duncan228
05-16-2008, 08:34 PM
He's one of my favorite NBA photographers, he does some great work with the Spurs.
http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/photog_080428.html
A Day in the Life of an NBA Photographer – D. Clarke Evans
by Raj Singh, spurs.com
In January of 1989, D. Clarke Evans wrote two letters - one to the San Antonio Spurs and the other to the Texas Photographic Society (TPS) Six months later, Clarke was hired as the Spurs official team photographer and also put on the board of the photographic society.
Within four years, he became the President of TPS, which consisted of 140 members. Today, Clarke still maintains his presidency and the organization has more than 1,200 members from 48 states and 12 countries.
“That’s all I do today – the Spurs and TPS,” Clarke said. “And it all stemmed from two letters.”
From an early age of six, Clarke began taking private art lessons, working with oils, pastels and drawings. With an early discovery of such an artistic passion, Clarke’s destination as a professional artist seemed inevitable and following graduation, he was appointed as director of the Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum, located in Battle Ground, Indiana.
In pursuit of fulfilling a more artistic aspiration, Clarke eventually enrolled at the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photographic Arts and Sciences in Santa Barbara, California. After graduation, Clarke moved to San Antonio and acquired his vocation as a commercial photographer working with the Spurs.
“It is a pleasure to work with the Spurs, and not just the players. From top to bottom the organization is a class organization. I enjoy it.”
Clarke arrives to the AT&T Center earlier than most of the professional media to run through his pre-game ritual. He begins to set up five hours prior to tip-off and on this day Clarke flashes a luminous smile and started pointing out subtle but vital features that would enhance the quality of his photos. His process consists of an intricate system that allows him to achieve a level of artistic mastery.
3:00 p.m.: Unpack camera and support equipment and turn on strobe lights
The NBA has four strobe lights in the catwalk. With one at each corner of the court, the lights provide even illumination across the entire court.
3:15 p.m.: Set up cameras on backboard
“I put one camera on the right [looking at the basket] behind the glass to get the dunks. Right-handers like to come in on that side. Most of the time I place another camera on the left, so that I am covered whichever side they come in,” said Clarke. Several months ago he purchased the Nikon 180° fish eye lens for placement underneath the backboard. “Because the camera is so close, you can get some incredible images as you are right on top of the players.”
3:45 p.m.: Connect cameras and lights to portable mini-computers
“All cameras and lights have a small computer attached that synchronizes them all so that the three cameras and the lights all fire at the same time. I trigger the camera and lights with a separate mini-computer from where I sit. In theory I can take three separate images every time I press the remote trigger,” Clarke said. In this time period, Clarke heavily stresses the importance of testing all equipment to ensure that no problems will occur.
4:45 p.m: Turn off all cameras (to avoid decreasing battery power)
“I need to be finished by this time as the players come on the court to warm up at 5 pm,” he said.
7:00 p.m.: Showtime
The players have left the court and returned to the locker room for a final word from the coaches; at this time, all cameras are turned on and retested to make certain everything is working.
With the exclusion of the actual photo-taking process, it doesn’t stop there. Immediately following tip-off, Clarke must transfer his photos to the NBA so the league can post them on the NBA Web site.
“During time-outs, Katie (Clarke’s assistant) and I will go through the images and select several to send before the first quarter is over. A paper in Paris could sign on to the Web site, see if I posted an image of Tony Parker from the first quarter, download it, and drop it in the paper which would be on the streets shortly after the game ends,” he said.
“We also send three to four more images at halftime and eight to 12 after the game. The next day, I sort the game's images into players’ folders, mascot, dance team, fans, promos, etcetera, and burn a DVD and FedEx it to California. The images are gone through again and more images from the game are posted.”
For Clarke, his intricate process is a passion and he thoroughly takes pride in that.
“I have a contract with the NBA,” he said. “But I’m the Spurs’ team photographer,” he finished proudly. “The Spurs are consistently one of the top three franchises in all of sports and I can guarantee that almost every photographer in the NBA envies me. The Spurs are a class act.”
Working with the organization for nearly 20 years, Clarke has developed a keen eye in identifying various players’ mannerisms.
