Realizing Your Dreams
Do you have a dream to do something that you would do just about anything to make it real? I hope so! It doesn't have to be grandiose or over-the-top; it just needs to be something you can work towards. In fact, it might make sense to have a number of little dreams that are part of your big dream.
Why?
If you treat life as a destination, you miss the journey. If you only have one dream, one thing to focus your energy on, by the time you accomplish it, you'll have missed out on so much, you won't be able to appreciate what you've done.
On the other hand, if you break your dreams down into stepping stones, you will not only find your journey easier, but you'll also be able to enjoy yourself more along the way.
I began to dream when I picked up an SLR for the first time, when I was 16. I had no clue what I was doing. There was a little needle in the viewfinder and some dials to turn to try to get the needle to settle in the middle between a plus and minus sign. There was a circle with a line through it in the middle of the screen; if I turned this ring on the lens the right way, the top and bottom parts of the circle would match up, indicating that something was in focus. That was all I was taught, and all I needed to know: get the needle in the middle and get something in focus. I was set for life! Well, at the very least, I was a yearbook photographer.
This incredible situation lasted through high school. We had a dark room, a bulk film loader, two lenses (including a telephoto zoom), and hardly any adult supervision. This wasn't something that was abused (looking back, there's no telling how much trouble I could have gotten into had I not been so young and naive). Rather, I had the opportunity to fall in love with photography.
One summer in high school, my sister went to visit one of the aunts she was named for. When we went to pick her up, she showed us these amazing portraits that a friend of my aunts had taken in a university garden. My aunt introduced me to the man, telling him I about my interest in photography. He took me to his apartment and I was absolutely blown away! On his walls were the most incredible collection of photos. He had piles of prints, some matted, some not, some large, some small, some color, but mostly black and white. I was utterly enthralled.
The ones that sparked me the most were the basketball photos. They looked like they were straight out of Sports Illustrated! I asked him if he could get me in to shoot a game. He smiled and told me that there just wasn't enough room, because everyone with a camera wanted to do just that. I was bummed; I went back to enjoying his imagery, but I left there with a burning desire to some day get a spot on that floor...
Fast forward almost 30 years. My big dream has been evolving over the years, but it has primarily been to work as a fulltime photographer. As I look back over where I've been, my multi-threaded life has been weaving this cloth, and it has been slowly coming together. There have been many ups and many downs. It has been an awesome journey, made up mainly of moments shared with many, many wonderful and interesting people, and a journey made possible by an incredibly supporting family. It is a journey fueled by having destinations along the way.
A few months ago, after completing a successful photo essay for a magazine, the editor told me to be thinking about what I would do next. He shifted the responsibility of coming up with an assignment to me! This was not going to be easy, given the parameters: the magazine was focused on executive lifestyles, and the issue was coming out in March. What could I shoot in the dead of winter that would be relevant to businesses' upper echelon in March?
I agonized over this for a week or so without coming up that really rocked me. Finally, it hit me! An assignment that would would not only fit the bill, but also get me one step closer to ticking off a life-long dream: shooting an ACC basketball game!
My story: "The Executive Treatment at UVa's new John Paul Jones Arena." I knew the arena had skyboxes that had been sold to corporations, and I knew they had other hospitality packages available. My idea was to shoot people enjoying these top-end amenities, using an ACC basketball game as a backdrop. I pitched it to the magazine, and they loved it. It turns out that that was the easy part. Pitching UVa on it was going to be a completely different thing.
First, I had to find the people to talk to. The arena actually has two different event departments: one for basketball, one for everything else. The "everything else" includes hosting Eric Clapton, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billy Joel, as well as the Monster Truck Jam and Champions on Ice. It's not enough to have someone's phone number and email address--you have to be able to get them on the phone! Just because you think you have the greatest idea in the world does not mean they are going to share your enthusiasm. After a few weeks of chasing around, I finally got through to someone I could pitch.
And I was told I needed to talk to someone else...
(But, I should point out that I was also given a lot of great background information, and some fallback options, just in case my original idea fell through.)
It took a bit of work to get through to the person who I really needed to talk to, but, I finally made contact. He liked the idea, and told me to put it in writing so they would have something to talk about internally.
I was ready for this, but, I was also starting to get a bit nervous...after all, there was this thing called a "deadline." I called the editor and explained where I was and what I was looking at. I told him I had a proposal, and asked him if he could send it, as I thought it would have more credibility coming from him as editor than from me as a freelancer. He agreed, and off it went. With the deadline creeping closer, all I could do I was wait on pins and needles.
And boy, oh boy, you can't begin to imagine what it was like getting the email green-lighting the story!!! Yow-zah!! The University Basketball Deparment was going to pull out all the stops for us, getting us access to all the hospitality suites, getting us into a skybox during the game, and, getting me a spot on the baseline to shoot the Duke-UVa basketball game...this was going to be a dream come true!
Preparations
Ok, I had my go-ahead and credentials for shooting a photo essay on "The Executive Treatment at UVa's new John Paul Jones Arena." Now, all I had to do was get the job done.
I've been lucky enough to handle enough assignments that this was not too daunting of a task. It did present some challenges, though, because I was going to be covering a LOT of territory in only one night. Most photographers are there to do only one thing: cover the game and the aftermath. If the University needed marketing work done, they would have one or more photographers to shoot just the marketing imagery. I was definitely going to get a workout.
As I mentioned before, it had been a lifelong dream of mine to shoot an ACC basketball game, ever since I saw those photos that my aunt's friend had taken at Duke. I know other opportunities will come, but I wanted to make absolutely certain that I nailed this first one. Even though I was going to be a complete unknown, I wanted to make damn sure my work would stand up with the shooters from the AP, Sports Illustrated, Getty, and all the other pros that would be there.
