Old stomping grounds

"Denver's Rob Lewis (10) pulls up from just past half court over Northern Colorado's Robert Palacios (15) for what would have been the game winning shot with 1.7 seconds remaining in regulation of an NCAA college basketball game at Magness Arena in Denver, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008. Northern Colorado defeated Denver 71-66 in overtime."

Sometimes you just need to go shoot. No assignment, no stipulations, no editor to please, just your camera and some inspiration. 

I had a chance to make some pictures for myself Wednesday night at the DU home opener. I actually hadn't planned to shoot at all. I was looking forward to just watching the game from the stands for once and catching up with some friends. I saw Trevor Brown from Rich Clarkson & Associates down on the floor so I headed over to say hi. Trevor is a great guy and definitely someone I can shoot the shit with on the sidelines. We got to talking and before I knew it the game was about to start. For whatever reason I just decided to grab a seat next to Trevor on the baseline and hang out. 

Seeing as though I never leave home without a camera I decided that I might as well make some pictures. I had brought my Mark II and 85 f/1.8 with me which was a perfect setup for basketball. I think the fixed focal length helped me because I could really focus on the action. I didn't have any pressure on me and I didn't have a deadline to make. Trevor and myself could just chat and shoot which isn't something that I have been able to do lately for the paper. When I have an assignment I'm a little more focused on what I need to shoot and then go edit as quickly as I can.

I also knew how DU ran their offense which was great because I could anticipate where the ball was going next. My "fanhood" as my younger brother calls it is on point because I watch games and SportsCenter every day so I can learn the teams and players. However that doesn't beat the knowledge I have of my alma mater.

The above image would have been great if he would have made the shot. I honestly thought DU was going to get blown out. They have the youngest team of all of the NCAA Division I teams in the country. They played surprisingly well for about 38 of the 40 minutes but they showed their inexperience in the final two minutes missing several key free throws that would have iced the game in front of the home crowd. They will learn and get much better by seasons end. In three years I'm sure they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Sun Belt Conference.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

2 remotes, 1 set of strobes...no problem

"Wofford guard Junior Salters (3) scores a layup over Air Force guard Evan Washington (35) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game inside Clue Arena at Air Force Academy, Colo., Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008. Salters led all scorers with 28 points in the 74-61 win." JUSTIN EDMONDS, THE GAZETTE

A couple of months ago I blogged about using a remote(s) to capture multiple angles of the same play. Well I'm back at it again only this time I'm syncing up two cameras with only one set of strobes for basketball. The above two images show two completely independent angles of the exact same moment in time. 

Remotes allow me to be in places that you just can't physically stand during the game, such as in the catwalk above the basket or on the stanchion. Additionally using strobes allows me to produce higher quality files because I can shoot at 200 ISO instead of 1600+ ISO. Clune arena is pretty dark for a NCAA arena (1/400 f/2.8 at 1600 ISO) so the strobes are pretty much necessary. 

If you flip through the pages of Sports Illustrated you will see that nearly all of their basketball images are shot on strobes. Their images just pop out of the frame and if SI is going to do it then so am I. After all my goal is to be shooting consistently for them in no more than 8 years and to become a staffer in 15 or less. Sure, that may seem like an unrealistic goal or one that hundreds of shooters have but they're not me. I know how hard I push myself every single day in this industry to get better. That's not to say that I don't often fail, but I fail trying new things. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled blogging. 

SI also triggers SEVERAL remotes (read: 15 for the final four) on strobes when they cover a big game. Considering that I'm just shooting little ol' Air Force, who lost by the way to Wofford (read: who?), and I don't have an army of assistants to help me I decided to keep my setup manageable. Then again I did shoot with all of the gear that I had with me so maybe if SI shipped me 11 more bodies, lenses, grip gear, wizards and cords I might give it a try. In addition to the two remotes I also had two cameras with me, one with a 70-200 and another with a 300. I triggered the remotes and strobes simultaneously with a foot switch that I made from a guitar pedal. 

Now, it is important to note that my remote setup is a little more complicated and requires more precision and gear than if I were shooting the remotes on ambient light. Each camera has to be set to fire with a delay (read: lagged) based upon how long it takes the camera to complete a full cycle. This requires a Pocket Wizard Multi Max to be able to program in the delay and each camera as well as the strobes needs one. By lagging each camera it ensures that each cameras' shutter is wide open at the exact second (read: 1/2000) the strobes fire. Now I could really give you a proper explanation of this long and tedious process but that would take three pages of explanation and most of you would be bored out of the universe by then. See, all photographers are geeks. Instead, if you really want to know how this is done read SI Staffer Robert Beck's instructions here or give me a call.

