlliams from Preston Mack on Vimeo.

The video and images were shot with the Nikon D300s and a Sennheiser MKE 400 shotgun microphone.

It was edited in Final Cut Express.

New Redux Pictures artist profile

2009-12-19T19:11:00.010-05:00

Redux pictures, my New York based assignment agency, is making artist profiles for all our photographers. My video was completed and posted last week.

I don't think that I have ever been interviewed on camera before. It was a strange feeling to be on the other side! My friend, Chris Bremer, is a local Orlando video professional and set up one video camera and two DSLR video cameras. I was surprised how well the DSLR video cameras compared to the 3 chip dedicated video camera. Sound is not handled well with the DSLRs, but the picture was crisp and saturated. We were able to provide different angles and compositions so the editor had choices. I am happy with the results.

Here is a link to the Redux videos hosted on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/reduxpictures

Florida QB Tim Tebow for the Sporting News

2009-08-14T20:35:00.060-04:00

Tim Tebow shares the cover with Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy

I have had the opportunity to photograph Florida QB Tim Tebow every year that he has played in Gainesville. He is probably the nicest and most personable athlete that I have ever worked with. He always arrives on time and has a great attitude. That is very impressive considering how many photo shoots, interviews and other media requests he gets. For this latest assignment, I had only 15 minutes to get 2 variations of a cover image and a separate, more intimate portrait.

The Sporting News emailed the cover concept to me. They were going to feature the big three quarterbacks - Sam Bradford from Oklahoma, Colt McCoy from Texas and Tim Tebow. I had to match Tim into the middle of a giant "QB". After speaking with the editors, I knew what kind of poses they needed. Working with the Florida Sports Information Department is always a pleasure. They are very professional and detail oriented. They quickly secured the F Club Room, a special Booster reception area at The Swamp. It is a large circular room with a high ceiling. That is all you could ask for in a location!

The first thing that Jorge, my assistant, and I set up were the two backgrounds. I had the main setup with a slate grey seamless paper background. It was lit with one Profoto 7B with a 5' Octobank.

All the other players were to be shot with a soft light from the right side, so this was going to match it.

For the second backdrop, I used my

favorite Westcott blue muslin. I really like how the background blue would compliment the colors in the Gator uniform. I used a Profoto 1200 with 2 heads. A 3X4 Profoto softbox from the left for the main light, and a small light dome to the back right of the subject, aimed right at the left shoulder. When Tim arrived, we chatted about his busy off season and the impending bankruptcy of the footwear company Crocs. He was shocked... He loves his Gator Crocs! He is rarely seen without them on!

Set up #1 - I was going to make sure the cover image was taken care of. The preferred image was Tim with his right arm up, resting on an imaginary Q. I used an old lightstand as a guide. I shot about 40 variations, with him smiling, serious, throwing a ball and just

standing there.

As a backup pose, I also shot him with out the light stand, in case they wanted to pose him in front of the "QB". It is always good to try and make life easy for the photo editors. Always give them options. I used a Nikon D3 with the 24-70 2.8 zoom at 70mm.

(The exposure for this cover shot was 1/250th @ f/7.1 at ASA 200)

Set up #2 - I wanted to make a beautiful headshot portrait. In all my other 3 photo shoots with Tim, I made really good full and half body shots, but I never had time to make a nice, intimate close up portrait. I used my Nikon D300 with my 85 f/1.8 lens.

(That makes the lens effectively 127.5mm with the D300 DX factor). I had also outfitted the lens with a 8x Neutral density filter so I could really control the depth of field. I had Tim sit down on an apple box, and I worked portraits from a silghtly downward angle.

I had him give me a wide range of expressions. I think that the Nikon 85 f/1.8 is sharpest at around f/2.8, so I try not to shoot it wide open. (The exposure was 1/200th between f/2.8 and f/4 at ASA 200).

The inside shot that the Sporting News decided on using was one of the extra shots I took when I backed up from my headshot.

I think this opening spread looks great. It was a great assignment and I was honored to contribute to the final cover.

Reader's Digest portrait assignment

2009-04-13T22:31:00.002-04:00

Bob Williamson at his Key Largo home.

My job is pretty amazing. I get to travel and meet some interesting people. This recent Reader's Digest story was no exception. I was assigned to shoot Bob Williamson at his home in Key Largo, Fl. He recently sold his computer software company, Horizon Software International, for $75 million dollars. Although that is impressive, it is even more so after you hear about his life struggles. As a youth, Bob had a drug addiction and was wanted by the police. It was only after a near death car accident that he found God and turned his life around.

Reader's Digest stories are always inspiring and uplifting. All the text and images should reflect this. The only instructions that my editor gave was to make nice photos and give him some variety. I always love when I am given the freedom to capture the subject with no restrictions! What a great client!!!

