We learned that being a student of sport can help you take better images and serve your client more efficiently, thus separating yourself from your competitors. To pick a sport, studying it and the people who are involved is so valuable. Knowing the ins and outs of the team, the coach, the venue, etc. will add up to success when it comes to access and capturing the moment. Gymnastics was my first sport and I made my inroads into the industry with pictures of Mary Lou Retton, Bart Conner, and coach Bela Karolyi. Being invited to “Karolyi Ranch” was always a special treat. Bela and I drove around in his Hummer for an hour or so to locate a prize winning steer he had brought to the ranch from Romania.

With a strong knowledge of my subject, team, stadium, etc. the chance of capturing the moment is increased. I have the experience to react quickly and efficiently and can do it over and over again with confidence. I shot football each and every Saturday, Sunday and many Monday Nights for 17 straight seasons before I slowed down to 3 or 4 games per season after John Elway’s retirement. This is my first football image ever. My first football game “LIVE” was Elway’s rookie debut as the Broncos starting quarterback. A small photo agency called Focus West hired me to shoot for a client they had……….Sports Illustrated. I was 4th man on the SI totem pole but I was there. And when Elway took the field, so did I.

Strobes and lighting in general we discovered is a way to separate yourself from the masses of photographers. I can increase my quality indoors and freeze the action with the use of arena sport strobes. These are some of my Elinchrom Sports Strobes, the 1000r series Sport Strobe. They have lasted some 9 years or more. There are many sport strobe units that are made but I like the Elinchrom products by Bogan.

Details, details, details…………….I love looking for them, shooting them and making money with them. Here is some real drama!….Fast Action!…..THE MOMENT !……………NOT. It is just a basketball net shot at a college game in February, 2003 It has sold 3 times already for a total of $3500. Color, Details, and Design are interesting and very often complete a story for the publication you are working for. Keep your eye out for them.

The remote and its usefulness to capture an image when you are unable to shoot from that position..or to increase the positions you have images from… or to have an image with a perspective that no one else has………YES….Supply and Demand, you now have an image that is rare and thus has value. Here the Pocket Wizzard MULTI MAX Transceivers are a photographers best friend. Wireless, Accurate, Reliable thanks to the folks at Mamiya.

Ownership of your images can be a wonderful thing. I own all the images I shoot, therefor, I have STOCK IMAGES that are on file and archived for future sales. When the US economy is good………..people hire me for assignments. When the US economy is bad……….people buy stock images from me. This arrangement keeps my business income steady. If possible, own your images. This picture of Magic Johnson receiving his Gold Medal as a member of the 1992 Olympic DREAM TEAM has sold many times. Great moments and great images in general can sell for years after the event and generate substantial income.

LightPainting, my passion. What can I say but give it a try. It is the basic of all lighting basics. This is a 2 1/2 minute exposure with a Nikon D2H. NO NOISE. The entire scene was lit with a $12 pen light. The year 2003 saw a big breakthrough in my LightPainting as nearly 15% of my income was related to this technique.

Well……..Last month in On The Road you might recall the image of Tucker, the family cat. Here, by popular demand and a letter from her agent demanding equal time, is Mandy the family dog.