UNC Lacrosse Projects: Weights and Running in the Garage

As the project progresses, I’m finding I’m struggling more and more to get original material in the weight room. I’ve made a commitment to come out at least once a week and work on the project. The downside to that is the environment gets to be monotonous. I’m not sure how many angles I can photograph someone doing bicep curls. To break my stale photography, I’ve been looking at books from some of the master of photography to try and get some insight from their work on how they would approach creating photos. What are angles that I’m not thinking about? How could I mix up my photography techniques to create a new vision?

Sometimes I get lucky, and something totally new is put in my lap. Such was the case today when after weights, the team went to the parking garage behind the field house for endurance training. The session consisted of two, 7-minute events. The first consisted of running laps, alternating between sprinting and jogging. The second session was done in the stair case. The guys raced up three flights of stairs on one side, and down another side. They alternated going up and down for seven minutes straight. It looked excruciating to me, but everyone made it the entire seven minutes. Although if they really want to know what is excruciating, they should come up with me and walk up to the catwalks of the Dean Smith Center where I have strobes installed. Before every basketball game I have to go up there and turn them on. There’s no elevator, instead it’s a mix of stairs and steep inclines.

UNC Lacrosse Project: Hanging with the Sophomores

The project was in need of some major help – I was having a lot of problems getting up with some of the guys while they were just “hanging out”. As photos capturing that was going to be a big part of the project, I was really worried about that facet of the book. Last night I sent an email out to a few of the players hoping to get a response and fortunately Michael Jarvis called me and invited me over with him and some of the sophomores as they watched the Patriots vs. Colts game. Beyond Michael there was also Tommy D’Alessandro, Mike Burns, Joe Howard and freshman Kevin Piegare. Kerry McCormick poked his head in every now and then too. Around 2nd quarter the guys started talking about where to get some food. It came down to Shakura’s Japan Express or IP3 (Italian Pizzaria III) on Franklin Street. Shakura’s won out easily when Jarvis said he wanted to go there. So we all, minus Kerry, packed ourselves into Joe’s SUV. Tommy got stuck in the back since there were too many of us to fit in the seats.

I took some photos in the restaurant and I wondered at times it the two people working the counter wondered who these guys were, and why were they so famous that a photographer was following them around taking photos? Maybe the latest recruits for Roy Williams?

UNC Lacrosse Project: Weights and Motto Vote

I arrived to the locker room a little earlier again this day in my pursuit of my quest to produce some better photos in the locker room before practices. Today provided some interesting photos ops. Andrew Moss showed off his juggling skills while Michael Jarvis showed off his lack of skills. Mike Burns was working on the stringing of his stick which provided some nice photos.

After weightlifting, the team gathered straight into the team room, adjacent to their locker room in the Kenan Stadium Fieldhouse for a players-only meeting. Well…players only plus a certain photographer. Fletcher Gregory, with some help from Nick Tintle, led the team in a voting session to pick this year’s motto. There were about seven or so options that were slowly pared down to a small list. After a lively discussion and ideas being thrown out (some good, some…not), the team finally picked their motto. I’m not going to list it on this blog as I’m not sure if they want it publicly disseminated for now.

Players vote for their favorite motto.