As with most jobs, my assistant Jorge and I jumped into the rental car early in the morning for the long trip down. It is about a 5 hour drive from Orlando to Key Largo. We planned it so we could shoot with some beautiful sunset light. Sunset is generally better for portrait shoots since the magic light lasts longer than the nice sunrise light. When we arrived, I was really impressed with the property. Often times, a location will dictate just how much variety you can provide.

I started out by shooting him with his home in the background. I also shot him with his old bicycle. I thought it contrasted nicely with the lavish home. It also helps communicate how far he has come in his life. This sounds pretty simple, but these exposures are tricky. Since the home is in shade, it is really important to balance the foreground and background light. If the light ratio between the subject and background is too large, the house would've gone to black. Nothing is worse in a background than a bunch of dark space. I shot these images at 1/80 @ f7.1 with my Nikon D3 and 24-70 lens. The shutter speed controls the amount of ambient light that the house will have, and the f-stop is for the strobe exposure. I used a Profoto 7B with a 5' Octobank for the main light on the right and a Profoto 600B with a small softbox for the fill on the back left side.

After those initial images, I had him change so we could work the backyard. I thought the background was beautiful - good enough to be a fashion/swimsuit location. It wouldn't be hard to make a pretty picture back here. I positioned Bob in shade, so he wouldn't be squinty. I again used the Profoto 7B with a 5' Octobank for the main light and a Profoto 600B with a small softbox for the fill on the back left side.

I like to have some contrast in the subject's face, but not any dark shadowy areas. I then moved him around to show off the gorgeous backyard. The exposure for these backyard portraits were 1/250th at f/10 with the Nikon D3 and the 24-70 lens. I usually try to shoot with more limited depth of field, but with blue skies and ocean behind, I let it go.

The final images I made were with Bob in the hammock. These extreme horizontal images work great in double truck opening spreads, but not so great if they cannot run real large. Thats is why you shoot both horizontal and vertical. In the magazine, they used a variation of the dock photo, which was my favorite. This story is in the May 2009 issue of Reader's Digest.

Cover shoot with Mets third baseman David Wright

2009-03-31T12:44:00.002-04:00

Met's 3B David Wright

The Sporting News is one of the all time great sports magazines. One of my professional goals has always been to shoot photos for them, and covers if I was lucky enough. When I got the assignment to shoot Mets third baseman David Wright, I was elated.

David was named to the Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, so we had to shoot this last minute portrait before he left Mets camp and reported to Team USA. My assignment was to shoot the cover photo for the baseball preview issue. I always try and get a good selection of poses and looks to give the editors lots of options. To do this, you try to plan out the shoot so that it runs efficiently and you never waste any of the subject's time.

My assistant Jorge and I arrived at the Met's Training facility in Port St Lucie at around 7am. I had to do a quick scout. In all the years that I have covered spring training baseball, I had never shot in Port St Lucie. I quickly determined that the area around third base would not work since there was too much sunlight.

When I look for portrait locations, the first thing I need is a shady area. I like to have large areas of shadow in the foreground so I can have options with the subject. I always have a Scrim Jim with me to provide shade for the subject in case the sun is not in the right area. Since I had to shoot full body portraits of David, the Scrim Jim would not be able to provide complete shade. I had to set up with the sun 1/4 backlit. That is usually a good compromise.

The first set up was at second base area. I used two Profoto 7B lights. The main light was diffused with a 2'x3' Profoto softbox, positioned behind the camera to the right. The rim light was diffused with a small softbox pointed at the subject's right shoulder, about 10 feet behind the subject and to the left. The sun was hitting the subject's left shoulder, about 30 degrees to the camera and high. I had budgeted about 10 minutes at this photo position to get the fielding and batting shot.

Since I have only 2 Profoto battery powerpacks (2 more Profoto packs on AC power), I would have to fill some time while Jorge moved the portable lights from the second base area to third base for the final photo setup. I decided to light the dugout for a different bat portrait. I would shoot a portrait here to give Jorge about 5 minutes to move the lights.

When David arrived on set, he was pleasant and very focused, He gave me great smiles and serious looks. My favorite shot is him standing with the bat. I thought for sure that would be the cover shot. (The exposure for the bat portrait was 1/250th at F14 , ASA 200 with a Nikon D3 and 70-200mm VR lens. Zoom was set at 100mm)

When I got to the dugout for the second photo set up, I had David sit on the opposite end of the dugout, close to where the bat rack is. I shot the photo with a 300mm lens to really compress the image. I love the dark colors in the dugout because it makes for a real clean background. The main light was a Profoto

1200 acute light with an 5' Octobank. This was set up camera left, about 5 feet from his face. I "faked" sunlight in the dugout with another light, hitting him from above and to his

right diffused with a small softbox. The Sporting News used this photo as the opener in the main spread. (The exposure for the dugout portrait was 1/250th at F9 , ASA 200 with a Nikon D300 and 300mm VR lens).

