Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR A PURDUE PHOTOGRAPHER,
HELPING PURDUE'S TALENT TELL THEIR STORY.
BUT THIS PHOTOGRAPHER HAS SHOT FOR MORE THAN JUST PURDUE,
CLAIMING MULTIPLE FRONT COVERS FOR "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED."
HI, I'M ASHLEY SOLGERE FOR "BOILER BYTES."
WE FINALLY TRACKED DOWN PURDUE STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
AND "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED" REGULAR CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
ANDY HANCOCK.
SO, ANDY, HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED HERE AT PURDUE
AND WITH "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED"?
STARTED WORKING WITH "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED"
ABOUT 2 1/2, ALMOST 3 YEARS AGO.
AND I WAS STILL WORKING NEWSPAPERS AT THE TIME.
AND IT WAS ALSO THEN THAT THE UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER POSITION
HERE OPENED UP.
AND THE GUY THAT WAS LAST IN THE POSITION WAS HERE FOR 39 YEARS.
HE AND I TALKED, AND HE STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT I APPLY
FOR THE JOB, AND THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHERS HERE
THAT REALLY ENCOURAGED ME, TOO.
AND SO I DECIDED TO LOOK INTO IT AND DECIDED TO THROW MY HAT
IN THE RING AND MANAGED TO GET THE JOB AND COULDN'T BE HAPPIER.
WHAT IS IT LIKE, WORKING FOR A BIG TEN SCHOOL?
IT'S A LOT OF FUN.
THERE'S REALLY EXCITING THINGS GOING ON HERE --
EVERYTHING FROM RESEARCH, STUDENT LIFE, ATHLETICS.
I MEAN, ANYTHING YOU WANT, YOU'VE GOT IT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE OPPORTUNITIES
TO PHOTOGRAPH SOMETHING SPECIAL ARE ENDLESS.
AND SO IT'S A LOT OF FUN, GETTING TO TRY TO DOCUMENT,
YOU KNOW, DAILY LIFE BUT REALLY SHOW OFF THE EXCITING RESEARCH
THAT'S GOING ON HERE.
AND IT'S A LOT OF FUN.
WHAT MAKES THIS JOB FUN?
THE FACT THAT THERE'S REALLY NO TWO DAYS
THAT ARE NECESSARILY GONNA BE THE SAME.
AND SO YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW, YOU KNOW,
WHAT YOU MIGHT BE PHOTOGRAPHING ONE WEEK OR THE NEXT.
AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF FUN PROJECTS THAT WE DO,
LIKE THE "FIVE STUDENTS" PROJECTS.
AND THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES WHEN WE GET
TO REALLY SHOWCASE WHAT MAKES EACH STUDENT INDIVIDUAL.
YOU KNOW, WE GET TO HIGHLIGHT STUDENTS THAT GIVE BACK
THROUGH COMMUNITY SERVICE, STUDENTS THAT, YOU KNOW,
FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF AMELIA EARHART.
AND SO WE GET TO DO SOME REALLY FUN SHOOTS WITH THAT.
AND SO IT JUST KEEPS EVERYTHING FRESH, AND, YOU KNOW,
IT ALWAYS KEEPS YOU THINKING,
TRYING TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE A BIG SPORTS FANATIC,
AND YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY REPRESENTS THAT A LOT.
COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN YOUR SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
AND MAYBE AN EVERYDAY SHOOT ON CAMPUS?
IT ALL KIND OF DEPENDS.
SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT JUST BE RUNNING AROUND CAMPUS WITH,
YOU KNOW, A CAMERA, A COUPLE LENSES, AND JUST TRYING
TO DOCUMENT, YOU KNOW, GENERAL LIFE.
WITH SPORTS ASSIGNMENTS,
DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU'RE SHOOTING,
IT CAN GET REAL INVOLVED FOR ME.
ONE OF MY SPECIALTIES,
ESPECIALLY WITH "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED," IS REMOTE CAMERAS,
'CAUSE I CAN CONTROL EVERYTHING WIRELESSLY
THROUGH RADIO TRANSMITTERS.
I'LL HAVE LITTLE BUTTONS TAPED OVER MY CAMERA,
AND SO I CAN JUST GO FROM CAMERA TO CAMERA,
BASED ON WHICH ONE I WANT TO FIRE.
AND, SAY, LIKE, WITH A PORTRAIT ASSIGNMENT, YOU KNOW,
I COULD HAVE TWO OR THREE CAMERAS READY,
ALL OF EVERYTHING DIALED INTO THE PROPER EXPOSURE.
AND SO, DEPENDING ON WHAT I NEED FOR THAT PARTICULAR SHOT,
I MIGHT NEED A DIFFERENT LENS.
AND SO IT MAKES THINGS A LOT SMOOTHER,
OPERATES A LOT QUICKER.
I CAN JUST PICK UP WHAT I NEED INSTEAD
OF HAVING TO FUMBLE AROUND.
BUT WITH REMOTE CAMERAS, YOU NEED A LOT OF CAMERAS,
JUST SO YOU CAN HAVE ALL THOSE DIFFERENT ANGLES
AND REALLY PUT THE EXTRA EFFORT IN TO CREATE SOMETHING SPECIAL
THAT PEOPLE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE AND A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW.
WHAT'S THE TRICK TO CAPTURING AN INDIVIDUAL'S PERSONALITY
IN YOUR PHOTOS?
EVERY SITUATION IS GONNA BE UNIQUE.
AND THE BIG THING IS JUST TALKING TO HIM,
TRYING TO GET A FEEL FOR WHOMEVER YOU'RE SHOOTING AND,
YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BREAK DOWN SOME WALLS,
ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE A LITTLE RESERVED.
SOMETIMES IT'S EASY, SOMETIMES IT'S CHALLENGING.
I'VE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE ATHLETES ON THE TOP
OF THEIR GAME, AND EGOS CAN COME INTO PLAY.
AND I, YOU KNOW, FIND THAT SOME OF THE BEST ONES --
LARRY FITZGERALD WAS ONE
OF THE EASIEST ATHLETES I'VE EVER WORKED WITH.
AND THEN, SAY, YOU KNOW, HERE ON CAMPUS, YOU KNOW,
YOU HAVE A PORTRAIT SHOOT, YOU KNOW, WITH A STUDENT,
AND THEY'RE JUST NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT.
YOU'VE GOT ALL THE LIGHTS, AND YOU JUST HAVE
TO MAKE THEM FEEL AT EASE.
AND WHENEVER YOU DO THAT, THEN CHARACTER, PERSONALITY STARTS
TO COME OUT, AND IT REALLY SHOWS IN THE PHOTOS.
AND THEN I THINK THEY END UP HAVING A LOT MORE FUN, TOO.
WELL, ANDY'S OFF TO ANOTHER LOCATION, AND WE'RE OUT OF TIME.
I'M ASHLEY SOLGERE WITH "BOILER BYTES."
SAY "CHEESE."