Unlike other venues, where there is a lot of room to move around, in these arenas, the real estate on the baseline is very limited. In fact, they have painted boxes (36 of them, 9 on each side of the basket), and those are the only places you can shoot from. Considering that the local news stations are going to take up over a quarter of the slots, that makes having the credential all that more valuable--definitely not something to waste.
So, starting the week before the game, I resolved to get as much practice in as possible. I shot basketball like a madman. I made sure to shoot a couple high school games, just because it takes so much effort to get a decent shot. Obviously, there are differences in the lighting in a gym versus a state-of-the-art arena; also, the level of play is so much more developed. I figured that if I could produce top-notch work in these conditions, I'd be that much closer to being able to produce in optimal conditions.
I managed to get in a few college games, as well. Some of them were in a decently lit small college gym. It is a place I shoot regularly, so I was comfortable with the effort it takes to get a good shot there. It's not automatic, and the practice was definitely worth it.
I also managed to get credentials for the William & Mary - VCU game at VCU's Siegle Center, which is considered by many to be one of the best lit venues around. It was extremely important to me to get this game in, for two reasons: it would most closely approximate the shooting conditions I'd find at UVa, and, there would be other professional photographers there shooting for publication (which would give me examples to benchmark my results against).
All in all, I shot six games and over 3500 frames of basketball in the past week, preparing for this one assignment. It was a lot of work, a lot of hours, a lot of fun, and absolutely necessary. I cannot begin to imagine how badly things would have been had I not put in the practice.
This is true, regardless of what dream you are pursuing. One of the many things I have taken from my dad is his definition of luck: when preparation meets opportunity. You never know when you're going to have a chance, but if you aren't ready, it won't matter.
Finally, Game Day!
And the forecast called for a rain-sleet-snow wintry mix!! Barely after putting the kids on the bus, I got an email from the county school system that the schools would be closing at 10am because of the forecast.
This was the last thing I needed. It had taken a fair amount of work, arranging places for the kids to go after school; now, all my planning was unravelling.
The magazine's art director was going to go with me. I called her. Was there a chance the game would be postponed? Hardly. This game was going to be televised nationally on ESPN. We figured if the weather was too bad, we could probably reschedule, but probably not in time for the magazine's deadline. If this was going to happen, I had to figure out how to make it happen, and I didn't have time to waste.
So, rather than waiting for the school bus to bring the kids home, I decided to just go and get them, then to figure out what to do with them. It took a bunch of calls and a fair amount of hurry-up and wait, but finally, everything came together, and I was back on track.
I picked up the art director, and we headed out of town for the hour-and-a-half drive up to Charlottesville. We had a great visit, and, not surprisingly, saw no weather at all the entire trip. In no time at all, we were inside the John Paul Jones Arena, armed with our game-day credentials.
We met the assistant director of basketball marketing and he gave us a private tour of the entire facility. UVa's architects had spent a number of years developing the plans, and they truly delivered a spectacular facility. I imagine there are more than a few professional venues out there that would be envious of what UVa has.
After our tour, we met the other assistant director of basketball marketing and we discussed how we would be able to get the shots we needed. The University really was going all out to help us tell their story. Because they wanted to respect the privacy of their corporate boxholders, they arranged for us to have access to the Director of Athletics box. In addition to that, they arranged access at both the Arena Club and the Lexus Club, two exclusive hospitality lounges inside the arena. Lastly, I got a leg-band that entitled me to have access to the baseline. I was good to go.
While enjoying an incredible meal in the press center--not hot dogs and chips, but smoked turkey, dressing, gravy, the works--we laid out our plan of attack. I would shoot around the facility for about an hour, looking for feature stuff, then I'd shoot the Lexus Club. Next, I'd shoot some in the AD's box before the game. From there, I'd hustle down to my spot on the baseline and shoot until almost halftime. Then I'd sprint to the Arena Club to get in ahead of the crowd, then it would be back to the baseline. A LOT of running around, a LOT of ground to cover! But, I was ready for it.
And, it all came off pretty much as planned. There were a few hairy moments, like when I found someone had usurped the box I had marked as mine (there is a serious pecking order at these things, and I was the lowest man on the totem pole). Or, when I was told during the overtime to "watch your back, and be aware of what's going on around you" (I was in front of the student section, and they stampeded the floor after the game; luckily, no one was hurt). All the same, I was able to navigate my way through the evening, collecting the images for my essay.
It wasn't much different on the baseline, either. All of the practice paid off, and I am absolutely thrilled not just with the results, but with what I learned (more about that later). After going through my images, I think only two things could make them any better: more practice, and about another fifteen thousand dollars worth of equipment.
In the end, it really was everything I had dreamed it would be. It's really hard to describe just how exhilarating it is, to be sitting on the baseline, a few feet away from the action, having to make every shooting opportunity count. This is the real deal! To top it off, because it was a nationally televised game, my wife, mom, dad, and sisters were able to watch me "at work" as I was in one of the main camera angles every time the ball came down to my end of the court! What a trip!!
Well, this was something I've wanted to do for a long, long time, and I'm everso thankful to have been able to do it. But, it wouldn't have happened had I not been working towards making it happen, and, it would not have turned out had I not been ready for it.
So, take a moment and ask yourself, "what's my 'dream' job?" And then take some time to start figuring out how you to can make your dreams come true. If you want it bad enough, you can do it! It might not happen overnight, but if you are willing to make the commitment, put in the hours and effort, you CAN DO IT!
One of the 1300+ images shot at John Pauls Jones Arena, Thursday, February 1, 2007