The final setup was at third base. Since the sun is so strong, I had to use the scrim. It leaves a shadow on the ground, so it is not as good to use when you have to shoot full body images. I like this image, especially if they were to use it as a double truck opener. This was lit with a Profoto 7b as the main light with a 2'X'3' Profoto softbox and a rim light on the left. (The exposure for this third base photo was 1/250th at F14 , ASA 200 with a Nikon D3 and 24-70 lens)

You cannot make nice photos with out great subjects. David Wright is a real easy person to work with. I have never heard any media member, reporter or photographer, ever say anything bad about David. He approaches these photo shoots very professionally and I am grateful for that! David gave me almost 25 minutes for this portrait session. That is an eternity... I am not sure if I will ever get that long to shoot a portrait again!

My 20 second portrait shoot with Tiger Woods.

2009-03-23T15:59:00.002-04:00

Tiger Woods, photographed for ESPN the Magazine

I thought Tiger Wood's victory at the 2008 US Open was one of the greatest sports moments ever. How could anyone win a tournament on just one leg? Possibly the greatest finish I have ever seen.

The day after he won the playoff, I was playing golf with Mark Ashman, a fellow Orlando photographer. I remember telling him how much I desperately wanted to shoot a portrait of Tiger. In my close circle of photographer friends, I was the only one who has never have had a portrait session with Tiger. Driving home that day, I got the call. ESPN The Magazine was granted permission to shoot Tiger during his commercial shoot for EA Sports. What an amazing opportunity! ESPN would be given 15 minutes total - an interview with ESPN reporter Kenny Mayne and my portrait session.

Tiger Woods shoots all of his advertising commercials and photos during one week in the summer. This year, the location was at the Grand Cypress Resort, in Orlando. They were filming the famous "Tiger Woods - Walks on Water" viral video. The ad agency directing the commercial was Wieden + Kennedy, the same agency Nike used to create those memorable Nike ads with Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson. This new video was a response to a perceived glitch in the 2008 Tiger Woods video game.

After that sequence was filmed, Tiger changed his shirt and went up to the green.
They wanted to shoot a second video of Tiger - this time putting a Rubik's Cube. They were going to digitally alter the cube so after he putts it, it would be "solved" after they retrieve it from the bottom of the cup. On Tiger's FIRST attempt, he drains the Rubik's cube. It was AMAZING!!!! His emotional reaction was real. No one expected him to be able to do it. The director asked him to try his best, but they thought all along the putt would have to be altered in post production. That shows how great a putter Tiger is. Who can putt a square cube over 15 feet and drain it?

Those two sequences took all morning to film. At 1pm, Tiger was taken to Soundstage 24 at Universal Studios to film the in game interviews. I wasn't sure where or when we would be allowed to take his portrait. I had a only a few options. I could set up inside the soundstage, but all the walls were black and they were still filming the video interviews. I would have to be very still and quiet. I would not be able to make any test shots. The only other place was just outside the soundstage, using the outside walls as a background. I made sure to set up the mini studio just outside the door so Tiger couldn't walk past us. His route back to his trailer had to pass our photo position.

I knew I had less than a minute for the session, so I planned accordingly. My assistant, Jorge and I set up 2 Profoto 7B packs, with three heads. The main light was with a 5' Octobank just off camera to the right. The two back lights were modified with two softboxes, one from each side lighting Tiger from the back. I like to add these back lights to give a soft, white light edge on the face of the subject. I used a Nikon D300 and a 70-200 VR lens (Normally I would use the Nikon D3, however, there is a vignetting problem with that lens and the full frame D3.

After chatting with Kenny, we both agreed that the portrait had to come first. It is always best to get the photo done while they are walking to where they need to go. It took nearly three hours for Tiger to finish the video session. At 3:30pm, Tiger was ready for us.

When he walked out of the soundstage, Kenny walked Tiger right to my setup. I had to quickly remove the mic they had attached to his shirt and then he was ready to go. I tried to get a series of smiling and serious looks in the time allowed. Tiger followed instructions very well and gave me everything I needed for the 20 second shoot. I was able to get over 50 images. The exposure was 1/250th of a second @ f/7.1 (ASA 200). The focal length was 150mm on the D300. I am glad I have those Profoto 7B packs. They require NO power outlets since they are battery operated and they recycle almost instantly.

