At the All Star Holiday, a little baseball story from a long time ago….
The other day, during the frenzy of Mark McGwire’s home chase, the NYT Sunday Magazine commissioned me to shoot a cover story about McGwire and his prodigious ability to hit a baseball over the long haul, really far. He’s about to hit Roger Maris’ record for most punches in a season, and he’s captured the world’s attention.
Although the admiring, admiring eyes of the sports media were drawn and reporters were desperate to scream, McGwire made a joint announcement to the media. “I’m not saying that.” And he meant it. He talks to no one, citing the need for concentration to hit the ball through the wall consistently. I remember standing shivering in the dark tube of the hallway leading from the locker room to the pitch when McGwire rushed after me. Next to me is Walter Iooss, a truly legendary sports photographer. As he passed, Walter quickly blurted out, “Mark, 30 seconds!” His pleas fell on deaf ears and big shoulders. I thought, well, if the big guy isn’t playing Walter, he’s not playing me, that’s for sure.
I pulled out the long glass and went to work.
In many ways, it’s like photographing wildlife. Use a large and silent lens. I took every piece of him.
I didn’t want to take portraits, so I pursued him like a mosaic, gathering debris and hoping that eventually they would all coalesce into some sort of clear picture that the intelligentsia could afford. of the New York Times deemed worthy. The Sunday Magazine photography team.
Because after all, they paid me a lot of money. Below is a copy of my invoice. I was super happy when I got the cover and some decent space payments, as magazines are notoriously cheap. I thought the day rate at that time could be $350 per day? They used the dodge “Hey, we’re part of a newspaper, so we don’t bid for magazines!” Not that the magazine rate was much better, which at the time brought in about $500 a day.
A simpler invoice for a simpler time, 1998.
I’m really excited about the space payment. (Traditionally, it’s a day-to-space rate. If you work a day and have a cover and three double vans, you’ll be paid the page rate. If they don’t run, you’ll get the rate by day.) So according to the above, I will only make big money without scoring the cover and some pretty pictures in the story.
Like clockwork, McGwire did this move before every time at the game, and I was constantly jostling from the photo pen to the aisle behind the plate to get the frame, which didn’t please the hot dog sellers. and “Beer here!” you. A photograph planted on the steps is certainly an impediment to trade, but then again, aren’t we always? I also actually tried to get the team to delay the rollout of the retractable roof at Chase Field, citing light conditions. I’m filming a damn cover story! I need good light!
Like McGwire, they don’t talk.
I went from B&W to transparent to negative as the roof closed and darkness, along with air conditioning, ensued. In the end, the magazine ran the entire story using B&W. (Prior to the field trip, I happily talked to the editors about shooting B&W and setting up a historical sequence from the Maris season, and they agreed.)
And in the end, it all came to naught when the stories of McGwire’s steroid use were finally exposed. The “perfect home polishing machine” as depicted on the cover of Sunday Magazine is fueled by more than exercise and a good diet.
But we didn’t know that at the time, in that game. The sound of McGwire’s bat hitting the ball, the whirlwind of his spin, enveloped the stadium as he was on the plate. For me, I was very nervous during the match. Every swing must be made, lest it slip, and the ball will rush towards the upper deck. I hurriedly changed the roll of film and the type of film. Near the end of a reel? Okay, quickly turn it off because if he goes on the field in the next game, you want the in-camera frames to burn out as he walks around the bases and hits his hand high. I think I worked four cameras. Three motor-driven Nikons and one Mamiya 7 with 43mm wide angle. (Not very practical since 120 reels only have 12 frames, but it looks super nice.)
I have tried everything. It’s the ratio of days to space, after all.
More tk…
Post A cover story, no words appeared first on Photographer Joe McNally.
