Maybe 2009 will be remembered as the year of Big challenges? So it was last month on assignment for Forbes to photograph legendary NFL coach and current Miami Dolphins VP of Operations Bill Parcells at the team’s training facility. Now I’ve had a few challenging shoots with the Dolphins… the recent Jake Long shoot for ESPN was done in a 10 minute break between torrential downpours and thunderstorms. All good fun and par for the course, really. But this time the ante was upped.
My access (really not even the right word to use) to “The Big Tuna,” as Coach Parcells is known, was right smack with the other members of the local media outlets during the first 20 minutes of the team’s morning practice. OK, fine, but I was asked to make a “portrait” for the cover story. I don’t usually think of the word portrait when I’m holding a 400mm lens and am stuck a couple of hundred feet away from the subject (on the wrong side of the harsh morning light), in sweltering south Florida humidity, but sure. If this was a newspaper and it was a daily coverage story on Parcells, then cool that makes sense. But this is a cover story in an important national business magazine.
The image above was my favorite and I was super pleased that Forbes used it because it summed up exactly what the situation was like (as well as another small one in the table of contents). I hope that the Dolphins and Parcells really don’t like this one so that next time they give me or some other photographer the 20 seconds (yes, seconds) that I begged to be allowed for a full lit portrait anywhere they wanted me to set-up. In fairness the Dolphins media relations crew did warn us, and Bill even generously asked/shouted to me “did you get everything you need?!” only minutes into my shooting. You’re welcome, Forbes that I did not flip him off or shout back any Serena-esque choice phrases.
Ah yes, the glamorous life of a freelance magazine photographer…
My favorite team is always the one that Mr. Parcells is associated with…he’s not only great on the field but in the front office as well (not to mention as a commentator). The Patriots fans I work with tease me A LOT about it but I’ll stay true. Thanks for the great pciture!