When people ask me what was my favorite photo assignment, I usually have no answer. Every job seems to have its own special moments and no one assignment seemed to stand out above the rest. However, after shooting Tiger Woods, I think that this photo shoot will always be the most memorable. Maybe next time, I can get a photo of me with Tiger, and not just his stand in!

Developing an iPhone game...

2009-03-22T02:47:00.001-04:00

Henry & Hailey's Preschool mix and Match

After a busy season of baseball playoffs and the World Series, I suddenly found myself with some down time. When a freelance photographer has no work, it is easy to get nervous and paranoid. I find that the older I get, I am better at channeling that energy into something more useful. Normally I hit the golf course or just happily spend time with the family, but recently I decided to use my extra time to finish up a big goal in my life - I was going to develop a video game.

I have always wanted to design video games. When I was in high school, one of my first jobs was as a game tester for Infocom (any other geeks out there remember Zork?).

In August 2007 I bought an iPhone. This is the third smart phone I've bought in 2 years. I have used the Blackberry 8100 and the Palm Treo 700P. There was always something just annoying enough about both phones that made me want a better device. I knew that the iPhone would fit my needs perfectly. My wife groans every time I decide to buy a tech gadget, but she agreed to the iPhone purchase if I could use it to entertain our son Henry when we were out at restaurants or running errands. I thought initially that I would just show him movies on it, but then I decided I would rather have him interact with a game and learn something. That was my opening.

I had downloaded the iPhone SDK (Software Developer's Kit), but with my busy work schedule I never had the time to sit down and really figure it out. The Apple model for their App Store is really groundbreaking. It levels the playing field and allows developers of all kinds to submit their programs on the same platform as everyone else, including the big developers like EA and Aspyr. In the past, small time game makers had trouble competing because there is a lot of costs involved with packaging, inventory and distribution, just to name a few. With the new digital world, these costs are eliminated. With that hurdle out of the way, I decided to start the tutorials...

Very quickly, I figured out that Objective C programming wasn't going to be a walk in the park. I had a hard time with interface, headers, objects, methods... AARRGGGHHH! I realized I would need to hire out some of the game development.

The first step was using my research skills to find software developers. I found one that was affordable and trustworthy. Next,

I turned to my contacts that I knew through photography. I called on art directors and public relations managers that I work with and asked for their recommendations. I was quickly able to find a great character illlustrator, musician, and a graphic artist. My idea was simple - I wanted to create a mix and match game similar to the ones I had created when I was a child. When I was really young, I remember coloring three identically sized characters on a piece of paper. The teacher then cut the sheet of paper into three thin horizontal strips and taped them to a can of soup. I remember playing with these strips of paper, moving them around and making these funny looking characters with mismatched body parts. I wanted to make a digital version of this for my so

n because I just knew he would find it funny.
In my photography I strive for a clear vision and a unique style. For this game, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted and what the characters should look like. that really drove this project forward. As any photo editor can tell you, managing people and their egos can be a delicate balance. Artists and musicians are very similar to photographers. You have to deal with them very differently than with a software programmer. For my artist, I knew that he would work at his pace, when he was inspired. I tried to never back him into a corner and limit his creativity. As I photographer I understood his need for inspiration but as a game developer I also needed to keep him on a set production deadline. Anyone who has worked in journalism understands the importance of deadlines. Unfortunately, artists usually never worked in the journalism field under tight deadlines... the art that was promised on a Tuesday was usually delivered on a Saturday. I then had to explain to the very punctual and organized programmer why the art was late....
I outsourced the components I couldn't do but did everything else. The many years of Photoshop experience, of course, proved invaluable. There were long hours of tedious but necessary imaging work to polish the game up. These things I could do on my own time, whenever I had time away from photography assignments. I also quickly learned Garage Band, the Apple iLife music program. I had a great time making the recordings and multi tracking the layers of sound. I think that these details really bring life to the project.
In the end, I can say that these 6 weeks have been very rewarding. I was able to utilize the skill set that I had developed as a professional photographer and applied it to something that seems to be completely different from what I do. I wanted to make a great iPhone game for kids, and I think I was able to accomplish that.

I hope that all of you reading this article will log into the Apple iTunes store and check it out. My best time is 41 seconds... can you beat it? (It is only .99 cents, so please download it... And while you are at it, please leave a nice review).

My first iPhone game, Preschool Pals Henry & Hailey was uploaded to the iTunes store in late November.
http://tinyurl.com/6pet2f

My second application, ABC Alphabet game with Henry & Hailey
http://tinyurl.com/6ruxma

My third application, iWingman - Pickup Line Generator was just released.

