The G.O.A.T
Recently I was asked to photograph Jerry Rice, a retired San Francisco 49er wide receiver, NFL Hall of Famer, and one of the athletes that I watched growing up. I have a great friend Stephanie Suddarth who is now the general manager of his energy drink company called G.O.A.T. fuel (Greatest of All Time).
As a photographer, we meet many different people from business owners and tradesmen to athletes and actors.
Jerry Rice, Retired San Francisco 49er wide receiver and NFL Hall of Famer.
Recently I was asked to photograph Jerry Rice, a retired San Francisco 49er wide receiver, NFL Hall of Famer, and one of the athletes that I watched growing up. I have a great friend Stephanie Suddarth who is now the general manager of his energy drink company called G.O.A.T. fuel (Greatest of All Time). His daughter is the president. I was asked to travel to the Bay Area to make some marketing and PR images of Jerry for social media usage. So I spent Thursday evening and Saturday morning photographing him during various activities.
During the Saturday morning session, I was able to shoot individual images of him.
Saturday's location was a brand new hotel in Silicon Valley. When I arrived I scouted out a gray area in the parking garage that I could use to make my portraits. As the morning progressed and I was photographing the various events, Jerry turned and said, “Hey, let's do those images now. I have 20 minutes before I have to leave.” Thank goodness I had scouted out my spot and planned out what I wanted to do. My assistant Skip and I hurried over and set up five portrait scenarios in about eight minutes. Jerry came over, and we were able to make about 200 images in 12 minutes. All the scenarios except for one worked out.
This is the area I scouted when we arrived. Having Skip as my assistant sets my mind at ease. He is so good at what he does.
After we finished, I shared the story with Jerry about how my father had a personalized license plate that said RICEDAY. I kept them after my father's passing and have had them in the garage for years. I brought them to show Jerry and he was happy to sign them. They will make for some good conversation pieces.
My dad and I watched the 49ers for decades, his license plates are a testament to it.
One of the takeaways from the assignment is to know your gear and have a plan going into a shoot. Be ready to go. If I had tried things I hadn't done or wasn't comfortable with my equipment, it could've been a disaster.
It's December and we just finished playing in the championship game.
The football season came to a close on Saturday, December 1. It was a very long, but rewarding season. The team started conditioning on January 30 at 5:50 AM and continued training every morning until late November. This season was special to me for many reasons, the biggest being that it was my youngest son's last season in high school.
I’m so happy to have these times with Ryan. Photo by @s.kip
The football season came to a close on Saturday, December 1 for the Casa Roble RAMS they ended the season with an 11 wins and 2 losses. It was a very long, but rewarding season. The team started conditioning on January 30 at 5:50 AM and continued training every morning until late November. This season was special to me for many reasons, the biggest being that it was my youngest son's last season in high school. I have spent the past 16 years working with my kids in all of their athletic endeavors. From coaching volleyball and track with my girls, to football and track with my boys. One thing I told my wife when our kids were young was, I would never miss any of their sporting events or activities. When I was a kid, my parents were always there to pick me up after a defeat or pat me on the back after a win. I had teammates that never had a parent go to a game and I always felt bad for them. Having family support meant so much to me. I feel fortunate that photography as a profession has allowed me to control my schedule so I could coach and be a part of everything my kids have done.
Ryan- all 4 years of football, starting with Freshman year.
If you know me, you know that I loved playing football! Football to me is a brotherhood, it's given me the tools that I've used throughout my life. I wanted so much for my boys to have a similar experience. I have to say that this season exceeded all of my hopes and expectations. Sure they were very successful and won most of their games, but they ultimately lost the championship. The season was more than wins and losses. The lessons the boys took from this season will help mold the rest of their lives.
I am so proud of my son Ryan. He faced a big uphill battle during the first part of the season. He had a significant quad tear in his left leg that occurred during track season, it took months of therapy and rehabilitation before the season even started. He was fortunate that it only affected the first few games and by the end of the season, he was playing his best football. Ryan really took training and preparation seriously and the results showed. He was the fastest, strongest combination on the team and was able to take the punishment of the season and stay relatively injury free. He is physically and mentally ready to continue playing after high school if he desires.
