Tim Mantoani and Douglas Kirkland

I was blown away with the group that showed up at Ogilvy to support the release of Behind Photographs. It was great to reconnect with 29 of the photographers that are in the book and a couple hundred other supporters that braved the rain and wind. Here are a few pics from the party. I should have books in San Diego soon and will be posting info on book events in San Diego, LA and San Francisco. Thanks again to everyone that has supported and encouraged me over the past five years to see this project through to publication.

JIll Enfield, Douglas Kirkland, Barbara Bordnick, Guido Karp, Greg Watermann and Dan Kramer

Roxanne Lowitt and Tim Mantoani look over a wall of images

Keith Green with his portrait

John Iacono and John Dominis

Douglas Kirkland signing books while designer Mark Murphy and Sandro catch up.

Douglas Dubler signed books

Lois Greenfield and Ryszard Horowitz

May Pang and Tim Mantoani

Guido Karp made the trip from Germany!

Thom Mangelsen checking out Al Wertheimer and "The Kiss"

Lou and Kevin Durant at an NBA Rookie Shoot

It was very sad news last week to hear of the passing of Lou Capozzola, a great SI shooter and a great guy. I had the pleasure of shooting along side of Lou at several Upper Deck shoots and was always a fan of his amazing eye. Please take a moment to pay tribute and view his gallery on SI.com.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1108/si-photographer-lou-capozzola-tribute/content.1.html

Lou behind the lens shooting rookie cards for Upper Deck

Last year, I set up a private signing with Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins to autograph 33, 30×30 prints as promotions for my business. I have listed one of these prints on Ebay as a benefit to raise money for one of my freelance assistants who was seriously injured on the 4th of July. You can read about Kevin and his accident here, http://kevinyoungdonation.com

Here is the link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150651787220#ht_809wt_205

Any help in getting the word out is appreciated.

Tim

Zdeno Chara signing photographs

To further the fan involvement, unlike our prior shoots that were closed sets, EA chose to shoot the cover in a public venue the day prior to the NFL Draft in New York. Working closely with the NFL, Diversified Production Service and HG Producers, we had a small football field built on Military Island in Times Square where the shoot took place. Beginning at 11:30 PM, the night prior to the shoot, construction began for our 9:00 a.m. shoot, the following day.

Here is a time-lapse of the production, it’s not everyday your photo shoot is projected live on the Jumbo Tron in Times Square!

EA Sports Madden 12 Cover Shoot from Tim Mantoani on Vimeo.

I will be teaching and speaking at The Sports Shooter Academy Lighting Luau on April 22nd. Joining me is Robert Beck, a super talented Sports Illustrated shooter and  inspirational speaker. Please join us at the Crowne Plaza Orange County Airport Hotel from 7:30-10:00 for the evening lecture. Robert and I will each speak for about a hour and half. The daytime workshop is sold out, but there is still room for the evening. Tickets and info at  http://www.samys.com/index/page/product/product_id/48579. A special thanks to Samy’s for supporting this event and to Robert Hanashiro for the invite.

I also will be participating in PechaKucha night, Volume 11, in San Diego on April 20th at the W Hotel. There will be 7 guest speakers, from a wide range of professions, for this unique event hosted by the San Diego Architectural Foundation. PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet and show their work. It has spread around the globe and is now thriving in San Diego. The name comes from the sound for “chit chat” and the presentation format is simple: each speaker shows 20 images for 20 seconds each. I will be presenting 20 images from my personal project, Behind Photographs. You can find out more here, http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/san-diego/11. This evening is more of a social event with a lecture in the mix!

In addition to portraits of each player, we shot action photos for the game box that will be revealed with the announcement of the winner. I hope to have a behind the scenes video of the shoot up soon.

LEROY GRANNIS

LeRoy Grannis is known for taking some of the most iconic surfing images of the 1960s and 70s. I photographed “Granny” at a retirement home in Carlsbad with his picture of Dewey Weber at 22nd Street in Hermosa Beach. This was one of two 20×24 Polaroids we shot. The room had a very low ceiling, so I had to pop out one of the ceiling tiles so the dark slide could come all the way up. Thanks Granny for your inspiration and your images, we will miss you.

20x24 Wisner Camera on Location

http://shop.the-impossible-project.com/shop/accessories/ot_px_buttonset_2

If you haven’t checked out what The Impossible Project is doing to keep the spirit of Polaroid alive, please take a look.

A few months ago, I purchased a vintage copy of The American Journal of Photography off of Ebay. The issue, from 1896, cost 25 cents back then. As I flipped through the pages , I found some amazing ads for wet plate cameras, chemistry, brass lenses and an amazing quote from John B. Gough that, in my opinion, is as relevant today as it was then.

I was curious who John B Gough was so I looked him up. It appears he was an amazing orator that gave over 9,600 lectures to over nine million people at the time. Impressive considering that the bulk of his speeches involved his opinion on the ills of drinking. He was one of he first people to turn his fame into a living and was considered one of the first celebrities known. It appears that his celebrity status got the best of him and in his later years had a “well-reported episode of drinking and sexual debauchery”. Guess he went missing some time in 1845 and was found in a brothel. (info from teachushistory.org)

So, I think that sums it up on several fronts. Over 100 years later, while everything has changed in term of the way we capture images, communicate and catch up on the latest celebrity gossip, the basics of human nature and the main ingredients to success and failure are the same. We still remain human.

My take for a successful 2011 and life for that matter is to go out and make it happen on our own, dive into the deep end and stop waiting by the roadside……I guess a  few cocktails along the way can’t hurt either!

Cheers to a great 2011 to all of you, thanks for reading.

Tim

My studio is next door to a motorcycle shop and this 1947 Moto Guzzi, Guzzino appeared one day. It belongs to Jessie, one of the mechanics, so I was able to get it in the studio for a few hours to shoot. They just don’t make them like this anymore.

(Photo Geeks: One Large Chimera box off to the side. Canon 28-70mm.)

The image was lit with one large Chimera softbox illuminated by a single Canon Speedlight.

Tim as a guest on FotoTV

For years I have heard how HUGE and amazing Photokina is and I have to say that it is true. 9 giant halls packed with anything and everything related to photography. A special thanks to Guido Karp for the honor of being included as a guest speak and to the presenters of Photokina for featuring a partial exhibit of Behind Photographs. I hope we can get all of the prints there for 2011.

Steve Thornton on stage in Hall 9

Tim Mantoani workshop and lecture at Photokina 2010

Check out the segment on Photokina TV (FotoTV)

Herman Leonard with his photograph of Dexter Gordon at the Royal Roost 1948

The work of Herman Leonard has had a great impact on the world of photography. Herman had a unique perspective and a thirst for technical perfection. Although his work was recorded in still photographs, his images often gave you a sense of sound. He will be missed dearly. Please pay him a tribute by viewing his work http://www.hermanleonard.com/

On the bottom of his Polaroid portrait he wrote, “It was early 1948 at the Royal Roost in New York. An afternoon rehearsal gave me a unique opportunity to photograph many giants of jazz with my trusty 4×5 Speed Graphic. What a great career! To do what you love and be entertained at the same time!”

Herman Leonard and Tim Mantoani

Inventor Steve Milo

Steve came up with a smaller set of clubs including 1/2 irons