Steve McCurry

I was passed on this article today and must say it only seem fitting that Steve McCurry had this honor. Please take a moment to read about this historic event as yet another chapter closes in the history of photography. http://www.kansas.com/2010/07/14/1403115/last-kodachrome-roll-processed.html

Also, visit Steve’s blog, the images will blow your mind, http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/

I was on site for the press conference the day Danny Heatley joined The San Jose Sharks. We had photographed Danny two weeks prior and had to shoot him a second time in his new colors. It was fun seeing a player in his new jersey for the first time and being the first to photograph him as a Shark. Danny is a class act and always a pleasure to photograph. Here is a look at a few of the new Easton Hockey website and a few catalog covers/backs for 2010, there are 10 total.

The property which sits below a steep mountain, is perfectly positioned  just above sea level, and is magical to say the least. Brian worked hard for this, putting his faith and instinct on the line to see his dream come to life. Currently, story poles serve as tee boxes and hole markers, while the rest of the land appears to be untouched by man (with the exception of a small, but rather picturesque lighthouse).

We arrived on site and the fog was thick, covering the rock cliffs, not giving us much of a “picture” of the ocean. After waiting for over two hours, on the site of one of the several, over-the-water tee boxes, we decided it would be best to head back to town for lunch and return in the afternoon. Several hours later, our patience paid off as the fog cleared and a stunning, blue sky and view of the Pacific were there to greet us. I hope I can return when the project is complete, to say this course will be epic is an understatement.

I lit the image with a single strobe &  large Chimera softbox; my Profoto battery packs were the perfect solution for this location set-up. To exaggerate the blue sky and water, the ambient exposure was about 2/3 of a stop under the meter reading for my main, strobe lighting.

It also looks like Carlos Sastre is starting to turn it on. Last year’s winner was in studio a few months ago after testing in San Diego’s wind tunnel. I was shooting some ads and took the opportunity to get a frame of Carlos on 20×24 Polaroid.

Should be an interesting next few days as they head to the hills.

I will be showing a variety of work and be discussing the process and inspiration behind my Behind Photographs Project. I’m currently in Boston and NY shooting more photographers for this project. More to come. Hope to see you next week.

I spent the weekend at a book signing on the Oregon Coast at The Heceta Head Lighthouse B&B. I discovered this unique and charming location on assignment for RCI Endless Vacation Magazine a few years back. It was one of our stops on a whale watching story that took us from Canon Beach to Florence. The B&B is not only known for its charm, but the incredible seven course breakfast prepared with recipes from Michelle and Carol Korgan. I not only fell in love with the magic of Heceta’s beauty, but the food as well. Michelle and I discussed the possibility of working on a cookbook together and after several trips North and even more hours in the kitchen, we are happy to say it is here. If you are interested in purchasing a signed copy, please email us at the studio, Luis@mantoani.com or ring 619-543-9959. Price is $28 + shipping.

For more information on booking a stay at the Heceta Head Lighthouse B&B, visit http://hecetalighthouse.com. There are only 6 rooms so book your trip in advance. You will love it!

The white building on the right side of this image is the B&B. Heceta, is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world due to this amazing vista on highway 101.

Yep, I shoot food too!

I was asked by a new online magazine, Sofisticati to be a part of their inaugural issue. They first became familiar with my work at my LA show for MOPLA. Take a moment to check it out, there are several other photographers featured in the issue and some very nice work. http://www.sofisticati.com/features/15-tim-mantoani

Every year I shoot images for a few non profits. This week, I was working again with the amazing people at Life Rolls On. Life Rolls On was founded by Jessie Billauer. In 1996, on the verge of becoming a professional surfer, Jesse Billauer suffered a spinal cord injury while surfing. While physically rendered a quadriplegic, Jesse’s spirit was not broken, and the phrase “Life Rolls On” was born. A few years later, the love of the ocean was too much for Jesse to bear. With the help of friends and professional surfer Rob Machado, Jesse found himself back in the ocean, surfing again! Within just a few years these efforts would be showcased in the motion picture, Step Into Liquid (and later Highwater in 2009)

Life Rolls On became the official charity of the US Open of Surfing in 2002, which culminates each year with a disabled surfing exhibition in front of 100,000+ spectators. Since 2002, LRO has delivered a powerful message to over 600,000 people, that life does indeed, Roll On!

Over the years, these efforts have been recognized by Good Morning America, Dateline NBC, TLC’s While You Were Out, Nonprofit Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Orange County Register, San Diego Union Tribune, Ability Magazine, Surfer Magazine, Surfing Magazine, Transworld Surf, Riverside Press, E! Entertainment, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, FUEL TV, MTV and dozens more.

Life Rolls On’s They Will Surf Again program has made a profound impact on the lives of thousands of people with disabilities, along with the volunteers who help make dreams possible.

It is amazing for people that don’t work in this industry to see what it takes to pull off a production like shooting the cover of Madden 10. Someone asked me if I worked with anyone else on this shoot. When I answered, they were shocked to hear that about 30 people contributed to make the photo shoot happen.