6am workouts 4 days a week since January.
My involvement with the team started with me helping with weight training and conditioning in the mornings. I was more than happy to give my time (5:50 am) and knowledge for the betterment of the entire team. As the season approached I took on the additional responsibilities of handling the technology and operations needed to help make Friday night games happen. Let's just say, it is like putting on a mini-concert every Friday night. I also helped with minor bumps and bruises after game days to help get them ready to play the next week
Getting Ryan stretched before the game. Photo by @s.kip
Over the years I've been able to watch different groups of coaches work with my kids. I have to say that the coaching staff that Chris Horner put together was the best I've ever been part of. I believe that one of the marks of a great head coach is to assemble great assistant coaches and let them do their job, this is certainly what Chris did with his coaches. I've spent a lot of time these past three years with Chris, and one thing that is totally clear is his desire to develop outstanding men. Sure he cares about wins and losses, but he cares more about how his players are doing. He makes sure that they make good choices, are good citizens at school and good citizens within the community. I know these boys will look back with nothing but admiration from their time with Chris.
Chris congratulating Ryan after a big sack. His enthusiasm was contagious!
Ryan's team was a great group of boys! I have been able to watch many of the kids grow up, in some cases from elementary school. Watching how well these kids got along and how close they all are, was really special. To watch them all play on Friday nights was just icing on the cake. The time they spent with each other working out, practicing, and playing will mean a lot to them later on.
Ryan and some of his teammates.
There is certainly going to be a hole in my life with no more high school football, but I'm excited to see what is next with all my kids!
Pre game runout. Ryan carried the Navy flag at each home game.
End of the season..
Well the season came to an end on Friday night with a 1 point loss to Center High School. I felt terrible for the boys.
Well the season came to an end on Friday night with a 1 point loss to Center High School. I felt terrible for the boys.
My boy is #17, and has 1 more year on the team.
This year we had an entirely new varsity staff. We knew we had a good team, but they're all very young. The season certainly had its ups and downs. Through all of it I made images of the good times and the bad. We ended up having a good run at the end of the season, and were seeded number 2 in the playoffs, which was very exciting. We won our 1st round playoff game. This was further than any of the Casa Roble teams had gone in the past.
I had been thinking about making portraits after the games for a few weeks and figured this would be a good chance win or lose. So I pulled out the generator, set up my lights, and was able to make these images after the game.
The team should be extremely competitive with this many returning kids. Already looking forward to next year!
Friday Night Lights
Another football season has come and gone. My youngest, Ryan (#32) is a sophomore and on the JV team, who won the league with a 10 and 0 record. My oldest son, Ethan (#40) is a senior on Varsity. Varsity was 3 and 7, which made for a tough season.
I always struggle with the written word. I feel as if I can never do my thoughts justice. Hopefully this reads well.
Another football season has come and gone. My youngest, Ryan (#32) is a sophomore and on the JV team, who won the league with a 10 and 0 record. My oldest son, Ethan (#40) is a senior on Varsity. Varsity was 3 and 7, which made for a tough season.
This high school football season was very special for me. I had both my boys playing on Friday night for the first and last time. The pride and excitement I had on Friday nights was unbelievable. You would have thought I was playing. Several times I had to take a deep breath and relax.
Yeah thats me from high school.
A select few know the struggles I had growing up with severe dyslexia. In middle school I was placed in a different class, different recess, and different P.E from the rest of the kids. This lead to fairly heavy bullying and very low self esteem. I never participated in social or group activities until I played football in High School. Football was the one thing that kept me in school and led me to college.
I’m very fortunate I could document their actions and enjoy every game from the sidelines. As a photographer I get one of the best views on the field, roaming free. I tried to capture the whole team’s efforts. I approached photographing the games, by trying to get the kind of images I wish I had when I played. The only downside to shooting from the field is not sitting with my wife in the stands. I truly wish we could have shared our excitement together, but I can’t be in two places at once.
I took the opportunity at the end of the season to make some images for them and a few team members. I pulled out the full setup. 4 lights and the fogger. I wanted to give them something a little more "hero" feel.
I have two more years of Varsity football with Ryan. I’m not sure how I’ll manage when its all done, but I will enjoy every moment until then.