Developing software will never replace my love for photography, or generate the same income. However, I learned that if we can harness our skills and apply it to other fields, we would be surprised at what we can accomplish. I fear that the upcoming year will be very difficult for many of us. It will be important to try to stay positive and productive through this rough patch. Remember, your creativity is not limited to photography. The more you create and innovate will help you in all aspects of your career.

(Originally published on Sportsshooter.com - 12-21-08)

The switch to Nikon

2009-03-15T12:06:00.002-04:00

"The cover image doesn't look in focus."
My decision to switch camera systems from Canon to Nikon was cemented when I heard those words from an art director. It was a portrait shoot - simple, four light shoot, with an exposure of 1/250th at f6.3 at 250 ASA. Problem was, I was shooting with a 1D Mark III, Canon's flagship camera. Initially I thought all the AF issues were blown out of proportion. I had one of the first Mark III cameras in the country and thought that even though the new "AF" wasn't as good as I expected, it surely could not be as bad as the review I read on Rob Galbraith's site. When Canon announced that they would accept early Mark III cameras for the sub mirror fix and firmware update, I sent it in just to make sure. The camera that came back to me was inconsistent, unreliable and just unusable.
I have been a professional photographer for 15 years. I interned at both the Los Angeles Times and Palm Beach Post newspapers. I spent 5 years as a staff photographer for the Sun Sentinel in Ft Lauderdale. Even though the newspaper provided me with a complete set of Nikon equipment (2 N90 bodies, 20-35, 80-200, 50 macro and two flashes) I bought and used my personal Canon gear on all assignments that didn't involve rain or hurricanes.
I have owned and used most EOS series 1 cameras ever made: The EOS 1, EOS 1n, EOS 1V, DCS3, EOS 520, EOS 1D, EOS 1Dm2 and now the Mark III. I have covered all of the major sports (MLB, NHL, NBA, NASCAR, PGA, LPGA) and their championships. I shot over 200 NFL and NCAA football games in my life, including two Super Bowls and five NCAA D1 National Championship games. I know how a professional Canon AF camera is supposed to operate. I was even profiled in Canon EOS Magazine (with the cover story) in March 2000, talking about how amazing the EOS 1V was. I was a total Canon EOS fan boy.
WAS.
Of all the cameras that I have owned, the Canon EOS 1D Mark III is easily the worst performing AF camera.

My photo assignments differ greatly now that I am a full time professional freelancer. I primarily shoot advertising and corporate assignments for companies such as Disney, GM and Pillsbury. I also work for magazines that you have heard of (ESPN, Forbes, Business Week, etc) and many you have never heard of (CIO, CRN, Plan Sponsor, etc). I shoot 80% portrait and lifestyle type photos. My need for a great AF camera is much less than it was when I was a newspaper guy, but when I need it, I expect it to work. I need to know that my $4000 camera is going to do what I need it to do.

Photo by Preston Mack

ESPN The Magazine. Shot with a Canon Mark II digital camera and a 400mm 2.8.

During the early part of Spring Training 2008, I needed to decide for good if I was going to stick with Canon or switch. I tested a few different angles and situations at an Atlanta Braves pre-season game. It was a 1 pm start on a hot sunny day in Florida, and the camera couldn't perform. I was stunned how the focus tracking of the batters running toward me in the first base photo box weren't sharp. My overheads of Tim Hudson pitching weren't sharp anywhere in the frame. Photos of the Braves shortstop backlit (he wasn't moving) wasn't focused. I could no longer "trust" my Mark III.

I could have bought another Canon 5D to replace that camera body and keep all my Canon glass, but that is buying old technology which will soon be replaced. Also, that camera does not have a fast AF mechanism and frame rate for any sports coverage. I thought of getting the 1DSm3, but who knows if that camera has the same AF issues. And, at $8000, I am buying more camera than I want at this point. For a little more money (around $9400) you can get a complete Nikon kit with 2 Nikon D300's, the 3 fast Nikon zooms, and 2 flashes.

The rational choice was to switch to Nikon. Some have called this move extreme, but I think I made the only decision possible. As a freelancer, your reputation is on the line every time you take an assignment. Competition has never been tougher. A ruined shoot or two, you may lose a client forever. When that editor or art director moves on, he or she will remember that time you failed on that job.
Some may say that they cannot afford to do this - I say that if you value your photo career, you cannot afford NOT to do this. You must find a way to make sure your photography talent is not hindered by defective equipment. If you are a full time professional, you should be incorporated and have business credit.

