Bill Frakes' Favorite Shots

SI Staff | May 9, 2007

Bill Frakes' Favorite Shots /

Bill Frakes' Favorite Shots

Panther Sandwich

Frakes' take: "I had gotten stranded after a game and had to drive all night from Oxford, Miss., to get to Charlotte. I got there in time to see Tennessee Titans wide receiver Justin McCareins get sandwiched on a hit by Mike Caldwell (59) and Jarrod Cooper (40). My head was pounding from too much caffeine and no sleep, but I don't believe I'd want to trade places with Justin. That just had to hurt." Shot with Canon Mark II

U.S. Relay Gold

Frakes' take: "Aug. 9, 1992, at the Barcelona Olympics, was perhaps the greatest day ever for track and field. This is the finish of the 4 x 100 relay. All three winning teams ran under the existing world record. The U.S. team anchored by Carl Lewis (celebrating here) won gold." Shot with Canon EOS 1

Parker in Flight

Frakes' take: "To show the elegance, power and athleticism of Tennessee's Candace Parker, I had her jump against the sunset while I used strobes to illuminate her. She has a complete game but watching her take flight and dunk is the best." Shot with Canon Mark IIDs

Riding the Rail

Frakes' take: "I use remotes cameras to give our readers a perspective that they can't get otherwise. This is a shot of eventual Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro as the pack surges past Churchill Downs Twin Spires the first time around. It's taken from a camera buried in the dirt under the rail." Shot with Canon EOS 1D

Eddie Jones Airborne

Frakes' take: "It was game I wasn't originally supposed to be covering, and I ended up with one of my favorite basketball images. Sometimes it goes like that. Miami Heat guard Eddie Jones chases the ball out of bounds and over the crowd. The best part is my good friend Eliot, far right, with his camera down. If you can't embarrass your friends publicly, what good are they?" Shot with Canon Mark IIDs

Valley City Frog-Jumping

Frakes' take: "Spawned by Mark Twain's "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," the Valley City, Ohio, event attracts 400 to 500 contestants annually. Trophies are given for the highest total and longest individual jump. In this photo, the boy's hesitation at taking the frog is priceless -- it reminds of Jack Benny telling a joke." Shot with Canon Mark IIDS

TCU School Spirit

Frakes' take: "School spirit is what makes college athletics so much fun, and often funny. Here, TCU Horned Frogs fans cheer against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Nov. 15, 2003, in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs defeated the Bearcats 43-10." Shot with Canon 1Ds

Tour de France

Frakes' take: "In addition to being one of the world's great athletic competitions, the Tour de France is just that -- a tour of France. Here the peleton rolls through Provence. I stepped back and let the countryside appear to dominate the image, but at the same time showing the long road." Shot with Canon EOS 1D

The Deer Slayer: Roy Oswalt

Frakes' take: "Weir, Miss., is rural America. I went there to spend time with Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt. Here he's in his home office with his bulldog, Dixie. Oswalt spent 40 days waiting in a tree to shoot the deer mounted on the wall. He's more patient than I am." Shot with Canon Mark IIDS

Billy Donovan Bobblehead Night

Frakes' take: "It was Billy Donovan Bobblehead Night at Florida. I saw the dolls and knew instantly I needed to make a portrait using them. Coach Donovan is incredibly gracious and wonderful to work with. I set up a makeshift studio in their practice facility, he granted me a few minutes of his time and the result is a fun look at a great coach." Shot with Canon 1Ds

Big Man's Game

Frakes' take: "To play in this tournament you had to weigh at least 350 pounds, or pay a penalty. It was held at Yale's golf course to raise funds to study eating disorders. I made the mistake of asking where the best pizza was in New Haven; play stopped for 15 minutes while the issue was debated. Finally, AFTER a huge dinner, the golfers took me on a pizza fact-finding eating tour." Shot with a Canon 1D

Couch-sitting

Frakes' take: "Shall we dance? ... We were doing a story about these two interior linemen who had played against each other for years but didn't really know each other. We set up a studio in a hotel ballroom and flew a backdrop in from New York. We had everything set up for the shot. Then I saw the couch in the lobby, the curtains in the ballroom and the plants on the steps. I put them all together, asked the guys to sit down, and that was it. Makes me grin every time I look at it." Shot with Canon EOS 1D

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Frakes' take: "In the tunnel with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. What more can I say?" Shot with Canon EOS Mark IIn

Ski-jumping

Frakes' take: "At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, my assistant and I put on snowshoes, put a 1200 mm lens on a sled and slid out in deep snow a half mile below the torch to shoot the ski-jumping competition." Shot with Canon EOS 1

A Place for Coop

Frakes' take: "This was a tough image to make. I grew up in Nebraska and have strong feelings for the state. The Cornhuskers women's soccer team lost Jenna Cooper ("Coop" to her teammates) in 2004 when she was killed by gunfire (not directed intentionally at her). The team honors her memory by leaving her spot open during the playing of the national anthem." Shot with Canon 20D

The Kid at 78

Frakes' take: "Ted Williams, the last man to hit .400, and one of baseball's all-time greats, relaxes and reflects at his Florida home. I got to spend a week with Ted six years before his death in 2002. Just listening to him talk about the game he loved gave me a memory I will always treasure." Shot with Canon EOS 1

Prom-dress Rugby

Frakes' take: "I only got to see the last seven minutes of an exhibition rugby game in Gainesville, Fla., between Florida and Southern Florida, but it was enough. The women played the game wearing old prom dresses to raise money for breast cancer research." Shot with Canon EOS 1D

King Mackerel Queen

Frakes' take: "The Mississippi Deep Sea fishing rodeo is held annually on the Mississippi coast. Everything cooperated. The sky, the fish, and especially the Queen, who let me capture one of my favorite portraits." Shot with Canon 1Ds

Cheyenne Frontier Days

Frakes' take: "At the Granddaddy of them all -- Cheyenne Frontier days -- there is a ground-level bunker that allows you to be right in the middle of the action." Shot with Canon EOS 1N

The Coaches

Frakes' take: "Here are two innovators with ties linking straight back to James K. Naismith. North Carolina coach Roy Williams poses with his mentor, former coach Dean Smith. The two have changed the way the game is played while upholding its traditions. I wanted to bring that home with an old-school look, so we shot this portrait in Woollen Gym, the oldest gym on Carolina's campus." Shot with Canon 1Ds

The Owner as Dictator

Frakes' take: "I shot George Steinbrenner in 1993 around the time he was returning to baseball after a three-year ban. He brought the horse. I brought the costume. Three minutes later we had a cover." Shot with Canon EOS 1

The Red Menace

Frakes' take: "I took this photo of the late Reds owner Marge Schott in May 1996. I needed a serious look for a cover portrait. She gave it to me." Shot with a Canon EOS.

Aussie Rugby

Frakes' take: "Australia. You just have to love it. This is from the National Rugby League. It makes me think of the Coppertone girl." Shot with Canon EOS 1

Joe Montana

Frakes' take: "I saw Joe, Montana, on a map. I called my editor and said I need to go there. He agreed. I invited the mayor to bring the entire population to the top of a hill overlooking the town for a group portrait. He agreed. I love small towns." Shot with Canon EOS 1

Leaping Lauryn Williams

Frakes' take: "Lauryn Williams, the 100m track world champion, stretches her legs. I asked her to hop up to the ledge, and she did. Two frames later we were finished. It's great working with people who have tremendous skills." Shot with Canon 1Ds

Published May 9, 2007

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