Ted Kennedy For President

Photos of politician require props, gestures or spectators to make them interesting.


Ted Kennedy addresses his supporters after winning the 1980 Ma. Democratic presidential primary over President Jimmy Carter (© Michael Maher, The Lowell (Ma.) Sun).

The Photo:
Ted Kennedy seemed like a strong candidate for the 1980 Democratic Party presidential nomination, until his candidacy was derailed by a terrible Roger Mudd TV interview and Jimmy Carter’s strategy to remain in the White House during the Iran hostage crisis. On this March evening, he had won the Ma. primary, and I shot many photos of him speaking very animatedly to his followers about his vision for the country. He didn’t interact with the crowd, leaving quickly after he spoke, so I had to settle for the traditional shot, speaking at the podium. When covering politics, it’s essential to get close-up photos of the key people, preferably with compelling gestures or expressions, and Kennedy was at his best that evening, speaking with passion, vision, and confidence to his supporters, while providing animated gestures for all the photographers. I also included his famous nephew and niece, John, Jr. and Caroline, supporting him in the background.

3 Tips:
1) Politicians, because they are famous people, are great subjects for personality pictures.
2) Gestures demonstrate personality traits and make ordinary photos more powerful.
3) Include elements like the podium, other supporters, family and signs to provide more detail and depth.

Me and My Shadow

Shadows enable a whole new dimension of creativity as a photographer decides whether to include the subject, only the shadow, or a mix of both.

Eric Bradbury glides through the air on his tree swing, as his shadow follows his every move (© Michael Maher, The Lowell (Ma.) Sun).

The Photo:
When I saw a boy playing on his tree swing, I noticed how the bright sunlight left a clearly defined shadow on the ground under him. To capture the shadow I needed a high vantage point, so I climbed the tree above him and his swing. Now I could shoot down at the shadow and the boy on the swing. I made the shadow the central focus of the photo, with the boy and the swing secondary-- the opposite of a typical photo where the subject is central and the shadow secondary. The image came out wonderfully, and I learned the value of finding unusual ways to employ shadows in pictures. This is an example of a photo where the unusual perspective made people wonder where I was standing when I took the photo.

3 Tips:
1) Using shadows creatively will make unusual photographs.
2) Try making the shadow the primary subject of the picture.
3) Use a high angle for a shadow on the ground, or line the shadow up against a wall background.

Foul Ball

Sometimes a clever caption creates an additional meaning to make a picture more powerful.

Foul ball gets batter right where it hurts during high school baseball game in Pelham, N. H. (© Michael Maher, The Lowell (Ma.) Sun).

The Photo:
I wanted an unusual photo of a batter, so practically all I photographed at this high school game were hitters swinging. Close-up photos of baseball batters making contact require a little luck because it’s difficult to precisely time when a hitter’s bat and a pitched ball meet. You’re shooting at shutter speeds of 1/500, 1/1000, or 1/2000 of second, while both the bat and ball can be moving over 100 miles per hour at the moment of impact. Framing the batter’s full body, using a 180MM lens and a 1/1000 shutter speed, I repeatedly tried to time the swing of different batters to capture the ball being hit. The key is to take the picture as the batter begins to swing the bat forward. I already had some strong images of the batter making contact with the ball, when this high schooler hit the ball and fouled it off his protective cup. I timed it just right to get the picture, but what the photo doesn’t show is that it barely grazed him, and he wasn’t hurt at all. He only reacted slightly, mostly in surprise, instead of falling to the ground and needing medical attention as you might expect. When you publish a shot like this, a creative caption helps convey the humor – we eliminated bad ideas like “ball three” – but “foul ball” summed it up.

3 Tips:
1) Always photograph some hitters batting.
2) Time your photo as the batter starts to swing.
3) Use a very fast shutter speed (1/1000 or 1/2000 if possible) to capture both the bat and ball in motion).

Bird in Flight

A pro basketball dunk usually has both a powerful facial expression and acrobatic action, all in one shot.

Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird slams one down at the front end of a fast break during the season opener against Cleveland (© Michael Maher, The Lowell (Ma.) Sun).

The Photo:
Larry Bird isn’t normally associated with slam-dunks because his strength was shooting and passing. However, early in his career, he would finish off some Celtic rushes down court with a slam-dunk, albeit not too frequently. This game was the season opener, and Bird was excited to start a year in which the Celtics would contend for (and later win) the championship, so the first time he got a breakaway down court, he dunked to charge up the Boston crowd and his teammates. On this shot, I sat perpendicular to the basket with a longer lens to catch his drive to the hoop and facial expression. Strangely enough, during the years I covered the Celtics, I shot several photos of Bird dunking, and he had his eyes closed like this in every one.

