If you haven’t seen the September 2010 issue of Men’s Health yet, pick it up now.  I have 6 full pages featuring my favorite football player, Jake Locker.  This was my second time working with Jake, and he is one of the most kind and down to earth people I have photographed.  Now, I know what you are thinking.  Did he bring his pet coyote to the shoot this time?  No, he didn’t.

So, what’s up with the helmet?  And as big as this kid is, how can there be a helmet that is too big for him?  I think it was a lineman’s helmet.  Before the shoot, I requested a ball and a helmet.  Someone from the university brought us one helmet that happened to be several sizes too big.  It wasn’t until we were shooting that I asked Jake to put it on, and we discovered it wasn’t the right size.  I’m totally fine with mistakes like that, though, because it turned out to be my favorite picture from the shoot.  Fun and unexpected.  Outtakes are the best!

For those of you who don’t know, Jake was recently ranked by ESPN as the number one college player in the country.  These rankings are subject to change, but he has a legitimate shot at the Heisman this year if things continue to go well for him.  As a Husky fan, I hope things go well!

I have been working with video a lot more lately.  Some behind the scenes, and also a few photo and video assignments, as well as video only.  I really like how this video turned out, and it should give you a little glimpse into how I work on an assignment like this.

Special thanks goes out to Men’s Health Photo Editor Mark Haddad for this assignment.  I would also like to mention Affix Music which is a great resource for licensing music for slideshows, video’s etc.  Amazing customer service!  They are in the process of rolling out some new license options which will be even more specific in addressing the needs to photographers working with video.

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Many people think the animal on the dock with Jake is a husky because that is the UW mascot, but it is not a husky.  It’s a coyote.

When Jake Locker first started playing football for UW, I heard a story that sounded too wild to be true.  It was the kind of story that someone makes up, and as time goes on it becomes wilder and wilder, yet more and more true to the people who tell it.  The story goes like this.  While Jake was a junior at Ferndale High, a crazed coyote wandered onto campus.  Some students thought it was a dog from the neighborhood and tried to pet it.  As they approached the animal they realized something was wrong, but it was too late.  The coyote attacked the students and began a rampage throughout campus.  The entire school was frantic and people were scrambling to hide in the nearest classroom.  There were 5 students who were not lucky enough to find shelter in a classroom.  They were walking through the quad and walked right into the coyote.  They were trapped, with nowhere to go.  Several teachers were watching through the office window, and all they could do was scream.  The students slowly backed up until they were against a wall.  The coyote inched closer and closer, snarling and showing its teeth.

This is where the story gets a little confusing because I have heard several versions of what happened next, but I will stick to the version I heard from Jake.  Jake was in the gym during the attack, but he heard the screams of the students who were trapped in the quad.  Without hesitating, he took off his football pads, and ran out of the gym toward the sounds of the screaming.  As he entered the quad he walked directly up to the coyote with his arm held out in front of him holding his palm up as if motioning to stop.  He said a single word, although no one remembers what he said, and instantly the coyote relaxed and allowed Jake to pick it up.  He tucked the animal under his arm and walked out of the quad.  Since that day, the coyote has never left Jake’s side.

I wasn’t quite sure if I believed this story when I first heard it, but I decided to bring it up on the phone with Jake before our shoot.  I asked him if the story was true, and if he would bring the coyote with him for a few pictures.  He said that wouldn’t be a problem, and I was able to shoot a few frames with Jake and his coyote.

College football starts this weekend.  Go Huskies!!!  And go Jake Locker!!!  I’m a big fan.

I also posted a number of outtakes from this shoot on my Facebook page if you would like to see more.  (Here) is the link to the album.