I didn't get any mind blowing images from the setup tonight and that's fine, it's a learning experience. I already know a few different angles that I want to try for the next game. Regardless, this is still really cool. I'm obsessed with using technology to make better images so I guess it's no secret why my parents still call me MacGyver. I'm not going to lie, using 4 bodies/lenses, a set of strobes and a bag full of wizards to cover a game is heaven for me.

I wonder what I'll try next...

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

P.S. If Porter Binks or anyone else from SI is reading this and needs an assistant for the upcoming basketball season call me!

Next stop: The Windy City

Things have been falling into place lately and this week was no different. Monday morning I got a call that I've been waiting for from Shaun Sartin at The Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Illinois. It's official, I'm the new photo intern due to start a six month internship in mid-January.

After coming close to getting another six month internship at The Advocate in Baton Rouge last week I felt the pressure as I waited to hear from The Northwest Herald. I knew that I made the finals there and had a phone interview last week but I couldn't do anything but wait to see what happened. Although in the back of my mind I think my heart was set on going to a big city paper, at this point I didn't care where I went as long as I wasn't trying to "freelance" out of my parents basement. Don't get me wrong I love my mother but if I have to hear another one of her "stay home and freelance" ideas I think I'll drive myself crazy. I had sent out a total of nine applications for winter internships and the thought of batting .000 like I did with summer applications wasn't something that I wanted to deal with.

The more and more I think about it the more excited I get about moving to Crystal Lake. Despite the unwelcoming cold and windy conditions that I'm about to ensue I probably couldn't have picked a better place to go. I have a TON of friends in the Chicago area and I'm really excited to move somewhere different but with a group of people I know will be more than willing to show me a good time. One friend in particular, Kelly Anne, lives only about 20 minutes from where I'll be living so it will be great to have a good friend close. 

Chicago is about an hour away, so I'm told, but I will be visiting as often as possible, on assignment or not. Being such a huge sports nut will make watching and shooting the Bulls, Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks, Fire and others a blast. I've been blessed to live in such a sports saturated market such as Denver my whole life and moving to another one really puts a cherry on top.

The way I see it this is just another stop along the way to doing what I love full-time. The staff at The Northwest Herald has some young, great shooters that I am anxious to mix it up with. I want to push myself and the limits of my portfolio and I think that I will be able to do that in Crystal Lake. 

I still have a month and a half left here in the Springs and I want to take full advantage of the opportunity before I move on. Mark helped point out some things that I still need to improve upon and I'm going to make sure that I work on them the next 6 weeks.

Back to the grind in the AM...

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

Climbing the career ladder

"Brigham Young running back Fui Vakapuna (1) celebrates with fans following Brigham Young's 38-24 victory over Air Force in an NCAA college football game at Air Force Academy, Colo., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008. The Cougars improved to 10-1 on the season." 

(AP Photo/Justin Edmonds)

I had yet another great opportunity this afternoon to cover the BYU and Air Force game for the Associated Press. I got the call on Wednesday afternoon and since I didn't have anything to shoot for the paper they let me off to cover the game. I owe a big thanks to AP Denver editor/shooter Ed Andrieski for taking a chance on me.

The game was pretty competitive throughout the first half but BYU's offense took over in the third quarter and pretty much had the game in control from that point on.

I'm glad to say that despite this being a big game for me I wasn't all that nervous. It was just another football game and that is how I chose to approach it. I can, however, say that seeing a few familiar faces eased the tension. I ran into fellow Denver shooter Marc Piscotty up in the press box and the one and only Mr. Rich Clarkson down on the field. I owe a lot to Mr. Clarkson as I basically got my internship at The Gazette while attending his sports workshop this past summer. Beyond the fact that he is probably one of the classiest guys I have ever met (he wears a sports jacket whenever he shoots, even on the football sidelines) he is one heck of a shooter and a great inspiration. I took a minute to shake his hand and say hello before I was off to the field-side workroom to get set up.

I wish there was something interesting that I could tell you about how I shot the game but it's pretty straightforward. Since I was the only shooter for AP I had to stay pretty conservative with the way I approached the game. I really like to try unique angles and find cleaner backgrounds by going up in the stands but I didn't want to risk anything today. I've established myself to the editors that I can cover a game so next time I can push the envelope a little bit.

There are a LOT of media outlets that subscribe to the AP so I knew that my images would be all over the internet. However, it's still awesome to experience typing "(AP photo/Justin Edmonds)" into Google and getting more than a dozen results minutes after I filed the images.

My day was capped off pretty well with these two digital tear sheets. ESPN and Sports Illustrated...it doesn't get much better than this. I know it's getting to sound redundant but, I LOVE MY JOB!

Above: SI

Below: my image

"Brigham Young tight end Dennis Pitta (32) congratulates teammate Austin Collie (9) after Collie hauled in a 6-yard pass for a touchdown in the third quarter of Brigham Young's 38-24 victory in an NCAA college football game at Air Force Academy, Colo., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008. Collie led the Cougars with 130 receiving yards including two touchdowns." 

