Corky Trewin, Seattle Seahawks Team Photographer
Q: How did you get your start in photography?
A: I got kicked out of my seventh-grade English class for asking too many questions when the journalism teacher across the hall stumbled over me in the hall and thought I'd be a natural reporter. He got me into his class even though I was too young. Redmond Junior High wasn't getting any sports coverage in the local newspaper at the time, so I decided to talk to the publisher about it. He said, "If you write it, I'll print it." The photographer at the Sammamish Valley News taught me how to shoot. His name was Larry Stair and he became my photographic mentor and helped me launch my professional career in 1968 as an eighth-grader.
Q: That's amazing. Is there a moral to your story?
A: There is! It taught me at a young age that opportunity comes sometimes when you least expect it. It also taught me the value of being tenacious.
Nate Burleson, Seattle Seahawks. "What could happen is more important that what is happening," says Trewin. "If you see the action in your camera, you've missed the shot."
Q: Who inspires you and your photography?
A: Rod Mar and Peter Reed Miller inspire me because they work hard. Hard work is what inspires me. Athletes inspire me. When I see their hard work, I'm inspired to work harder.
Q: What's your dream assignment?
A: I have my dream job. If I couldn't do what I was doing, I think being a presidential photographer would be very exciting, experiencing the historical significance of recording these world leaders everyday would be a thrill.
Q: What advice do you have for a budding sports photographer?
A: Invest in good equipment, in a motor-driven camera that can shoot over five frames per second and that has a buffer that can acquire over 30 frames. Know the game. What could happen is more important than what is happening and having the ability to anticipate the action gets you the good shots. If you see the action in the camera, you've missed the shot.
Q: How many photos do you typically shoot per game?
A: The short answer is, as many as possible. I average between 100 and 200 frames per point and the most I've shot at a match is 8,000 by myself. With a team of six photographers, we'll do between 15,000 and 20,000 photos per game, and by the end of the season we'll have about 400,000 photos to catalog and store.
Q: With 400,000 photos per season, is it difficult to stay organized?
A: I use Microsoft Expression Media to stay organized. I tag each frame by player and sort them by game, so finding a given shot takes about 15 seconds. When it comes to software, I don't need to know how it works; I just need to know it works.
Q: How do you handle the stress of deadlines?
A: As the Seahawks team photographer, I need to review the 15,000 images my photographic team takes from a home game to select the 50 images that will appear on the Seahawks 10-foot composite mural each Monday morning following a win. Expression Media has allowed me to run several tasks simultaneously, imputing, rotating, checking quality and sharpness, and then selecting the final images that best tell the story of another Seattle win. Expression Media has turned a 12-hour, all night job into a 4-hour process, so I can get back to taking photos.
Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre at the Green Bay 2008 playoff game. "Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren will have a lifelong connection and this photo captures that," says Trewin.
Q: Is there a particular photo you've taken over the years that's your favorite?
A: My favorite photo is the one I'm about to take. I never feel like my best work is behind me because every photo I take informs the next photo I'm about to take. It's a learning process.
Q: But you must have some favorite moments.
A: I do! This picture of Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre at the Green Bay 2008 playoff game is one of them. Brett and Mike will have a lifelong connection and this photo captures that. I also like this photo of Mike Holmgren standing on the sidelines during his final home game with 30 seconds left on the clock. There's a historical significance to the shot that makes it important to me.
Mike Holmgren at his final home game with the Seattle Seahawks. Says Trewin of his craft, "Aspiring sports photographers should be prepared to work hard, do all they can to find a mentor, and be willing to take risks."
All images are copyright © 2009 Corky Trewin. All rights reserved.
