Please enter your email and website or LinkedIn to receive more information about our free and paid accounts.
Please enter your email address below and we’ll send you instructions on how to change your password.
Philadelphia-based photographer Steve Boyle recently completed a photoshoot for return client ESPN, a leading American sports television network and website. Steve was assigned to photograph three star athletes on the University of Virginia women’s swim team for a March 2023 College Sports web article.
The project kicked off with a call in February 2023 while I was on vacation. Luckily, the subjects and deadline were flexible enough to wait until I got back. I’ve been working with ESPN for nearly 15 years now — they’ve always been one of my favorite clients! It all started with me sending repeated emails to their NYC staff, trying to get meetings, and things took off from there. Huge shoutout to Jim Surber, the OG ESPN legend!
When asked about why he may have been selected for this specific assignment, Steve said the following,
You’d have to ask my editor exactly how my name came up for this assignment, but I’d guess it’s because I wasn’t far from the shoot location (just a 5-hour drive) and had some experience with underwater photography. One of my strongest skills is being able to work with minimal oversight, adapt in unpredictable environments, and still deliver high-quality images no matter what is thrown my way.
In pre-production, Steve and ESPN addressed the scope of the project and the particulars of the shoot.
We had a creative call prior to the shoot where we shared some concept images and discussed what we were hoping to capture during my time with the athletes.
The aim of the shoot was to showcase the University of Virginia’s top 3 swimmers and their dominant women’s swimming program. We planned to capture this through underwater group and individual portraits, along with documentary coverage of the program in “day in the life” style. I was also given creative freedom to capture additional moments within the time we had.
The shoot took place at the University of Virginia’s natatorium and around campus.
It was convenient, as we could park nearby and didn’t have to carry gear up or down any steps. I spent one day traveling and two days on set, working underwater in the climate-controlled natatorium and around campus, adapting to the constantly shifting lighting conditions.
The energy during the photoshoot was calm, chill, and efficient with an underlying sense of “F#@!, this better go right! We have zero time and a million things to accomplish.” The team on set included my assistant, the SCUBA instructor, 3 talent, the media relations contact, and I believe some coaches and fellow teammates were nearby watching the action.
Steve shared some of the details of shooting underwater.
Although I’m not a certified SCUBA diver, this isn’t my first time using SCUBA equipment. In the past, I’ve done all my underwater shoots by holding my breath. However, I’m certain this shoot would have failed if I hadn’t requested an additional budget for a SCUBA instructor and the necessary dive gear.
The swimmers were great and open to every concept I threw at them. We only had a few takes for each shot before having to moving on. Their expertise, combined with mine, is the recipe for success. I find it easy to connect with athletes because our goals are aligned. They want this to be done as fast as possible, and they want to look their best. Athletes have incredible control over their bodies and respond exceptionally well to feedback, often making adjustments in a single take.
Time was, as usual, a critical factor in this shoot.
I initially went into the shoot expecting to have the swimmers for two hours, considering that underwater shoots can complicate every facet of the shoot. We asked for a safeguard in case anything went wrong. However, as the shoot approached, our allotted time kept getting cut down. On the first day, I was told that I would only have 30 minutes in the water to get through a shoot list of about 6-8 poses. Rising to the occasion, I managed to complete the shoot in just 22 minutes, as indicated by the timestamps from my first to last shot. My editors were shocked and impressed, but they were also slightly annoyed that I had to adapt to such a significant change from what had originally been agreed upon.
Photographing underwater presented its own set of unique challenges.
The creative challenges in this shoot mainly came from working underwater. In a typical shoot, adjustments or fixes might take a second, but underwater, even minor changes can take several minutes due to communication issues and the various factors that can go wrong. One of the biggest challenges we faced was getting all three women seated and posed on the bottom of the pool. It was physically demanding for them, and coordinating with multiple talents made the situation even more complicated.
I learned, but mainly reinforced, the belief that I will rise to the occasion under immense pressure, which gives me confidence in my intuition, team, and photographic process.
One of Steve’s photos from this project earned him the Comm Arts Photography Annual 65: Best-in-Show award for Sports!
See more of Steve’s work on his website.
Credits
Photo Editor: Jason Frank
Deputy Photo Editor: Nick Galac
Photo Assistant: Justin Durner
Retoucher: Brad D’Amico
Talent: Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh
SCUBA Instructor: Lynn Samuel
Further Reading
Read more articles about Steve Boyle.
Read more Photographer Spotlight articles about our other photographers.
Let us help you Find Photographers, source Stock Photography,
Produce Your Shoot — or just reach out to hear more!