(AP Photo/Justin Edmonds)

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

You have a WHAT in your house?

"Aviation artist Rick Broome walks around in his studio which is home to a retired United Airlines Boeing 737 in his home in Colorado Springs, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008. The airplane, bought from a movie studio in California, was lowered into place by a crane and his studio was built around it." JUSTIN EDMONDS, THE GAZETTE

You can chalk this one up to just another reason why I love my job. I arrive at my assignment today to photograph a guy and his neighbor who have a wildlife duck habitat in their back yard. However when I show up Rick wanted to show me something before we even took a look at the ducks. He starts to lead me through the kitchen and into a large room where I can see something huge but can't quite make it out. When I get all the way into the room I realize that there is half of a 737 sitting in his studio. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

I have seen some crazy things in my life but this HAS to be right up there.

At this point I can care less about whatever ducks he has in the backyard, I just want to shoot this plane. Rick took me inside the plane where he has a living room set up where the seats used to be. I also got to step into the cockpit where we talked for a minute or two. He then took me downstairs to show me another little work space he has set up underneath the plane. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw a can of coffee beans sitting on the landing gear.

Apparently we've already done a story on Rick and the plane so I didn't have anything that I could bring back to the paper and brag about but it was cool regardless. I'm thinking about going back on my own time to do a proper portrait of him.

So the next time you find yourself watching "Cribs" on MTV and Shaq is on there bragging about his custom cars, 26" dubs (read: Shaq feet), monster bed and the basketball court in his house just take a second to realize that he doesn't have anything on my man Rick Broome and his 737. Holla back two times!

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

P.S. I got a call from Kevin Martin from The Advocate in Baton Rouge letting me know that I was a finalist for their winter/spring internship but wasn't selected. I was obviously disappointed that I didn't get it because I really wanted to get the chance to work at a strong paper in a big city and experience the southern culture. However, the fact that Kevin even called to let me know I didn't get it was extremely professional. I haven't had any other editor call to let me know that he/she was impressed with my work but that I didn't quite make the cut. It shows that Kevin and The Advocate really care and that counts for a lot in my book. I'm going to push myself even harder to improve my portfolio and can't wait to apply there again in May. Thanks Kevin.

Just ok

"Julie Boswell, who says she is "committed to exercise," braves the cold and wet weather during her afternoon walk at Bear Creek Regional Park in Colorado Springs Monday, Nov. 10, 2008." JUSTIN EDMONDS, THE GAZETTE

I had just an ok day today. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad, but just ok.

We were short art for the metro cover so I trekked (read: drove) out into the cold, wet weather in search of a daily to fill the hole. It may sound a little ridiculous but I already had the above picture in mind when I went out searching. 

We have been spoiled with great weather here in Colorado all fall and still haven't seen the first snowfall, except for the mountains of course. The sky was grey which I knew would help some bright colors really stand out and I knew that a weather feature was right on the money. After stopping by the cemetery and CC I headed to Bear Creek park which is literally across the street from my place. I spotted the colorful umbrella, parked my car as quickly as possible and ran into the field trying to compose the shot as I ran. I found some nice trees to layer my image and waited for Julie to line up perfectly.

She probably thought I was nuts to be out there with my camera gear in that weather chasing after her but she graciously obliged and provided her name.

I took out the 400 and shot some birds near my car before I took off to transmit. I had another athlete of the week portrait in the area so I transmitted the feature back to the office while grabbing a bite to eat at Panera. Gotta love free Wifi!

The Cheyenne Mountain Indians captured their first 4A volleyball title ever this past weekend so Katy and I were on campus to give senior Laura Brodie her 15 minutes of fame. Laura was by far both Katy and my favorite athlete that we've worked with. She was really easy going, helpful, open to my ideas and willing to do whatever to make the portrait work.

Last night I had envisioned a few different looks that I wanted to try, one being with the championship trophy. I thought I had really thought it through but in the end Mark convinced me that it just didn't quite do it. I was a little disappointed and frustrated with myself but I can just chalk it up to a learning experience. Here is the image that we decided to go with.

I finally figured out a concept for our "Peak Performers" section that is due to run about a month from now. I don't want to give anything away but I can say that it's going to be much different than my recent sportraits.

P.S. The New York Times picked up another one of my images through AP last week...on my birthday non the less: CHECK IT OUT!!

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

I could do this all day

"Doherty gymnast Brittnee Martinez poses for a portrait at Colorado Aerials Gymnastics in Colorado Springs, Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. Martinez, who will compete at the University of Michigan next year, won the all-around, vault and uneven bars titles at the CHSAA State gymnastics meet this past weekend." JUSTIN EDMONDS, THE GAZETTE

Practice does make perfect. I'm getting better and better at these portraits and am doing so with an exponential growth curve.

