Just kickin' it

Just finished photographing the ASU football campaign for the 2009 season, and yet again I have figured out a way to injure myself on set…..

It all began when we decided that it would be best to close down the stadium this year and photograph on the field.  Quite cool really, an empty stadium has a presence of it’s history when quiet and I found myself walking the field in between sets thinking of historical plays that happened on the ground beneath my feet.  With a healthy number of assistants this time around, I also found time to talk with the players more, whether it be about video games, football (and what little I knew about it), or life in general.  On the third and final day we had scheduled Thomas Weber (ASU’s award winning kicker) to close out the day.

We did a number of photos of him kicking, and I found myself absolutely floored at the distance the ball would travel.  I had one assistant to catch the ball, who would then throw it to another assistant, who would then throw to another who would return the ball to Weber.  Knowing I could never do what Weber does, I decided that I could at least kick a Field Goal (or PAT, or whatever they call it).  So after calling a rap to the photoshoot, I decided to throw on my assistant’s shoes and kick while Weber photographed (how’s that for a roll reversal?)…..

…….An aside to anyone that finds themselves in my situation……  First of all, declining such an invitation might be your safest way out,  but if it’s not an option, at least stretch before kicking…….

With a quick lesson on kicking, I made a number of attempts, all falling short.  At this point someone said lift your leg higher, and…… well I sit here today with an injured right leg and not a single successful field goal to my name.

…..But at least    I , I mean Weber got the picture