Photo shoots often entail more than simply showing up and pushing a button.
We opted for a conceptual shot for our May story on Tim Cowlishaw, Morning News and ESPN commentator and author of “Drunk on Sports.” Since Tim’s book grapples with the inherent risks of boozing it up with sports celebrities, a moody dive bar seemed ideal.
Of course, this meant finding such a bar. The Lakewood Landing proved ideal. Manager Roger Nelson was more than accommodating, even letting us show up two hours before the bar opened so we could set up and shoot.
Before the shoot I scouted the location and sketched out our shot options, which is a good way to get the juices flowing and consider logistical issues.
Subtly communicating the dangers of alcoholism was a little challenging, and in the end I used a frosted pint glass filled with razor blades.
Want to guess how many razorblades we used? 300. (And yes, I probably looked like a total psycho pushing a stroller through Home Depot to buy 300 razorblades.)
Photo intern Ethan Healy was on hand to assist with our lighting setup an hour before Tim arrived at the Landing. Truth be told, setup takes longer than anything.
Just as we finished prepping the shoot, Tim arrived and was asked only to sit at the bar and watch ESPN, which seemed to come naturally.
We had our shots within 10 minutes.
Click HERE to check out Monica’s excellent interview with Tim.
