Raymond Floyd
January 17, 2012
It’s always a pleasure to get a phone call from the Golf Channel asking to photograph a legend. This time it was 4 time major award winner Raymond Floyd. He won the Masters the year before I was born. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1989.
He was filming a teaching series called “7 Nights at the Academy.” Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo filmed spots elsewhere for the same program.
They filmed Mr. Floyd at the Old Palm Golf Course in Florida. Mr. Floyd designed the course, which I didn’t discover until I asked him if he had been a member from the start. Mr. Floyd was scheduled to have surgery a few days after filming, so he’d rest while the crew was setting up the next scene. It left time for Win McMurry to do a behind the scenes video, and for people to socialize with him.
I approached him a few times about hunting and fishing. He said he likes to visit Vermont. He said he’s never been to my native Maine, but almost played with George Bush at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport. Scheduling was the issue. It was great to hear him talk about his golf experiences on and off camera.
Being a production photographer is unlike any other photography. You’re not in control. You have to tip toe around the sound guy. You have to make your pictures when you can. Sometimes, you have to sweet talk your subject into a portrait after the director yells “that’s a wrap!” Luckily for me, Mr. Floyd allowed me to do that. He couldn’t have been nicer. I was able to make portraits of Mr. Floyd on both days of filming. I balanced the daylight with the film crews lights. I love the results in the above photo.
If you’re interested in licensing stock portraits of Raymond Floyd from our shoot, please contact me.
Jimmie Johnson
January 16, 2012
A week after coming up with SportsPhotographer.net, I photographed the cover of Jimmie Johnson’s video game. Be sure to buy your copy today! Anything with an Engine allows you to race tubs, dumpsters, bar stools and more. Jimmie has been promoting the game on his website, talk radio and late night tv. He recently went on Jimmy Fallon’s show. View the clips here.
After renting extra gear from Central Florida Strobe, my assistant and I left Orlando at 6am for the Daytona airplane hangar set up for us. It was July 1st, and Jimmy was in town to race at Daytona. The staff at the hangar couldn’t have been more friendly. We had a commercial grade air conditioner pumping in extra frigid air for the shoot. Upon arrival, I noticed we’d be building our studio next to two Lear jets. It was a little intimidating, especially since the tail number on one ended with my name. My makeup artist was Gina from About Face Design Team.
Jimmie arrived right on time despite weather conflicting with his schedule. We knew exactly what we needed to do with the two hours we had Jimmie. Even though representatives from his video game were there, I knew Jimmie was my boss, which was interesting. He wanted a range of expressions for the cover of the game. He was very involved in the photography process, and it was great to work with him.
Check out Jimmie’s video game link here. My photography appears on the cover and in the video game. Thanks Jimmie, and I’ll be rooting you to win another championship!
Cy Cyr is a Florida based sports, celebrity and commercial photographer. His work can be found here.
Posted in golf | Leave a commentDavid Feherty
January 16, 2012
I took 1756 photos of David Feherty on September 8, 2011 in Orlando, and I want to make more. He’s hilarious on camera and more funny off camera. He was filming the opening of his show for the Golf Channel. It was hysterical. I wish I could remember half the quotes from the day. They were non-stop. A good place for quotes is his twitter page.
Being a production photographer requires patience, preparation and a quiet camera. I recently purchased aZacuto 3X for my Canon 5D II for this reason. It’s a little awkward being the still photographer on a video studio shoot. Any noise, and you’re given a stare down. When it is your turn, time is limited and you better be prepared. Video people also work crazy hours. It’s not uncommon to be on a video set for 10-15 hours. Maybe longer.
Feherty couldn’t have been a nicer guy. He’s willing to do anything for a laugh. I captured an array of expressions, body positions and wacky photos. His show was a big hit, and I look forward to working with David in the future. Here’s a link to Orlando photographer Cy Cyr’s work.
Posted in golf | Leave a commentCheerleading Photography
January 16, 2012
I’ve been photographing assignments for American Cheerleader Magazine for about 7 years. Most recently, they’ve been using me in Daytona Beach and Disney to photograph their “Hot Shots” section. The editors hand pick a few teams to showcase pyramids, formations and stunts. Here’s a small cheerleading gallery of some of our work. Another role while photographing Hot Shots is to look for future cover models and stock photography the magazine may need in the future.
Some of the cheerleading teams we’ve photographed include Ohio State, Glendale Community College, Fairmont State, Cal State Long Beach, Southern Connecticut State, University of Memphis, Hawaii Pacific, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Louisville and many more.
I love photographing the cheerleaders on the beach. To see it in person is amazing. We have to find a flat spot and be cautious of the tide! The teams bring towels to wipe their feet before being tossed 20 feet in the air. The beach sand acts as a giant reflector and fill light. The teams attract a lot attention from beach goers. The athletes are usually excited to be in the magazine, even when we ask them to be there at 8am. They are dedicated to their sport.