After I got my 1DmIII back for the second time, I was told that Canon has different settings that shooters can set for different lighting conditions. Using these settings, there was an improvement in AF accuracy with my 1DmIII. However, I have a philosophical problem with this...
Why do I need to think about different custom function settings? I feel that the camera's AF should work great in ALL situations. With my EOS 1V, I never changed settings. With my EOS 1DmII, I never changed settings. Images from those cameras were in focus. On a shoot, I need to think about the lighting, the exposure and connecting with the subject. I do not need to think about the "-7 AF micro adjustment" or the CF settings #2 since it is a bright and sunny day.

The Nikon D3 requires no change in settings when you go from hot sun to an air conditioned room or from an action shoot to portrait job. The camera just works.

The only item that almost kept me from switching was the Canon 24 tilt shift lens. Yes, I am talking about a MANUAL focus lens. My last 3 advertising jobs were architecture/travel jobs that have taken me all across this country and to Hong Kong. That t/s lens and the full frame Canon 5D is a great combination, so I needed to test it against the full frame D3 and the new 24 Perspective Control lens from Nikon.

When I received the box from NPS, I could not be more impressed. The Nikon 24 PC lens has a great manual focus ring. It feels like those old time manual lenses with a smooth focusing feel. It focuses like my Hasselblad glass did. With the big viewfinder of the D3, manual focusing is a breeze. I will be using this combination for my next advertising job in May.
The first shoot I had with my Nikon gear was for Reader's Digest. They were flying me to Alabama for a portrait, so I had to read the manual on the plane ride. I haven't read a camera manual since my original EOS-1, but the menu system in the D300 is so vastly different from anything I have ever used before. Of course, everything was reversed (lenses, zoom ring and control dials all rotated the opposite direction and the exposure meter went the wrong way) and that slowed me down, but I managed. After analyzing the images, I was really impressed with how sharp the zooms are. I have always heard that the Nikon glass was better, but now I am know first hand.

The new Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 zoom has opened up a new world for me. I have never had a rectilinear 14mm lens on a full frame body before, and it really is amazing. I also cannot believe that lens so wide can be so sharp wide open. It is a very special everyday zoom lens, not just a specialty prime lens you need to throw on your camera. The only thing that concerns me is the front element of this zoom is huge and cannot take a filter. So, there will be no polarizer, ND or UV filter to help protect the front element.

The 24-70 f2.8 zoom will probably be my "main" lens. For my Canon jobs, I would try to switch out to prime lenses during portrait shoots because the Canon 24-70 is mushy in the 50 mm range, but the Nikon 24-70 is sharp - plenty sharp for portraiture. The Nikon 70-200 VR 2.8 is probably the sharpest zoom lens that I have ever used. The majority of my RD assignment was shot with this lens, at all focal lengths. I haven't had images that sharp since film.

Another improvement is the Nikon strobes. Canon strobes have always lagged behind Nikon's, and this is still true. I shot one wedding for my wife's business and we were able to compare the Canon 5D/580 EX combo against the D300/SB800 combo. The Nikon results were much more reliable and consistent. I rarely use on camera flash, so this isn't a major concern, but is worth noting.

I will not bore you with my detailed analysis of the D300 or D3. You all have heard how the high ISO images look great. TRUE. You have all heard how the AF is fast and reliable. TRUE. A few things that are not mentioned are the in-camera functions you can do. You can activate "D lighting" to any images you have shot, and it will reduce the contrast in an image and re save it as another file. You can also remove redeye in camera. You can also shoot it in low ISO (100 ASA and 160 ASA) and it records the image in low contrast. That is especially helpful when you have to shoot midday on a hot Florida day. The Capture NX raw converter is amazing. The level of control you have in program is unbelievable.

When I was having my Canon "fire sale" on SportsShooter.com, many photographers emailed me asking if I switched and what my impressions of the new Nikon gear was. For me, I switched because the timing was right. Canon's flagship has a major defect, my EOS lenses were starting to show some age and more importantly, Nikon released a pair of the best digital SLRs ever made, the D300 and the D3. I could not be happier with them - it was not an easy to switch, but a necessary business decision.

(Author's Note: I would like to thank Canon rep Chuckie Luzier who tried everything to help me out. In the end, the camera has a design flaw that Canon is not admitting to and that is something that no rep can fix. I would like to thank Bill Fortney and Bill Pekala of Nikon for helping me switch and making sure I have everything I need. I bought all of my gear from Robert's Imaging in Indianapolis. Jody and Christie are always great to deal with. )

(Originally posted on Sportsshooter.com, 04-29-2008)

Roger (Clemens) and Me

2009-03-15T12:01:00.004-04:00

Roger Clemens throwing a fastball to me during the shoot
Myth Busters is a reality show on the Discovery Channel about proving or disproving myths and urban legends. I was hired to shoot the publicity stills for the episode. When I arrived for the photo shoot at Tinker Field in downtown Orlando, I immediately knew something was wrong. All the producers for Myth Busters were running around crazy.

