Working with clients is generally never a serious affair. Sports might be different, but one on one with families I do what I can to make people laugh; and no one makes a better client than those who share a compatibility of spirit. Being in an art industry leaves a ton of room for creativity and freedom with a level of understanding between yourself and your client on their aesthetic goals, and meeting in a very spiritual place which leads to amazing results. For my more artsy side, I cover weddings and portraits, but my first love is always with sports, where the more ‘real’ the photo is the better. I will say this though; ‘silly’ almost never happens. Which is okay; that’s why I work with small children.
My average soccer game runs about 600-1000 photos, Seawolves game lands around 2500-3000 photos; theres marketing to consider, showcasing certain players, run of play photos, halftime, sponsors, fans, all sorts of things! Weddings, depending on the length could be anywhere from 3000-5000 photos; and an hour long portrait session will have its fair amount as well. I’m generally pretty aware of the photos I release out, sometimes I’ll miss things like a players knee bleeding, or as im sitting chimping on the field I may notice things like a players emotions or reactions in the background until i get home and see them full screen. In fact my worst case of ‘I totally didn’t notice that was happening’ was just last week, where i didnt even notice that i ended up with two Seawolves players who happened to be twins in the same frame until it got posted on social media.
It’s the photos we find that make us laugh most that either sell the most, or in some cases they are not fit for formal submission but i almost always end up releasing them to clients in some form or another because they are too good not to share. Here are a few of my favorites through the last few years.
We're All Serious Here.
Picture this scene: Racquetball court converted into a studio for the day; I have at least 10 pro athletes directly behind me and Eric here, who has the most serious expression I've ever seen. Thanks to the team for making him turn and laugh; and thanks to my foresight of the benefit of clicking my shutter at this exact moment.
Cake is AMAZING
For this little guy’s first birthday we did a cake smash in my living room which serves as my temporary studio. It might be tough for a freshly one year old to comprehend how good cake actually is; but not for him! This face for me basically defines my relationship with cake. Now I really want some cake! (I did try the cake, it was outstanding).
Oh, Sisterhood
These two are incredible; I have shot for this family for years and at the end of every summer we venture out for a family photo shoot. The thing I love about the big sister/little sister relationship? What one does, the other is sure to follow. In this case; we just weren’t into having our photos taken. The hardest part? As mom and dad are trying their darndest to get these two to take a proper photo? Is to not burst out laughing, because this is just sisterhood in its best form, not to mention, adorable.
Sisterhood, the Teenage Version
Oh you wanted a photo of you three giving each other a piggyback ride? What on earth could possibly go wrong here? The photo right before this one actually turned out perfectly. When great minds think alike; greatness happens!
Micah and Eddie Sharing an intimate moment
Have you heard of the indoor team the Tacoma Stars? Thats so great! Take a look instead at their reserve squad, The much more fun and exuberant Tacoma Stars Reserves, (where creative nomenclature is certainly their business). One thing that is super common is hugs after goals. It makes for a GREAT photo. However when you have a high frame-rate camera there isn’t a lot that gets missed; and I see most things frame by frame by frame. Like a flipbook. I remember seeing this photo in a sequence of a celebratory hug and immediately sending it in a private message to the two guys and we all had a pretty good laugh. If you’re seeing this Micah and/or Eddie; you guys are great sports.
Stolen Spotlight
On a recent maternity shoot the couple brings along their adorable daughter, dressed in an adorable little white dress and ready to be in every single photo. I’ve known the family for quite awhile and was hardly surprised when she completely stole the show!
Dawson learns gravity
From diapers to walking, I have photographed this little dude through a lot of stages. He is an abolute pleasure to be around, and he sure does love fruit snacks. This in fact was the first time we did a family shoot after he learned how to walk. Once again, we are seeing the results of a pretty high frame rate, and I don’t even remember physically taking this until I was viewing them in post. I couldn’t realistically put these in a gallery for sale to the client, but I absolutely HAD to release this photo as a freebie to the family, I mean, could you really hold this one back? I should really put this one in my action portfolio. Don't worry, kiddo was totally fine and his Mother certainly appreciated the extra photo.
Its important for everyone to have a good time, even when minor things can go slightly awry. Always have to make the best of an oopsie! Luckily, in most cases, its very easy to have a good laugh about things later on!