If you’re ever in doubt about cheering to be a sport, please go to a competition or watch on ESPN. They are athletes. They are strong, fit, competitive, creative and daring men and women. I’ve seen cheerleaders get elbowed, kicked and head butted. Most NBA players would be crying for a foul, but these athletes get back on their feet.
Cy Cyr can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.
Contact Cy to help you hire a Cheerleading Photographer.
Posted in cheer | Leave a commentGolf Digest
January 14, 2012
My uncle Ray got me a subscription to Golf Digest when I was 12. I assisted staff photographer Stephen Szurlej when I was 19. It’s 2012, and I still love Golf Digest. I’ve met professionals and hacks on assignments.
In 2011, I photographed the first annual Golf Digest “Buddies Trip” at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Course in Orlando. It was a weekend of fun with Golf Digest writers Matt Ginella and Pete Finch. Mark Rolfing of NBC was also there on the first night. Read up about the weekend through Ginella’s blog post.
November 21st was the day I photographed Golf Digest’s 18 annoying golf partners. It featured such characters as Beverage Cart Girl, Oblivious Guy, Plumb Bobber and Human Rain Delay. I cast my own father for Cigar Guy and Ball Retriever Guy! We photographed the project at Rio Pinar Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. It’s a beautiful spot, and closed on Mondays, which helped us out a lot!
The 18 annoying golf partners slideshow had 1,000,000 hits five days after it went online! Over 4000 people have shared the slideshow on Facebook and over 500 on Twitter!
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Here’s the screenshot and video we did for the 18 Annoying Golf Partners for GolfDigest.com
Swimsuit Edition
January 13, 2012I got a call from Bonnier Photographer Bill Doster. He asked if I was available from August 22 – 26 in Fort Myers Beach. I didn’t know if it was for Waterski, Wakeboard or Boating Magazine. Or maybe he was double booked and he needed help.
He asked if I was interested in shooting the first ever Boating Magazine swimsuit issue with him and another photographer. I immediately said yes. ”There will be 12 girls, 12 boats and 3 photographers working for 4 days.” The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I had a corporate gig on the 19-20th in Orlando, a wedding on the 21st in St. Augustine, then a 6 hour drive from St. Augustine to Fort Myers Beach early on the 22nd. Our home for the few days was the Pink Shell Resort, a beautiful oceanfront getaway in southwest Florida.
Although the weather hampered us at times, we made the best of what we were given. My time was with Deonna / Mastercraft, Kelly / Premier, Natalia / Deep Impact, and Erin / Sea Ray. I’m sure you have a copy of the magazine by now. And, if you haven’t done so already, order your calendar!https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/document?ikey=089U3HA3U That’s my photo of Natalia on the cover.
Posted in model | Leave a commentTrista Sutter
January 13, 2012
I got a call from the editors of Life & Style magazine to photograph “Bachelorette” reality star Trista Sutter at a vacation spot near Tampa. It was to be a story on how she worked so hard to get her body back after having two children.
The shoot took place on September 22nd, 2009. I arrived at the house with makeup artist Paula Abraham, and two assistants. We introduced ourselves and started picking out clothing for the shoot. Trista and her family were so hospitable! We set up the Elinchrome octobank near the infinity pool, and were ready for a sunset. When Paula finished the makeup, it started to pour. And pour. And then it poured some more. We looked at the weather on TV, IPhones, etc. We thought about calling it off. Instead, we decided to eat some dinner together, and wait it out. Trista was super patient and optimistic the sun would come out for sunset. It’s still a little bizarre to me hanging with celebrities. Many times I think “What the heck am I doing here? I’m just a guy from Maine.”
Trista was the first one out of the door when the sun broke from the clouds. It was amazing! We ran through many poses at full speed, trying to make up for the lost hour. She was holding her youngest child, alone, sitting, standing and laying near the infinity pool, all in a bikini. After the infinity pool, Trista changed into a workout outfit. We went closer to the bay, on crushed seashells. We had the sunset of the year. The pictures looked great. The editors loved them. My pictures appeared in the October 26th edition of the magazine, including a small cover photo. The coolest part was getting a mention on twitter from http://www.twitter.com/tristasutter the following day. I got a kick out of that!
Walter Iooss
January 13, 2012
Walter Iooss is my photography idol. That’s before I found out he was also doing the swimsuit edition. He’s a legend.
I’ll provide some history. My parents gave my brother and I a subscription to Sports Illustrated when we were in little league. For years, I tore out covers and pictures in the magazine, and thumb tacked them to my wall. ”Iooss” was in most of the captions or photo credits.
In high school, I took photography courses. Dan Roberge was my teacher. He is the greatest teacher at Biddeford High School. I got super interested in photography after listening to Dan. In 1995 I then went to the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. It’s got a great program for students that want to be photographers. As part of the course, a 20 minute speech about a photographer is required. The photographer I chose was Walter Iooss. The instructor said to show examples of their work, and try to get quotes from them if they’re still living. WHAT? Call Walter Iooss? I can do that? How? I went into my SI mag, found any phone number I could, and started my search. The subscription people sent me to the editorial people. The editorial people sent me to the photo people. When I called the photo staff number and asked for Walter Iooss, they said to hang on, Walter was around. I couldn’t believe it. I had my notes, but they didn’t seem to matter anymore. I was terrified!