3 Tips:
1) Sitting perpendicular to the basket gives you a great angle to photograph players driving to the hoop.
2) Use an 85MM or 105MM lens and focus on the rim area.
3) Look for shots with players in the air showing intense facial expressions.

First Lady Rosalynn Carter

Avoid harsh lighting effects and instead create a natural look by bouncing your flash's light off the ceiling; then eliminate eye shadows by flaring a little extra light toward the subject’s eyes.

First Lady Rosalynn Carter speaks to a group of supporters in Pelham, N. H. at a campaign visit for her husband Jimmy Carter a few months before the 1980 Granite State Presidential primary (© Michael Maher, The Lowell (Ma.) Sun).

The Photo:
During the 1980 Democratic Presidential primary season, President Jimmy Carter did not go out on the campaign trail, remaining in the White House to concentrate on the Iran hostage crisis. In Carter’s absence, the First Lady repeatedly campaigned for her husband, and on this evening, she was addressing several Democratic supporters at a private home in Pelham, N. H. I arrived about 45 minutes before her, as the Secret Service cordoned off the area. Once inside I met the hosts and was able to help plan where she would be standing for her speech, to ensure the best pictures. The lighting was not sufficient to photograph without a flash, but I didn’t want harsh direct flash shadows, so I planned a bounce flash effect off the ceiling that looked like natural light. I also attached a piece of white paper slightly over the end of my flash to flare some direct light toward her and eliminate shadows under the eyes. I managed several photos of her, all nicely lit, and got a chance to meet and talk with her in this intimate surrounding. It was exciting to meet the First Lady, disappointing that it wasn’t the President himself, but rewarding that I had a natural-looking lighting effect. (Note: the President’s campaign strategy to stay in the White House worked for him in the primary, but not in the general election, when he lost to Ronald Reagan.)

3 Tips:
1) For very famous people with tight security, map out the event and plan your photo in advance.
2) If the light is low, avoid direct flash if at all possible, using bounce flash instead.
3) Famous subjects may be reserved about showing expressions, so watch for gestures to help bring their personality to life.

Best in Class

Crew races often require a little extra creativity to make your photos interesting.

The championship trophy beckons as a winning crew team rows back to the boathouse after a race during Boston’s annual Head of the Charles Regatta (© Michael Maher).

The Photo:
My assignment was to photograph the Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest 2 day rowing race in the world, held annually on Boston’s Charles River. Our college photography class was set loose on this event, and most of us knew nothing about the sport. At the time, I owned only a camera with a 50MM lens, and doubted I would get any good action photos since all the races were held in the middle of the river, out of my lens range. Nevertheless, I photographed from bridges over the river because it got me close enough to the rowers passing under to shoot with my relatively short lens. I also sought more human interest-type photos from the boathouses on shore, looking for rowers getting ready or returning from a race. None of these were particularly great pictures, so I sought out the championship trophy, and climbed high to the top of one boathouse where it sat by the window. Rather than wait around and settle for a boring shot of the formal trophy presentation, I framed a photo with the trophy, a boat of winning rowers and the river. The handicap of my 50MM lens forced me to find an unusual perspective, and gave me a superior and unique picture of the event.

3 Tips:
1) Even when you are handicapped by subpar equipment for photographing sports action, you can always get strong sports features or human interest photos.
2) Not having the optimal equipment forces you to be more resourceful and creative.
3) If you can’t get close up human interest, look for unusual perspectives or juxtapositions, like a championship trophy with top competitors or winners.

Surprised and Delighted

Kids' birthday parties will often spur terrific expressions of happiness and surprise.

Colleen Maher, 6, reacts with joy as she opens the birthday gift from her grandmother, and gets exactly what she wanted (© Michael Maher).

The Photo:
I frequently aim my camera on people as they open gifts to try and capture an unexpected reaction or great facial expression. Often you don’t get anything spectacular, but occasionally you will. The trick is to do this regularly and be in position to get the terrific photo when it happens. For this birthday, I knew the gifts my daughter Colleen would be receiving, and had no idea if her reaction would be anything special. Nevertheless, I positioned my camera in front to clearly see her expression, and slightly off to the side so the gift would not block her face. She opened several gifts, some which I expected would bring her great joy, but she showed no unusually special expression. However, when she unwrapped this present from her grandmother, and saw a Snow White video, she was overwhelmed with joy, and I was able to capture the delightful reaction on her face.

3 Tips:
1) Kids opening birthday gifts can provide outstanding photos of reactions and facial expressions.
2) These photos don’t happen all the time, but you should almost always be prepared and in position to get the picture when it does occur.
3) Be in front with a clear view of the child’s face, and slightly off to the side to avoid the open gift blocking your view of the reaction.