The World Games in Pictures
Photo Copyright © 2013 Micah Tapman/CBMT Creative
My company, CBMT Creative, initially spoke with USA Ultimate about covering the World games last winter. In the time leading up to the Games, I looked forward to spending time with all-star players and traveling to Cali, Colombia.
Team captain George Stubbs on the bus ride to the gold medal game is a study in concentraion. Beau Kittredge called the World Games the most mentally challenging tournament he has ever played in.
Photographing the United States team at the World Games was a unique experience for me because I was embedded with the team. We stayed in the same hotel, ate meals together, and I had access to the locker room and sidelines before, during, and after games. My time with the team led to friendships and camaraderie that dramatically changed how I approached the project
Opi (Octavia Payne) hurt her knee in pre-tournament practice, briefly jeopardizing her chance to play on the world stage. She played in all six of the team’s games.
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time around teams in several different sports— Major League Baseball and the 2004 Olympics in Athens, for example — and this was by far the most unified group I’ve ever seen or heard of. Capturing those feelings—the trust and bond between these amazing people working in unison to achieve a goal— was a challenge I quickly came to embrace.
Photographers often struggle for access and have to combat logistical problems and privacy concerns to make the perfect shot. Embedding with the team actually created a different set of problems: too much access and too many great moments. Rather than just documenting games or random daily activities, I felt compelled to craft a story about the spirit of the team.
Major events like the World Games are logistical headaches and involve a lot of waiting around, which can be trying for athletes preparing for a big game. Cards often helped the team pass the time.
Meals were a light-hearted time to unwind.
Georgia Bosscher, Ryan Farrell, and Beau
Kittredge after a long day.
Shooting the actual tournament games was relatively straightforward. There was only one game at a time, a welcome change from many ultimate tournaments. The venue, Pascual Guerrerro Olympic Stadium, was outstanding: good lighting, fans screaming in the stands, and picturesque backgrounds for photos. Access was a bit challenging later in the tournament as the World Games TV production team struggled to figure out the logistics; there were a couple of difficult conversations about where photographers were allowed to be. My favorite shots are often taken from the end zone line, shooting low to the ground to emphasize the players in the shot and trying to establish depth by capturing people in the foreground, mid-ground, and background all at once. This setup worked well until I was bumped out of that area because of concerns about the TV production shots.
George Stubbs and Octavia Payne combine to defend a scoring
attempt by Colombia.
The World Games experience taught me importance of trust with my subjects. The trust that came with my relationship with the team allowed me to take shots I wouldn’t normally be able to take, which helped my creative side. For future projects I’d like to find ways to quickly build that trust. It’s something every photographer needs, and it’s particularly true when dealing with dramatic situations like a player getting hurt, a team winning or losing a big game, or the intensity of pre-game preparations.
