Hello, Jamie! Tell readers a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? Did you play sports as a kid?
I was born and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. I grew up in the '60s, and this was a time when we were outdoors all the time. We played stickball at our school or in our backyards. Kickball in the streets. Football. Later on, I got involved in lacrosse (loved the wooden sticks). I was always outdoors biking, running, and hiking in the woods. Indoors, we played darts, ping-pong, and roller-skated around our basement, dodging the detritus that only added to the fun. We skinned our knees, climbed way too high in the trees, and took foolish risks on frozen ponds. However, I was horribly dyslexic. Although I had a good ear and played music, the art teacher once told my mother that I had no talent in art. In fact, I could not even draw a straight line. However, and this is so very important, I could see beauty with a clear eye whether I was outdoors or in a museum. I cried when I read poignant poetry and learned to love reading though it was a challenge for many years.
Ha ha "I loved those wooden sticks." I also grew up roller skating in the basement with my sister, in our Garfield roller skates. :) Anything else you’d like readers to know about you?
In high school, I was in musical groups and played at a reasonably high level; thus, I was always in concerts or shows. However, I played lacrosse and baseball, but not on the high school team. My primary sport was wrestling. I was good, but never great. I was strong, but not skillful. Unfortunately, I was not a smart weightlifter, and though I weighed in the 140s, I was doing benchpress sets at 225 [pounds] or more. In my junior year, I began to have back issues (due to improper weightlifting technique) and never was the same in that sport again.
I attended Arizona State and got to know some amazing athletes. I'd go down to the pool and watch Melissa Belote (three gold medals) in workouts and meets. Or [I'd] watch baseball, football, or basketball games with many players who went on to have top pro careers. I also started photographing more seriously then and took several courses at Arizona State that truly opened my eyes to the art of photography. I wanted to change my major and go in that direction but was pushed to keep going in the direction I had chosen. However, the camera stuff really got going then on my many hikes in Arizona. Towards the end of college, I started riding bicycles a great deal. I had always done long-distance touring and during college started doing long solo trips (from Colorado Springs to Columbia, Missouri) much to the chagrin of my parents who wanted me back in Connecticut doing factory work and playing music in summer shows as I had done previously. After a trip from Canada to Mexico along the Pacific, I started to race. I was pretty good but was devoid of a sprint. However, it was the dedication and hard work as well as the team camaraderie that captured me. I had a great coach and spent a year after graduating being fully dedicated to this and putting my teaching career on hold. I also continued to learn about photography and was renting time at a photo lab in Phoenix to do my printing.
You've been all over! That is super cool. Please continue.
When I finally landed a teaching job in Connecticut, I found that it was too much to keep racing. I kept riding, but there really was not enough time to train as I had previously. I would again pick up racing in my 50s, and racing in the master's group did well, but an enlarged heart and congenital valve issue convinced me that perhaps this was not the best thing for me. I continue to ride, but a bit slower these days at 67.
I love that. Fitness and activity are so important. When people stop moving, that is when trouble begins!
How long did you teach?
I taught for 42 years. I photographed a great deal and always had my camera with me. I learned large-format photography and built a darkroom in my home. I did a number of shows in Connecticut, Israel, and France. I loved the shows and having the print as a final product (and still do). I did a great deal of photographic work for my school and also did things like proms and school events. I have sold my work for many years to Getty Images and at one time, when you could send in prints, was getting a lot of my work published in magazines and papers.
Wow! How amazing! Seeing your own work as printed images, in my opinion, is so exciting.
Right after retiring from teaching at the American International School in Israel (I taught there for 33 years), I got a job as a rugby photographer for a pro team. Their photographer would not be able to do the work that year and they asked me to cover (I knew the team owner). As I had never done this kind of work before, I did a ton of reading and study on this. I also contacted a few photographers in England who did wonderful work and asked them for advice. I did not have a super long lens (70-200mm), nor did I have a great sports camera (my Fuji XT2 and my Nikon Z7ii), but I managed to get good images. I always have loved sports, but understanding where to stand (or sit) and how to anticipate action is a learning process that I am still working on and always will be I am sure.
Another important tidbit. Once you get stagnant or don't think about those things, it's time to stop shooting.