“(Manu) Ginobili’s left hand causes problems. Unfortunately, when he drives, he tends to come right at me. As he nears the basket, he turns and I get a lot of shots of his side – remember he’s left-handed. Tony (Parker) comes inside, so you can great shots. He’s twisting and turning to get his shot off with lots taller defenders stretching, usually in vain, to block his shot. You have to anticipate.”
Although he may have a knack for anticipation, Clarke likes to keep things challenging. Oftentimes, he changes camera placements and uses various lenses, such as the 180° fish eye lens.
Although Clarke may be anticipating players’ movements for the perfect photograph, he must anticipate their movements to avoid getting toppled. Sitting closer than any other worker in the stadium, Clarke must remain constantly aware of players who tend to hurdle in his direction, such as Ginobili, Parker and much larger players.
“Shaq almost fell on me one night and in that one brief moment when he was heading at me, my life flashed before my eyes. He missed me, and I’m still here,” he chuckled.
Another incident involved a smaller player, but had a bigger impact.
“Last year I had the camera at my eye following Tony on a fast break. Next thing I knew, I was upside down and cameras were flying everywhere.”
Interestingly enough, as a devoted fan and employee, Clarke humbly finished his statement by saying “Fortunately, Tony wasn’t hurt.”
What makes the job even more difficult is how Clarke does not remain focused solely on the game; instead, he has trained his peripherals to stay focused on the surroundings of the arena.
“I like to be aware of everything that is happening around the game, not only the action on the court, but also what the fans are doing and the coaches. I watch the benches for players talking.”
When concentrating on all of the various facets simultaneously, Clarke’s mission can become an overwhelming experience - especially with the Spurs. Games get intense, the arena gets involved and photographers are often struggling to capture the entirety of the uproar.
“The atmosphere can be exciting; the bigger the game the more the fun. Everyone is more excited - the players, the fans and even the photographers. The most challenging time is the end of close games. You want to get the game winning shot, just as the players want to make the game winning shot.”
Katie Clementson, Clarke’s photo assistant, takes pride in her work with Clarke. “I never look at it as work. I come in and look at it as a learning experience. The experience of working not only for the Spurs, but with Clarke, is something you can’t replace.”
D. Clarke Evans' Favorite Shots (Go to the site to see the pics, there are 64 of them.)
http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/photog_080428.html
http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/photog_080428.html
A Day in the Life of an NBA Photographer – D. Clarke Evans
by Raj Singh, spurs.com
In January of 1989, D. Clarke Evans wrote two letters - one to the San Antonio Spurs and the other to the Texas Photographic Society (TPS) Six months later, Clarke was hired as the Spurs official team photographer and also put on the board of the photographic society.
Within four years, he became the President of TPS, which consisted of 140 members. Today, Clarke still maintains his presidency and the organization has more than 1,200 members from 48 states and 12 countries.
“That’s all I do today – the Spurs and TPS,” Clarke said. “And it all stemmed from two letters.”
From an early age of six, Clarke began taking private art lessons, working with oils, pastels and drawings. With an early discovery of such an artistic passion, Clarke’s destination as a professional artist seemed inevitable and following graduation, he was appointed as director of the Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum, located in Battle Ground, Indiana.
In pursuit of fulfilling a more artistic aspiration, Clarke eventually enrolled at the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photographic Arts and Sciences in Santa Barbara, California. After graduation, Clarke moved to San Antonio and acquired his vocation as a commercial photographer working with the Spurs.
“It is a pleasure to work with the Spurs, and not just the players. From top to bottom the organization is a class organization. I enjoy it.”
Clarke arrives to the AT&T Center earlier than most of the professional media to run through his pre-game ritual. He begins to set up five hours prior to tip-off and on this day Clarke flashes a luminous smile and started pointing out subtle but vital features that would enhance the quality of his photos. His process consists of an intricate system that allows him to achieve a level of artistic mastery.
3:00 p.m.: Unpack camera and support equipment and turn on strobe lights
The NBA has four strobe lights in the catwalk. With one at each corner of the court, the lights provide even illumination across the entire court.
3:15 p.m.: Set up cameras on backboard
“I put one camera on the right [looking at the basket] behind the glass to get the dunks. Right-handers like to come in on that side. Most of the time I place another camera on the left, so that I am covered whichever side they come in,” said Clarke. Several months ago he purchased the Nikon 180° fish eye lens for placement underneath the backboard. “Because the camera is so close, you can get some incredible images as you are right on top of the players.”
