Monday, April 29, 2019

Visualize the Moment

Visualize the Moment

By Al Diaz
Miami Herald Photojournalist

Visualize Cuba
My high school football defensive coach, Carmen Grosso, taught me how to visualize. From the sidelines, he trained us to visualize a fumble, anticipate the ball carriers movements for the tackle, or the big play. He would tell us to visualize the action before they even hike the ball. Our team's quarterback, Bill St Pierre, would say, “Visualizing changes reactions into reflexes and helps to do things quicker and better, like a moving picture in slow motion.”
As a photojournalist, visualizing helps me prepare and be ready before the moment. I’ll frame an image, compose and visualize what’s going to happen next before it even occurs. I visualize and place myself in a position to capture the light, the emotion, the movement, and composition all colliding in a split second for the decisive moment to tell a compelling story in a single photograph.
Here are some examples of how I visualized the shot before it happened. 
After chasing the funeral caravan carrying the ashes of Cuban leader Fidel Castro across Cuba, it finally arrived in Santiago de Cuba. At this point, I had plenty of photographs of the caravan and the crowds at ground level from previous days so I looked for an elevated position. The juxtaposition of the billboard below the Sierra Maestra mountain range attracted my attention.  
The road lined up perfectly as the crowd continued to arrive. I found a two-story structure that would elevate me above the crowd so as not to obscure the caravan. As the sunrise began to reflect too much light on the billboard I climbed the steps higher until I quickly found my way onto the roof as the vehicles approached before getting the shot. 
Later that day I stood watching Cuba's revolutionary guard goose step in front of Castro’s tomb. I lined myself up and composed so that the legs would frame the crypt’s plaque bearing the name Fidel at the decisive moment.
Visualize Action
While photographing the world’s top men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic, I decided I had enough action shots of Djokovic at the service line using my Canon 400 f/2.8. So, I repositioned myself between sets and got low in the photo well as I grabbed a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 and waited for Djokovic to rush the net or scramble for the ball. The low angle really accentuates the eyes and the contorted body language.
Visualize a Portrait
In this football season preview, it’s back to the drawing board with Mark Richt returning to coach his Alma Mater as the University of Miami looked to reclaim past glory… it did not happen but the photo illustration worked out as I visualized. 
Placing the coach in front of a black backdrop and asking him to wear a black polo shirt, I knew the X’s and O’s would stand out against the solid background. I suggested to coach Richt to hold the white marker and pretend he was drawing on plexiglass. He obliged by leaning to the side making it look like he’s drawing on plexi but he’s actually not, just dead air. I later drew up the Xs and O’s with a black marker on white paper. Then my wife Cindy Seip reversed the drawings and saved them as .PNG files. Then we placed them in layers and changed the opacity as needed onto the portrait. 
Visualize Jubilation
During the trophy presentation for state champs, I positioned myself so that I could frame the Class 6A football championship trophy being hoisted by coach Max Edwards between the stadium lights. I knew that selecting the Canon 16-35 f/2.8 lens would allow me to capture the frenzy of players dancing and chanting below. As the spectacle unfolded, I lifted the camera to shoot over my head. By doing so the image has clear multiple layers with different perspectives from foreground, middle, edge to edge and the top of the frame. I could have used a telephoto lens isolating the trophy held by the coach flanked by a couple of players but what I captured tells the story better.
Visualize Expressions
It’s all about the eyes. The eyes can communicate emotion in ways nothing else can. During a game, athletes can be very expressive. Capturing a great expression inside the shadow of a football helmet and behind the facemask is difficult but there are ways to get around that. Get low, really low, that will clear the brim of the helmet and you’ll see facial expressions better. As you visualize the big play use a telephoto lens and select a large aperture for a shallow depth of field isolating the players. At your side or around your neck, have a second or third body with a short telephoto and wide-angle lens. Once the action is in the red zone, place yourself behind the end zone or the sideline several feet behind the goal line. Now you are ready to visualize the action crashing into the frame or your lap, just be ready before the moment.
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My friends at Think Tank Photo asked me to write down my thoughts about vision for the story above in support of the recent launch of their Vision Shoulder Bag series.
The ability to visualize a picture before you release the shutter is essential to getting that perfect shot. With the Vision Shoulder Bag Series, you can get all the right gear to the right place, so you can turn your vision into a great photo.Sized for professional lenses, the Vision Shoulder Bag Series is designed not only for capacity but also for security. With its zippered top closure, your gear will stay safe and in place. Other standout features include a comfortable shoulder strap, waterproof tarpaulin bottom and expandable water bottle pocket. Constructed with durable yet stylish weather resistant materials, the Vision offers access, security, and the quality you’ve come to expect from Think Tank.

