Rick Morrison has taken some of the most striking Seattle Sounders FC photos in existence and I've been fortunate to be able to share his work on both www.GOALSeattle.com and www.SeattleSoccerExaminer.com.
A collection of Rick's 2009 Sounders FC shots has been turned into a must-have book for all Sounders fans. It is available now at Amazon.com. As the book goes on sale to the general public I had a chance to talk with Morrison about how it went from his lens to your coffee table. Please enjoy the interview below and the special flashback gallery of some of Rick's 2009 photos.
Did you know? Rick is a Staatz-endowed Professor of Neurological Surgery at UW.
SSE: Take us through the early (idea) stages of the book. How did the project get off the ground?
Rick Morrison: James Riley contacted me about using some of my photos for his Twitter site. He had his marketing agent, Chad Mack, contact me directly to obtain some photos. Chad and I spoke several times and after he visited my old website he asked me what I was going to do with all of those great photos. I told Chad that I would love to self publish a book commemorating the Sounders inaugural season. Chad thought that was a wonderful idea and offered to help develop the project given his previous background in publishing and his current expertise in marketing. We had a meeting to discuss the book and see if we could work together. After 90 minutes we shook hands and the creation of the book was put into motion. Chad contacted several literary agents and one of them helped us find a publisher (Sasquatch Books) that shared both our vision and enthusiasm for the book. We eventually signed a contract and started to create the book.
What was the toughest challenge in putting the book together for public offering?
It took some time to figure out the publishing landscape. We were able to find a wonderful literary agent who introduced us to several publishers but that was only after having discussions with local and out of state literary agencies. Because last season was so remarkable at so many levels, several publishers were eager to discuss the book. After several interviews, we ultimately chose to partner with Sasquatch Books as they do regional publishing, had done a Seahawks and Mariners book in the past and they are located right in Occidental Square overlooking the March to the Match!
Describe the process of choosing the photos that made the final cut. How many did you start with? End up using?
We spent a great deal of time creating the chapters (themes) that we thought captured the best moments of the Sounders inaugural season. Once the conceptual framework for the book was completed we proceeded to individually pull images from my archive of 26,000 photographs to support each chapter. Chad and I then met numerous times to compare and justify our choice of images. Interestingly, we initially chose many of the same photos, but we clearly disagreed on many of the images. So we gradually worked our way through each chapter finally agreeing on photos that we felt reflected the spirit of the Sounders play, the passion of the supporters and the novelty of this franchise. If the images told a story and were deemed to be excellent in terms of focus, lighting and color saturation, then we saved them.
We also tried to be cognizant of how many photos were chosen for each player to make sure that everyone on the team was represented and that we did not saturate the book with photos of just a few players. Chad drew a large grid on a blackboard and we tracked the number of images for each Sounders player to make sure we didn’t have 50 of Montero and two of Keller. In hindsight, I’m amazed at how much organization was required to create the book.
Please share some details: Cameras you shoot with, lighting at Qwest Field, other stuff photographers would want to know.
Last season I used a Nikon D3 with a 300mm-f/2.8G-VR lens or a 70-200mm zoom-f/2.8G-VR lens. I recently obtained a Nikon D3S as a second body . I also added a 1.4X extender to make my 300mm lens a 420mm lens, which provides better coverage of the field near the opposite goal. You really need at least 2 camera bodies to shoot soccer at this level. A third camera body with a wide angle or a 24-70mm-f/2.8G lens would be a great addition, but that would result in my wife divorcing me and having to move out of my house!
How is it different seeing a Sounders match through a lens that it would be seeing it on TV or up in the stands?
Watching the game through a lens makes it difficult to get a big picture of what transpires on the field. It can be amusing to sit on the bench with the other photographers because invariably, someone will be asking questions like..”who scored that goal”…or “who was fouled”?, because you are focused on the ball in your viewfinder or you are focused on an area off the field where you anticipate the play might move and you miss everything else that is happening during the run of play. Or for example, you might move your camera to capture Sigi’s response to a play or the opposing teams bench and you miss a great run or a shot on goal. I have my wife record each game so I can see it the next day in its entirety.
What are the biggest differences you've seen between shooting USL and MLS Sounders matches?
The atmosphere at Qwest Field is wonderful. When you are on the pitch you can feel the excitement mount before each game, which we didn’t have in my opinion at Starfire. I also love the pageantry we have at Qwest Field with the presentation of the Golden Scarf and the more formal procession of the referees and the players. I also love the sound generated by 36,000 fans at Qwest Field which we didn’t have at Starfire. The lighting is far superior at Qwest Field, which makes for better images.
As far as the game itself, I don’t have any issues with regard to photographing the action. The action is fast and furious in both USL and MSL play compared to shooting college or high school soccer. Shooting the MLS games doesn’t pose any particular problems. We had more freedom to move around the field at USL games which made it easier to capture images of all the players. The one major difference for me as a photographer of MLS games is that many more people are interested in the photography and I have much more exposure than I did when I shot the USL games.
What are a few of your long-term goals as a photographer?
I would love the opportunity to shoot a venue like the World Cup in case anyone is listening (or reading in this case)! I’d also like to find more time to pursue and polish my landscape photography.
Photography in general and soccer photography in particular is one of my passions outside of the laboratory. I’m grateful that I have the means and the time to be involved in photography as much as I do without compromising my scientific endeavors. I’m also grateful for the tremendous support I’ve received from Sounders supporters and from many journalists such as yourself. I also appreciate the support I’ve received from the Sounders organization. When they transitioned from the USL to the MLS I wasn’t sure I would obtain a press credential let alone receive their endorsement for our book. Looking back on the past year I can say with confidence that my inaugural season as an MLS photographer was just as magical as the Sounders first season! Thank you for taking the time to interview me.
Comments
Nice to see this feature. I got this (a day early) for Father's Day! It's pretty cool.
Very nice. It's on my shopping list.
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