Roger (Clemens) and me - after the 4 hour taping of Mythbusters

This episode would feature future Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Roger Clemens. They wanted to prove if a curve ball really curved, if a fastball can actually rise or if a slider really slides, etc. Despite all of the planning for talent, location permits, flights and lodging, it seems that the producers forgot to hire a catcher. Who was Roger Clemens going to throw to? I think they assumed Clemens would bring his own catcher, but they soon realized that they were in a bind.
They only had four hours to tape the segment with Clemens. At nine o'clock in the morning, they had no idea where to find a catcher who could keep up with Roger's 90 mph pitches. I jokingly told the production crew that I had played college baseball 16 years ago and that maybe I could catch for him. To my surprise the producer said, "Great. Do you have any gear?"

After a frantic phone call, I was able to find a friend who drove out to the location and delivered the catcher's gear to me. When Roger arrived, I introduced myself and told him I would be taking publicity photos.

Clemens met everyone else on the cast and crew and then asked, "Where is my catcher?"

I replied. "That would be me. I am pulling double duty today." Clemens looked at me incredulously...
I spent the next four hours alternating between catching his arsenal of pitches and taking photographs of Clemens in full catcher's gear. Catching for a Major League Baseball pitcher is an amazing experience. I couldn't believe the accuracy of his fastball. When I set up my target, I didn't have to move my glove - he would just hit the target.

His slider was difficult to catch because he throws it so hard. It starts out almost as fast as a fastball, but has a late break down and to the right. You really have to watch the spin (and see the tell tale "red dot") to have a chance to hit it. Roger's curve probably was the most effective pitch that day. Real tight spin and it broke very late in the strike zone. It was an 11 to 5 break.

However his most impressive pitch is his splitter. He releases the ball with a flat wrist (just like his fastball) and his arm action is still really quick, so it is very deceptive. Your instincts tell you the ball is going to come in real hard, but then it is there 10 MPH slower and dives down hard and to the left.

At the end, Roger Clemens thanked me and told me I did a great job. Four hours later, that "great job" I did translated into a numb and bruised left hand, two sore legs, an achy back and wild cave man hair.

I need to give special thanks to photographer Jimmy DeFlippo who helped me on the shoot. The more tired I became, the more work he had to do...

(Originally posted on Sportshooter.com, 03-05-2007)

Dwight Howard photo shoot

2009-03-15T00:11:00.003-04:00

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic Center

"We have a chance to shoot a portrait of Dwight Howard next week. Going to try for the Clark Kent turning into Superman".

When I got that assignment email, I was stoked. I don't watch that much NBA, but I do remember Dwight Howard soaring to the basket with a Superman shirt and cape on... and winning the Slam Dunk Contest last year. I knew I wanted to shoot this.
When you shoot professional athletes, you really need to have all the details worked out. Their time is limited, and since they have their picture made so often, you may only get a few quality minutes to get your image. You need to know exactly what you want. Sean and I both looked over old Superman images, and tried to pick the ones that would translate best to a photo. My first move was to get a new Superman shirt. I know of a few local places that have shirts, but I wanted a nice one, with a sewn in "S" logo. Unfortunately, all the Internet costume shops I called could not find a deluxe Superman shirt large enough to fit the 6'11'' 275 pound Howard. I had to settle for a screened "S" logo on a 3XL shirt.

Of course, I wanted to find a phone booth for him to change in. I looked all around downtown during my scout day, but no luck. A few of the locations I looked at included the Church Street Station in downtown Orlando. I like the train, and maybe we could've worked it in, but I felt it may be too busy. We finally settled on an alley on Orange Avenue, in Downtown Orlando. It was really the only alley we could shoot in and it was an area fairly easy to control. I made sure to speak to the two owners of the adjacent bars, and they were more than happy to let us shoot Dwight there.

The plan was pretty simple. I would have my assistant, Jorge, set up early in the alley with the 2 portable Profoto packs. I would go to the Magic practice facility and escort Dwight back to the location.

We planned the lighting scheme on the scout trip, so Jorge knew how to prepare the site.

A cold front blew into town and the weather wound up being much colder than I expected. With the wind-chill factor, it was below 45 degrees. Jorge bundled up and waited for my call.

The original plan was to meet up with Dwight at 1:30pm, and bring him to the location. However, his meeting at practice ran late, and we weren't able to leave till 3:30pm. I kept calling Jorge throughout the delay, making sure he didn't freeze out there. He really wasn't able to go inside since all the lighting gear was with him. When we finally left the practice facility, I called Jorge again, and told him to position the lights.