Sunday, April 28, 2019

The Sunday Still: Sri Lanka Easter Bombings

Photojournalist Patrick Farrell has joined the blog with his weekly feature, The Sunday Still. Farrell selects one image each week that showcases the best photojournalism by photojournalists from around the world. The feature runs weekly in The Sunday Long Read. The goal of the newsletter, edited by Don Van Natta Jr. and Jacob Feldman, is to put the week’s best journalism in your hands every Sunday morning.

The Sunday Still
from Patrick Farrell


Sri Lanka Easter Bombings 

Radical Islamic terror attack survivor Anusha Kumari lost her husband, two children and three siblings in coordinated suicide bombings on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka that killed about 250 people on Easter Sunday, April 21. On assignment for The New York Times, photographer Adam Dean had the daunting task of covering the mass burial. His image of a bandaged Kumari, doubled over in emotional pain, conveyed a nation in grief to the rest of the world.

Patrick Farrell, the curator of The Sunday Still, is the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner for Breaking News Photography for The Miami Herald, where he worked from 1987 to 2019. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Management at the University of Miami School of Communication.

Sunday, April 21, 2019

The Sunday Still: Winning Again

Photojournalist Patrick Farrell has joined the blog with his weekly feature, The Sunday Still. Farrell selects one image each week that showcases the best photojournalism by photojournalists from around the world. The feature runs weekly in The Sunday Long Read. The goal of the newsletter, edited by Don Van Natta Jr. and Jacob Feldman, is to put the week’s best journalism in your hands every Sunday morning.

The Sunday Still
from Patrick Farrell


Winning Again 

The Masters at Augusta National isn’t only a challenge for golfers. With limited access and strict rules—no running, no transmitting images on phones—the storied golf tournament tests the most experienced photographers. Even after schmoozing the crowd to get close there are risky judgment calls. Do you want the 18th hole between you and the golfer so you catch his first reaction? Or do you go behind him, hoping he turns to celebrate with the crowd? Reuters senior staff photographer Lucy Nicholson won the scramble to snag the best image of Tiger Woods celebrating an 11-year comeback to win the Masters for the fifth time on April 14. She also made the winning decision to shoot wide, instead of tight, to capture Woods’ full body language, with the joyful crowd in the background. Pity the shooters on the other side of the green who had to make the best of Woods’ back. Nicholson followed up her victory shot with a celebration of her own the next day: She was on the Reuters team that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for documenting the “urgency, desperation and sadness” of migrants traveling to the U.S. from Central and South America.

Patrick Farrell, the curator of The Sunday Still, is the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner for Breaking News Photography for The Miami Herald, where he worked from 1987 to 2019. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Management at the University of Miami School of Communication.

Monday, April 15, 2019

Photojournalist Charles Trainor Jr. captures Dwyane Wade's Final Dance


By Al Diaz
Miami Herald Photojournalist

Legendary point guard Dywane Wade crashed into John Legend and Chrissy Teigen while shooting a jump shot during his final regular season home game for the Miami Heat. Miami Herald photojournalist Charles Trainor Jr. captured the decisive moment in a photograph. Once tweeted, the image went viral. 