We had an amazing crew, Uncle Mark Hofmann, who is literally my uncle. If you are looking for a great producer, look no more http://www.markhofmannproductions.com. In no time flat, he found us a location, had the production team lined up and made everyone feel like, even the forecast for rain, was under control. Alicia Addis, who did the catering and is also part of the Hofmann Production Duo. Bobby Flay watch out, she put a twist on your chicken and it was the bomb! Luis Garcia, Alisal and Jeff Wiant who moved a ton of gear from San Diego to LA on more than one occasion. Your days starts before everyone else and ends long after. Your hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed. Dominic and the lighting crew from Screaming Broccoli (great grip service) www.screamingbroccoli.net. Susan Seligman, stylist with a smile. Judy our runner who was all over LA picking up FedEx boxes of footballs, uniforms, props and cameras. Two “Stand-Ins” for the talent to help with the lighting set-up and our test images. Sandy who made sure the talent arrived safe and on time. The Limo and motorhome drivers. The helping hands at our location, The Home Depot Center (electricians, grounds crew and facilities). The EA crew, Larry, Larre, Mike, Anthony…thanks for trusting us to do “our thing”. The equipment managers of the Cardinals and Steelers, thank you for getting the uniforms to us. The NFL folks who helped us with patches, pylons and official Superbowl balls. Mark K from Popgun Design and his retouching crew. And of course, Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu. I have shot a bunch of athletes over the years and can honestly say they both are class acts and a pleasure to work with. Thanks for running the same plays over and over and over and giving us your time with a smile.

So a huge “THANKS” to everyone involved, it was truly a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without you!

Troy and the EA crew look over some of Mike Young’s Superbowl images for inspiration.

Troy taking a dive for the cameras.

Larry takes his mark on the set while we dial in the final changes to the lighting and exposure.

Tim test drives the helmet for our Troy “Stand In” while the chin straps are adjusted.

Standing in for one of the photos that will be used as art in the game.

Tim and Larry review a few images.

Larry running a few plays at Larry B from EA. We wanted to simulate the lighting of an NFL game and give the images some “pop”. The set was lit with a couple of Xenons for edge lights and a large bounce flat to sneak some light under the helmets.

Troy standing in for some portraits

In addition to the images of the people, we shot the stills of the phones in a variety of positions. These were later used to create the landscapes and backgrounds. Thanks to Matt and Jeromy Stallings, as well as, Mark Murphy letting me be a part of your team on this one.

Check out more of the talents at Ninthlink and Murphy Design.
www.ninthlink.com
www.murphydesign.com

Several years ago, I was given an amazing assignment to photograph Barry Sanders’ Heisman Trophy. I flew to Kansas City to his parents home and was unsure of how I would photograph the award. Of my top memories of the day, was a senior portrait of Barry on the wall in their living room, complete with a vintage fro and tux with ruffles. Classic! (I regret that I didn’t get a snap of that). His parents were very kind and showed me where they kept the trophy. It was on a small bookshelf with a few other trophies and the setting didn’t make for too dramatic of an image. I asked if it was alright to move the Heisman outside for the photo and the Sanders just told me to take it to a park near the house. It was a funny feeling carry the Heisman out of their home, but it made for a much better photo for my client. I clearly remember laughing to myself, thinking how strange it was that I was driving around Kansas City with Barry Sanders’ Heisman. There was no Facebook or Twitter back then, but it would have made for a very funny update, “Tim is driving around in a rental car with Barry Sanders’ Heisman”. I found an area nearby with a field and decided to shoot the Trophy there in the grass. Low angle, 40mm on Hasselblad.

I am always amazed and thankful for the wonderful places being a photographer has taken me and every year at Heisman time, the memory puts a smile on my face. I also had the opportunity to work with Barry and shoot a portrait of him at the Silverdome. The president of the team came down to check on us as we set up on the field for a portrait. “Do you need the lights on?” he asked. “Sure” I responded, figuring a few lights would come on. He radioed a call and within a few minutes the entire Silverdome was fully lit as if it was game time. Not sure what it cost to light an entire stadium but I’m sure it wasn’t in the budget.

A tight shot from the shoot ran as a full page ad in USA Today and a wide image, with the stadium lights, later made the cover of Beckett. Did I mention that I love my job!

A few month back I spent the day shooting Henrik Zetterberg, Dany Heatley, Marian Gaborik, Ryan Getzlaf, Erik Johnson and Johnathan Toews for the 2009 Easton Campaign. Working with talented art director Mario Garcia, we shot a variety of images to showcase Easton’s SE16 products. The images are currently living on the Easton website http://www.eastonhockey.com/SE16/#/english/ and in their new catalog.

These are some images that I shot in Barcelona for Oakley. Barcelona is one of my favorite places to travel, so it was a bonus that we got to shoot the project there. The ads included images of Supermodel, Esther Cañadas, along with snowboard guru Eero Ettala, and MotoGP riders Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden. We shot Nicky in California. Here are some of the images of the shoot and how they were used. Always a thrill for a photographer to see their images BIG in public venues.

Bus wrap on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, a Helsinki train station and the streets of Copenhagen.

Ads in Brussels, Paris buses and bus shelters in Amsterdam

Shooting Nicky Hayden in Orange County, California, 4×5 images on lightbox.