3:45 p.m.: Connect cameras and lights to portable mini-computers
“All cameras and lights have a small computer attached that synchronizes them all so that the three cameras and the lights all fire at the same time. I trigger the camera and lights with a separate mini-computer from where I sit. In theory I can take three separate images every time I press the remote trigger,” Clarke said. In this time period, Clarke heavily stresses the importance of testing all equipment to ensure that no problems will occur.
4:45 p.m: Turn off all cameras (to avoid decreasing battery power)
“I need to be finished by this time as the players come on the court to warm up at 5 pm,” he said.
7:00 p.m.: Showtime
The players have left the court and returned to the locker room for a final word from the coaches; at this time, all cameras are turned on and retested to make certain everything is working.
With the exclusion of the actual photo-taking process, it doesn’t stop there. Immediately following tip-off, Clarke must transfer his photos to the NBA so the league can post them on the NBA Web site.
“During time-outs, Katie (Clarke’s assistant) and I will go through the images and select several to send before the first quarter is over. A paper in Paris could sign on to the Web site, see if I posted an image of Tony Parker from the first quarter, download it, and drop it in the paper which would be on the streets shortly after the game ends,” he said.
“We also send three to four more images at halftime and eight to 12 after the game. The next day, I sort the game's images into players’ folders, mascot, dance team, fans, promos, etcetera, and burn a DVD and FedEx it to California. The images are gone through again and more images from the game are posted.”
For Clarke, his intricate process is a passion and he thoroughly takes pride in that.
“I have a contract with the NBA,” he said. “But I’m the Spurs’ team photographer,” he finished proudly. “The Spurs are consistently one of the top three franchises in all of sports and I can guarantee that almost every photographer in the NBA envies me. The Spurs are a class act.”
Working with the organization for nearly 20 years, Clarke has developed a keen eye in identifying various players’ mannerisms.
“(Manu) Ginobili’s left hand causes problems. Unfortunately, when he drives, he tends to come right at me. As he nears the basket, he turns and I get a lot of shots of his side – remember he’s left-handed. Tony (Parker) comes inside, so you can great shots. He’s twisting and turning to get his shot off with lots taller defenders stretching, usually in vain, to block his shot. You have to anticipate.”
Although he may have a knack for anticipation, Clarke likes to keep things challenging. Oftentimes, he changes camera placements and uses various lenses, such as the 180° fish eye lens.
Although Clarke may be anticipating players’ movements for the perfect photograph, he must anticipate their movements to avoid getting toppled. Sitting closer than any other worker in the stadium, Clarke must remain constantly aware of players who tend to hurdle in his direction, such as Ginobili, Parker and much larger players.
“Shaq almost fell on me one night and in that one brief moment when he was heading at me, my life flashed before my eyes. He missed me, and I’m still here,” he chuckled.
Another incident involved a smaller player, but had a bigger impact.
“Last year I had the camera at my eye following Tony on a fast break. Next thing I knew, I was upside down and cameras were flying everywhere.”
Interestingly enough, as a devoted fan and employee, Clarke humbly finished his statement by saying “Fortunately, Tony wasn’t hurt.”
What makes the job even more difficult is how Clarke does not remain focused solely on the game; instead, he has trained his peripherals to stay focused on the surroundings of the arena.
“I like to be aware of everything that is happening around the game, not only the action on the court, but also what the fans are doing and the coaches. I watch the benches for players talking.”
When concentrating on all of the various facets simultaneously, Clarke’s mission can become an overwhelming experience - especially with the Spurs. Games get intense, the arena gets involved and photographers are often struggling to capture the entirety of the uproar.
“The atmosphere can be exciting; the bigger the game the more the fun. Everyone is more excited - the players, the fans and even the photographers. The most challenging time is the end of close games. You want to get the game winning shot, just as the players want to make the game winning shot.”
Katie Clementson, Clarke’s photo assistant, takes pride in her work with Clarke. “I never look at it as work. I come in and look at it as a learning experience. The experience of working not only for the Spurs, but with Clarke, is something you can’t replace.”
D. Clarke Evans' Favorite Shots (Go to the site to see the pics, there are 64 of them.)
http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/photog_080428.html