This previous August, I got a job in New Hampshire in the States photographing high school sports. I started using a Nikon Z8 and added a 400mm lens. I did the regular sports one would expect in high school as well as some that ended up being ever so fun to photograph. I did the New Hampshire State Bass Fishing tournament and got to be friends with one of the coaches who got me right into the action on his lightning-fast Bass fishing boat. I also photographed bowling, swimming, track and field, skiing, and hockey. Each is different, and each requires a little research. I don't believe in just showing up unprepared. One of my main goals is to get the basic shot, but then to get something that is somewhat artistic and meaningful. I loved photographing the United teams (soccer and basketball) as much as any sport I have ever photographed.
What are you primarily photographing now?
Currently, I am photographing high-level lacrosse until August as well as some velodrome work too. I was recently photographing some motorsports. I look for events and contact those in charge. Sometimes I get hired, but most times I don’t. However, I will attend these just to build my portfolio as any beginning sports photographer would and should.
I think that the cameras of today make one better able to capture events in focus, but they do not necessarily make one more artistic. Ansel’s quote, “There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept” rings even more true today. You also can't turn off your brain when you turn on your motor drive. I knew a man who did amazing horse show photographs with a 4X5. He went to the specific jump, set his camera up, and took a sheet of competitor jumping with a predetermined focus. His images were magnificent and how he composed these images made them stand out.
That quote by Ansel Adams is so good. I'm not sure I've ever heard that one. I can't disagree!
What camera(s) do you currently shoot with?
I now use my [Nikon] Z8 and my Z7ii. I love using all types of lenses and feel, at least for me, that you are best off using two to three cameras. It would be great to have a 400 2.8, but they are too expensive for me. Thus, I use the wonderful 400 4.5 S Nikkor Lens, but it is not great indoors… it would be amazing to use a 2.8 for sure. Yet the 4.5 does work for me. It is fast and so very sharp. Also, the denoising programs (such as the one Lightroom has and Topaz Ai or DXO) are just incredible. My favorite lens is my 70-200mm 2.8 lens. It is so sharp and so very fast. The motor drive in the Z8 just blows me away, too. Also, the newest update has helped dramatically. I love the photographer Steve Perry, and his set-up for birds is fantastic for sports photography. He has some great tricks to change the focusing zones that I am now using as well as dedicating your video button to change focusing modes. Also, photographers like Dave Black have wonderful ideas and online courses that get a newbie going. Of course, there is nothing like knowing how to set up your camera and understanding what you are doing right and what you may need to learn. However, I am trying to develop my own style and am wary of the groups on places like Facebook. Being your own critic is essential.
Most of us would do ourselves a big favor by being more critical of our work.
What makes a “professional photographer” in your opinion?
A professional photographer is earning an income from that endeavor. A good photographer might be a professional, but not all of the time. I suppose I am a professional photographer because I charge for my work, but I am a retired educator. I just want to be good. I want the athletes I photograph to get images that will give them joy. I want them to be able to look back on them years from now and see themselves as they were at the height of their athletic careers. I want them to have a visual anchor to their recollections. I love the book feature in Lightroom. I make books and magazines all the time for my family and athletes. Don't ignore the magazine feature. Also, there are Zines that one can make for athletes, and of course, there is nothing like a print. So, though I've wandered from what makes a professional photographer, I think it is just more important, as I said, to focus on what makes a "good" photographer and a meaningful photograph.
What was one of your favorite events/competitions/games/matches that you shot?
I have to say that my favorite job to date was when I got to travel to England with the Rugby team. Our team played against the Saracens a top club that has a state-of-the-art stadium and a team known all over the world. The first glimpse one gets of the stadium when you enter is one of the majestic fields and the stunning interior. I was so nervous to photograph the game and had to work around so many photographers who had been doing this for years. Yet, it ended up being so easy, and I had a great deal of freedom to where I could roam, though I only had my 70-200mm at that time and my Z7ii, I was able to get good images and a few very strong ones during the game. However, the best game I got to do with our rugby team was one in which they beat one of the top clubs. I happened to get the celebration image from the exact place one needed to be, and the amount of emotion my lucky shot conveyed was exactly what I was feeling at that time. Yet, in November of last year, I would say overall, my favorite game was a girl's high school soccer game in the pouring rain. The team I was photographing for was trailing throughout the game but was fighting like crazy. They tied the game with minutes to go as the rain was chucking down and then, right at the end, scored the winning goal. It was the pure joy of accomplishing this in such horrible weather that they displayed that gave me pause and thankfulness for having such an opportunity to capture such a moment.
Incredible!! Photographing in the rain can be miserable but the photos always end up so well. There is something about difficult weather that can make "gold" photos.