Once we arrived, it was a pretty simple set up. A main light, with a 5' Octobank shot with the Profoto 7B at 1/2 power. The rim light was a Profoto 600B with a softbox set at 1/4 power. The alley was in full shade, so no scrim was needed. I wanted Dwight to do the classic Clark Kent pose, but I varied the look by shooting both high and low angle shots with a 6 foot ladder I brought. One of the problems I had was since we were shooting at 4pm, not 2pm like we had planned, the sun was in a different position and the alley was no longer lit. If I had a bigger budget, it would've been possible to light the entire alley, but it would've required 2 more Profoto 7B packs. The alley got a little dark in the back, but that was the compromise I had to make.

Since it was so cold, I broke up the shots into three different "takes". I would try one idea, then have Dwight warm up and come out again after I reset the lights. I think the entire shoot was probably 15 minutes, including his warming breaks. Dwight was probably one of the nicest guys I have ever shot. His only "issue" is that he likes to have fun, so he doesn't like to do serious poses too much. I want to try and get a full range of facial expressions, so the editors have a choice. I knew the shoot was over once Dwight started to get cold. The last thing I want is him to get sick on my shoot...

(A reprint from the sportsshooter.com website, originally published on 3-10-2009)

Sports Illustrated - Portrait of the Jacksonville Jaguar receivers

2009-03-14T23:42:00.003-04:00

The Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receivers

When I was a staff photographer at the South Florida Sun Sentinel, I had the opportunity to shoot the portraits for the the annual football preview section. These section covers would feature an athlete from the Miami Dolphins, a Florida NCAA team (UM, FSU or UF) and the local high school powerhouse. Subjects over the years have included Jimmy Johnson, Jevon Kearse, Edgerrin James and Chris Weinke. Although I love to shoot individual portraits, I have always wanted to shoot a bunch of receivers - a group of players making a stylized catch in the frame. When I left the newspaper business in 2000, I just filed away that idea...

During the second week of August, I received a call from George Washington, the football photo editor for Sports Illustrated. He told me that they were working on a story about the “units” of a football team - and that he wanted me to shoot the wide receivers for the Jacksonville Jaguars. I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot. He gave me a list of different scenarios that he thought would work well, which included different groupings and angles. I wanted to make sure that I understood everything he was asking for, so I did a test shoot in my neighborhood with a local pop warner team.

I took all the footballs I owned, my lighting assistant and shot every possible grouping and angle I could think of. The last test I shot was my “group reception” shot. I thought that the energy was there in the frame, and if I had the chance, I could make the Jaguar receivers get into it.

When I got to Alltel Stadium on the day of the photo shoot, the Florida weather was doing its usual summertime dance. Intermittent cloudiness was being broken up by torrential rainstorms. Since we had been given a fairly small window of time (30 minutes, total) for the photo shoot, there was a chance for a rainout. I had 3 Profoto 7b’s, 4 heads and a complicated lighting scheme mapped out. The rain pretty much eliminated my grand light, and I had to settle for two heads running off of one 7B pack.

I got lucky and the rain did stop long enough for the Jaguar receivers to come out on the field. We quickly ran through all of the photos that George wanted me to get (You always need to make sure that you have the magazine covered, CYA!). The very last thing I asked for was the “group reception” photo. I showed the 6 receivers a print out of the kids, and they all really liked it. They all started to have fun, pose and jump around for me.

In the end, I shot seven different poses, high and low angles and the final picture in 15 minutes. That doesn’t sound like much time, but when you deal with professional athletes, you are always under the clock. But, compared to my recent 20 second portrait shoot of Tiger Woods, it was an eternity!

In closing, I need to thank the IOC for awarding the Olympics to China (I tend to get more assignments when the SI staffers are away), George Washington at Sports Illustrated for giving this assignment to me, the Jacksonville Jaguars PR staff, the Jaguar wide receivers (who’s energy makes the photo great) and the Avalon Wolves Pop Warner defense who came out to pose for me!

(A reprint from the sportsshooter.com website, originally published on 9-4-2008)

Preston Mack Photography

2009-03-14T23:06:00.001-04:00

Hi,

This is my first blog post so I guess the best way to start is just to introduce myself.

-My name is Preston Mack.

-I am married to Grace and a father to Henry

-I am a professional editorial and commercial photographer based in Orlando, Fl.

-I specialize in portraiture.

-I graduated with a degree in Architecture from the University of Miami.

-I am represented by the Redux Picture Agency in NYC.

I hope to share some of the things that I see and experience when I take photos.

When I can, I will try to explain the lighting and technical stuff. I hope you enjoy it.

For now, I will add some content by reusing some stories that I have had published on www.sportsshooter.com.

Sportsshooter is THE resource for professional sports photographers and aspiring photographers.

Thanks!

Preston