Charlie and I covered many of Wade’s games over the years during his time in Miami, playoff games and NBA Championships in cities across the country. We were both assigned to cover the "The Last Dance", his final year and a tribute to the NBA All-Star on Tuesday night along with Matias Ocner shooting video.  

All the photographers that night seemed anxious, not knowing how the night would play out and hoping to get the perfect moment to compliment this future NBA Hall of Fame member. Charlie, Matias and I divided the coverage with only one position on the court, Charlie and I rotated as Matias shot pregame and postgame video. 

In the fourth quarter, I was sitting under the basket capturing Wade’s reactions after hitting several three-pointers. Charlie was shooting from the overhead position with a Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x Lens mounted on a Canon EOS 1D-X. 

Charlie says, “In the final two minutes my lens was locked on Wade. I felt this is where the sentimental, emotional, heartwarming image would be captured. Then he shot a fade and fell back crushing his good friends, model and author, Christine Teigen and singer-songwriter, John Legend in their courtside seats.” 

The photograph was retweeted by Teigen, who wrote “a renaissance painting.” From there, it went VIRAL and used on TMZ, BuzzFeed, NBC's TODAY SHOW and Entertainment Tonight.

Charlie says, “My friends at FOX WSVN did a 90-second news segment and comedian Jimmy Fallon displayed it during his nightly monologue. I think it was the most viral photo of the day. It seemed to be everywhere and several celebrities continued the retweets, including Reese Witherspoon! Who would ever guess that Reese would Tweet me! Charlie said.

















Sunday, April 14, 2019

The Sunday Still: Legend on Legend

Photojournalist Patrick Farrell has joined the blog with his weekly feature, The Sunday Still. Farrell selects one image each week that showcases the best photojournalism by photojournalists from around the world. The feature runs weekly in The Sunday Long Read. The goal of the newsletter, edited by Don Van Natta Jr. and Jacob Feldman, is to put the week’s best journalism in your hands every Sunday morning.

The Sunday Still
from Patrick Farrell


Legend on Legend 

Miami Herald photography legend Charles Trainor Jr. nailed the most talked-about photograph of legendary Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade’s final home game as Wade landed in the laps of legend Chrissy Teigen and her husband, John, on April 9. Trainor, a veteran photographer with three decades of experience shooting world-class athletes, knew that taking a position up high in American Airlines Arena would provide the opportunity to capture classic images of the retiring Wade on and off the court. The still image froze the moment of impact in a way that no video footage could duplicate.

Patrick Farrell, the curator of The Sunday Still, is the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner for Breaking News Photography for The Miami Herald, where he has worked since 1987. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Management at the University of Miami School of Communication.

Monday, April 8, 2019

The Sunday Still: Sealed with a Kiss

Photojournalist Patrick Farrell has joined the blog with his weekly feature, The Sunday Still. Farrell selects one image each week that showcases the best photojournalism by photojournalists from around the world. The feature runs weekly in The Sunday Long Read. The goal of the newsletter, edited by Don Van Natta Jr. and Jacob Feldman, is to put the week’s best journalism in your hands every Sunday morning.

The Sunday Still
from Patrick Farrell


Sealed with a Kiss

Journalism is the “first rough draft of history,” The Washington Post publisher and late co-owner Phil Graham famously said. AP photographer Nam Y. Huh snapped the first kiss in a historic moment at an April 2 election night party in Chicago, where Lori Lightfoot became the first openly gay person and black woman to lead the city. Lightfoot wasn’t the only lesbian to win that night: Satya Rhodes-Conway was elected mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and two other major cities – Kansas City, Missouri, and Tampa, Florida – have lesbian mayoral candidates now heading to runoff elections. But it was Huh’s photo of a victory kiss in front of a jubilant crowd that was published around the world as a symbol of what one LGBTQ activist called “the year of the lesbian mayor.”

Patrick Farrell, the curator of The Sunday Still, is the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner for Breaking News Photography for The Miami Herald, where he has worked since 1987. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Management at the University of Miami School of Communication.