Do you do your own photo editing? If yes, do you like photo editing? Why or why not?
I love editing photos. In the analog darkroom, I toned images and if digital had never been invented, I would be doing platinum printing by now. However, I never had a house where I lived most of the time, and using a small side room (where we did our laundry) for a darkroom was never all that fun. Thus, I was glad when digital photography arrived. I enjoy all the new masking tools in Lightroom. I also use TK Luminosity masking tools, too. I use a number of plugins, and as mentioned, due to poor lighting in many high school venues where I photograph (football games a night, for instance), denoising programs are so very important. Also, the denoising programs help when you use a 4.5 lens. I know it sounds crazy, but some people do crossword puzzles or mind-building tools; I learned how to use photographic programs. I love tutorials and taking notes on these, too. Also, there are some YouTube people, like Dave Kelly, who put out a weekly tutorial (TK Friday) that enhances one's understanding of the photographic process. Sean Kelly and Ryan Dyar have great tutorials as do many others. The tutorials on Kelby are great (though yearly fees are expensive) and give one the opportunity to keep learning at a very high level.
What kinds of non-sports-related photo jobs do you take?
I also do a good deal of family portraits. I love working with families, and so much of that type of photography can be integrated into your sports work. I will be photographing lacrosse players for the next four months and hope to incorporate a great deal of portraiture when possible. I may even use the new Nikon 1.8 135 Plena lens for this as well. In New Hampshire, I was photographing signs on roads for a company. We did this only if I could find a hike near them (Alltrails is amazing). I also have done event photography and have photographed artwork for artists. I have done a good deal of journalistic work, too, and have been in situations that are dangerous or sad due to the loss of life. I don't really enjoy that kind of work, but having a stun grenade blow up near you or photographing after a bombing or shooting is a poignant experience that makes you more aware of your own fragility and those you love. Finally, I love photographing animals. I have done horse photography and now with my Z8 am better able to take images of dogs. I may do more of that in the future.
What photography jobs do you have coming up that you are excited about?
As I have alluded to, I think the ability to travel to a venue to photograph a specific event is thrilling. I am trying to convince a team to let me be their team photographer for the Box Lacrosse World Championships. It takes place in Upper State New York in September, and hopefully, they will agree. I was all set to photograph during the summer for a soccer academy in the Berkshire Mountains in New England, but they changed their mind when they found out how old I was. It bothered me, but when one door closes another will surely open.
Who were/are your mentors?
As for mentors, I got to meet some great photographers over the years in workshops. I worked with Bruce Barnbaum, Craig Stevens, and Tillman Crane in the 80's. Recently, I took a great course from a fine art black and white photographer who I think is one of the most artistic photographers I have ever met. I am also consulting with a sports photographer where I live and have been to events with him. As mentioned, there are many great tutorials out there that can help to enhance your skills. However, you need to get out there and hone them.
What would be an event/competition/game that you would love to shoot someday?
At 67, I recognize that my "future" is somewhat limited. That said, I was in Tuscany last year with Bruce Barnbaum who had just turned 80, and he was still up and at 'em with his 4X5 at sunrise making images. I hope to continue photographing rugby and high-level sports. I would love to photograph some of the cycling classics especially The Hell of the North (Paris-Roubaix) or a great velodrome event. I also would love to go and do some volunteer work in a foreign country where they need to have images of their athletes during games. I just saw some images that Jean Furth did of kids in Africa playing baseball that are amazing (she is a wonderful sports photographer). I think some of the sports that I have seen in places Mongolia or other indigenous sports that are played throughout the world would be great to photograph too. Finally, if I could get images at the Olympics of any sport that was being played, I would choose Freestyle Wrestling. Does anybody have a photo pass they want to lend me?
Ha ha, if you find a photo pass, let me know and I'll ask for one, too! Paris, here we come! haha. Also, Jean Fruth is wonderful and I know what baseball photos you are speaking of, from her series in Africa. Her shots are beautiful!
Do you have any thoughts you'd like to leave readers with?
I leave you with this: go with your vision. If people say to you, "I would..." run from them. Try to find mentors who ask you why you might have done what you did to an image (such as cropping). Look at the work of others, but never as much as you look at your own. You need to be your biggest critic! Just love what you are doing.
If you are interested in seeing Jamie's work, you can find it on his website: www.margolisphoto.com, and on Instagram. Stay tuned for the next interview, on Thursday!
~ Wendy