I walked into the gym this morning about 35 minutes before my subject was due to arrive. One of the coaches escorted me into by far the busiest place I've ever had to make a portrait. There was stuff EVERYWHERE. The plain white walls didn't seem to be helping either. I must have stood there just looking around and thinking for at least 10 minutes before I decided to do anything. I had my lights up and ready to go in about 20 minutes and hung out with one of the coaches and Katy while waiting for Britnee. Having everything ready to go is great because I already know what I want to accomplish so all I have to do is push the button. 

I finally saw something that I could work with, ugly overhead florescent lighting. Instead of using it as a source I determined that I could use it as a graphic. I kicked the white balance to tungsten and since the lights recycled at different times each set was a different color blue or green(ish). When Brittnee showed up in a leo with blue and green on it I knew I was in business.

I used a medium softbox with a 1/2 CTO folded in half to create a full as the main light and a bare head in the background to add some separation. The back head fell to a cool blue color because of the white balance setting allowing it to match the blue in her leo and the blue in some of the lights overhead.

I made a simple posed vertical, more unique vertical and the image seen above in just 27 frames. When I saw the image up top I called it a wrap. Using only 8 minutes of her time Brittnee couldn't have been more pleased. (Not that hs students worry about missing class for their 15 minutes of fame)

I could do this all day...now I just need someone to hire me.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

CC still sucks

"Colorado College forward Scott McCulloch (26) is swarmed by teammates as they celebrate his goal against Denver goalie Marc Cheverie (1) in the first period of a WCHA college hockey game at World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008. CC defeated their I-25 rivals 3-2 to remain unbeaten with a 5-0-3 record on the season."

 JUSTIN EDMONDS, THE GAZETTE

I had a pretty good night behind the lens, but unfortunately I can't say the same thing for my alma mater. Both teams played well but it was CC goaltender Richard Bachman who stole the show with a stellar 40 save performance. Bachman stoned DU's Patrick Wiercioch with 55.9 seconds to go from point blank range to preserve the win, and their No. 1 ranking. Gazette beat writer Kate Crandall blogs about the game and my shot of Bachman's save here.

I've shot plenty of DU hockey and even had the opportunity to shoot the frozen four in Denver this past April. Despite the fact that I have a hockey photo in my portfolio it is by far my worse sport. I know the sport, the teams, the terminology and the rules but I am just not as good of a hockey photographer as I would like to be.

However I am good at putting my own touch on things and that style is still evident in my hockey photos. The paper shoots every CC home game so I knew that I wanted to try and come up with something different. We have 6 strobes installed in the arena but I only used 4 at a time tonight to achieve a different look. I pointed the two in the middle towards the end where I would be shooting so that I could concentrate all the light in just one end. As a result the background drops off quickly to near black. It really helped the images pop like my shot of CC celebrating a first period goal above. Seeing DU goalie Marc Cheverie's face and body language in disappointment really makes the photo. Having shot from an angle that you usually don't see also made the image different from all the hockey images that get published in the paper.

To further add my touch to the assignment I made sure to set up a remote. 

I set up my 30D and 85mm on a small overhang above the north goal on available light. I also increased the contact time on the Pocket Wizard Multimax to 2.5 seconds so that I wouldn't need to continuously hold down the button. I could hit it once when there was commotion in the crease and get 13 frames. The good thing is that I made half a dozen or so solid images. The bad part is that I had to scan through 600+ frames during my edit. I'm very picky when it comes to making a clean photo and this remote from above achieves the look that I'm after.

Peak action is great but I'm always looking for other ways to tell the story. 

Being that this was a rivalry game between two top ranked teams I knew that there would be plenty of emotion, both jube and dejection to shoot. Knowing that I wanted to get an image with some depth I positioned myself ice level at the end of the rink as I had done in the first period. At the end of the game I caught Denver's Tyler Bozak bent over as CC skated to congratulate their star goaltender. Since I had the strobes set to only fire in the near offensive zone the background, and CC, faded dark and allowed Bozak to pop in the frame. It really brings just enough attention to Bozak that couldn't have been achieved with an evenly lit rink.

Going into the game I was a little anxious because I wanted to show the staff that I could produce solid images from a big game. In the end I feel like the assignment was a success as AP picked up at least the three images that I posted in this entry. Kate, the CC hockey beat writer, showed me the images on the AP exchange server and I couldn't help but smile.

DU may have lost but CC still sucks. Go Pios!

The countdown is on to my 23rd birthday, and the election, but I have one more day at work before I get to celebrate. The good thing is that I have a portrait of the prep athlete of the week for the third week in a row so at least I know that it will be a good day.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com