“Hello, this is Walter,” the voice said from some skyscraper in NYC. ”Hello, My name is Cy Cyr, I’m a photography student at the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Massachusetts, and I’m doing a speech on you next month.” ”Really? On me? Why?” I asked him about his first assignment, his cameras, his advice for student photographers and why he got into photography. Tracking him down on the phone in 1996 was a small miracle.
I went about my photography career, wondering if I’d ever meet Walter. I can remember going to an ESPN X-Games in Providence, and seeing a photographer that looked like Walter. I tensed up, told my friends “I think that’s Walter Iooss, I have to say hi.” I approached him, and asked “Are you Walter Iooss?” The photographer looked at me with a big smile and replied “No, but I wish I was!”
It wasn’t until 2003 that I met Walter Iooss. I was shooting a Patriots v. Dolphins game in Miami. I finally got a chance to say hello in person. I told him I did a speech about him 7 years ago, and he seemed to remember, but was probably trying to be nice. I had a little more confidence by then, and we talked for 5 minutes. He was really interested in my name.
My friend Eric Larson and I developed a relationship with Golf Digest over the years. The photo editor is Christian Iooss, Walters son. Christian called Eric and said his dad was going to Melbourne, Florida to photograph the Washington Nationals baseball coach and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. And that he could use some help. Eric and I went to Melbourne the next day. It was February 20th, 2006. We waited in the parking lot for Walter to show up. His arrival was legendary. I didn’t know Walter enjoyed rap music. Loud rap music. The shoot went well, and the next thing you know is Eric and I are bringing Walter FUCKING Iooss to the airport. We thought it was the coolest thing. Walter kept calling me “cy cyr dot com.” It was the shortest one hour drive to the Orlando Airport I’ve ever had.
Since that day, I’ve helped Walter on shoots with Tiger Woods, CC Sabathia, Dwight Howard, Arnold Palmer, Carl Crawford, Rocco Mediate, Nick Price, Suzanne Peterson, tennis’ Bryant twins and many more. One assignment for Johnny Damon didn’t happen, so Walter and I played 27 holes of golf that day. We’ve also played Bay Hill a few times, Reunion, Lake Nona and even the McArthur Golf Club in Hobe Sound. One time, he Fed Ex’d his golf clubs to my house. He loves golf!
I have definitely learned a lot of technical photography techniques from Walter, but it’s how he treats people that interests me.
Walter’s work can be found at : http://www.walteriooss.com
I’m still waiting for the Swimsuit Edition phone call.
Arnold Palmer
January 13, 2012
When Business Jet Traveler called to ask if I could make a cover portrait for them of Arnold Palmer, I was ecstatic! A link to the story is here. I had met Mr. Palmer about 8 times prior while assisting photographer friends, and was hoping to get my opportunity soon. Originally, the shoot was planned for the airport with his Citation X, THEN at Bay Hill, his golf course in Orlando. I was a little disappointed we only ended up with Bay Hill, but still very excited.
The shoot was scheduled for a VERY cold morning in Orlando. I don’t think it reached 40. I photographed the editor speaking with Mr. Palmer in his office. It was pretty awesome hearing Arnold talk about his different planes he’s owned throughout the years, his reason for being a pilot, how it’s helped his golf game, and why big companies SHOULD have a jet. He was so passionate about his jet, I wanted one for myself. If it was up to him, everyone would be flying. He’s that passionate.
When the interview was over, I had to sweet talk Mr. Palmer into going to the 10th tee of his course. ”It’s pretty cold out there young man,” said The King. ”I promise you’ll be done in 5 minutes.” He agreed. He could have said no, after all, He is The King.
My friend Adam and I hurried to the 10th tee to set up my Elinchrome on a Profoto 7B then did a few tests. Mr. Palmer drove over with his cardigan on, stood in the sweet spot, and gave me a few smiles. When it was tough to keep his attention, I asked for the Citation X smile. I can’t believe I got this opportunity, and I can’t believe Arnold still poses for publications after all these years.
When we were done, we watched Arnold give a lesson to his grandson, Sam Saunders. He also posed with a few people playing his course. He was such a gentleman to everyone.
Business Jet Traveler ran a close up on the cover, and my favorite photo full page on the inside.
Posted in golf | Leave a commentNBAA
January 13, 2012
The same wonderful staff that sent me to Geneva, Switzerland sent me a little closer to home…. Atlanta. I photographed the 2010 NBAA show at the Georgia Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.
I love these assignments and the staff. The people are fun, passionate and knowledgeable.
The exhibits were at the Congress Center and the planes were 20 miles away, at the Peachtree Dekalb Airport.
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