Editor’s Note: Joe Faraoni is a Photography and Multimedia Editor for ESPN Communications.
Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Joe. Nice to meet you. I’ll be contributing to a side of ESPN Front Row that many get to see but don’t necessarily get to read about: photos. Every now and then, if you don’t mind, I’ll take my hands off my camera, put my fingers to a keyboard and do a bit of writing about those purdy pictures that you all love to see.
Getting away from the Bristol, Conn. headquarters to cover an assignment doesn’t happen as often as some might think. However, I get some great assignments and this past weekend was no exception.
I was in Bethesda, Md. for the 2011 ESPN Rise NHSI (National High School Invitational). Eight of the nation’s top boys’ and four girls’ basketball teams compete to be crowned the best in the country. Each of the 11 games in three days provided great photos.
I photographed the final prep games for Austin Rivers of Winter Park (Winter Park, Fla.), Myck Kabongo of Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), Quinn Cook of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), and Montrose Christian’s (Rockville, Md.) Tyrone Johnson. Rivers and Cook are headed for Duke; Kabongo will play for Texas. Johnson, the MVP of the championship game, will attend Villanova.
Still, I was blown away by a newcomer named Taryn Griffey. The Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) freshman is the daughter of baseball great Ken Griffey Jr. and she sure can play.
I’m passionate about sports and mixing that passion with my love of photography. The photos displayed in this post are a few examples why I believe I have the best job ever.
For those photographers who fancy an SLR and know what an f-stop is, this next part is for you. I hope you enjoy.
If you have ever shot in a high school gym, you know the pains it can cause when attempting to make great action shots. I knew what I was in for when heading to this assignment.
Much to my surprise, the Georgetown Prep gym was better than most. I shot, with the exception of the championship post-game, at 3200 ISO. In order to stop action and limit blur, I pushed my shutter as high as I could. My exposure was at 1/400 of a second at f/4 for almost everything. I shot tight, I shot wide, and I moved around trying to find better angles and more options.
I look forward to contributing more to ESPN Front Row soon and to hearing your comments. Stay tuned.
