Ron Fraser 1933-2013
Former Hurricanes baseball coach Ron Fraser passed away today after a long illness.
Much has been written about what an outstanding coach and promoter of college baseball Ron Fraser was. Off the field, Fraser was an even better person. One of the many random acts of kindness by Fraser I witnessed over the years was the one that happened after Fraser coached his last game in a 8-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton in a semi-final game at the 1992 College World Series. Under pressure from CBS to play a championship game the next day, on time, the game was played in a nearly constant downpour. An emotional Fraser (below) used the press conference to rail against the NCAA for playing the game in such poor conditions.
The following is what I wrote for UM’s Ibis Yearbook back then:
OMAHA, Neb. – The day from hell.
Upon arriving at NCAA media headquarters to pick up my press credential for the College World Series, the secretary handed me a seat cushion and a poncho.
Noticing the bright and sunny weather conditions outside, she deadpanned about our planned use of the rain gear at the game later that evening.
Little did we know she was a meteorologist. In the third inning that night, the skies opened up and our ponchos came out.
One good moment, though, came following the No. 1 Hurricanes’ dismal 8-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton in the semi-finals of the CWS.
As retiring coach Ron Fraser, after the final game of his 30-year career, left the stadium, he was met by a young boy waiting for an autograph in the pouring rain. Instead of his signature, “The Wizard of College Baseball” removed his hat and gave it to the young fan.
A class act by a class individual.
Over the years I came to know “The Wizard,” he did absolutely nothing to change my mind. This great university has lost a legend.
A Canestagram Holiday
Looking for something different to give your favorite ‘Canes fan for the holidays?
The Canestagrams, Volume 1 Photo Book is a 50-page hardcover book containing photos of our first series of Classic Canestagram images of Miami Hurricanes greats from the past 25 years. From the paper to the printing, quality is at the heart of the Canestagrams, Volume 1 Photo Book. The 8” x 8” pages of this stunning book are printed on real photographic silver-halide archival-quality photo paper with a lustre finish. The binding system allows every page spread to lay flat without any gutter or unsightly seam to separate your pages. This system combines beautiful presentation with incredible durability, all contained inside an image-wrapped hardcover. This limited edition book retails for $149.99.
Preview the book here. Order the book here.
The Canestagram Metal Print is a 24” x 24” print containing photos of our first series of Classic Canestagram images. The image is infused right into the surface of a specially treated, lightweight sheet of high-gloss aluminum. The special sublimation process used produces an incredible level of detail, added depth and rich vibrant colors.
Because the image is infused right into the metal, and not painted on the surface, this metal print is extremely durable. Not only is the image waterproof, weatherproof, and scratch resistant, it can even be cleaned with glass cleaner.
The back of the images has a floating mount that suspends your image ½” away from the surface of the wall.
This limited edition print retails for $249.99.
Order the metal print here.
Also available are regular photographic prints of the composite and of the individual images here. Prices range from $12.99 to $49.99.
360º
If you were at the last home game vs. FSU and were in your seat between the 1st and 2nd quarters, you may be able to find yourself in the 360º panorama we shot.
You can view and interact with the image at this link.
Is it a GigaPan, the iconic panoramas made popular in part from Major League Baseball’s “TagOramic” and the famous image of the Obama Inauguration?
No. Despite being hosted on GigaPan’s server, it is technically not a GigaPan. In order to capture the image, our own Eric Espada had only about 45 seconds to capture the images needed by going to midfield between quarters and handholding the camera. After a test pass of a portion of the stadium, he has just enough time to make adjustments and shoot 26 images, starting and ending with the 50 yard line on the FSU side of the field. Typical GigaPans can take upwards of 10 minutes to capture.
Late last week I used GigaPan’s software and server to assemble and upload the image, after tweaking the images in Photoshop.
We are already thinking about how we can make this better when Florida comes to town next season.
Classic Canestagrams
With the recent popularity of smartphone app “Instagram,” I have experimented with re-creating the look of the iconic square images using images from my Miami Hurricanes Archive.
I started by making “Canestagrams” out of studio poses of our Women’s Soccer & Volleyball teams.
Recently I started working on making “Canestagrams” from my ‘Canes football action archive.
I hope you enjoy the first series of 49. You can view them all individually on the mother site. A square composite print (shown above) is also available.
The UM Sports Hall of Fame Portraits
Before last night’s 44th Annual University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, I shot a series of portraits of the inductees. In addition to my conventional Nikon camera I used a unconventional camera for a pro: My iPhone.
With the aid of a small LED light & a gray backdrop, I used the iPhone app “Pixlr-o-matic” to process the images as you see them below.
(Click on an image for a larger version)
Russell Maryland Elected to College Football Hall of Fame
Hurricanes great Russell Maryland was one of 14 players and two coaches chosen for inclusion into the 2011 College Hall of Fame Class, announced by The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame this morning.
Maryland won the Outland Trophy in 1990 and was elected to the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He becomes the fifth player in school history inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining quarterback Gino Torretta, safety Bennie Blades, defensive end Ted Hendricks and running back Don Bosseler. Former UM coaches Jack Harding & Andy Gustafson are also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Here’s Looking at You, Reggie
Often we photographers will go to extremes to get a unique image. After recently acquiring a Canon G12 “point-and-shoot” consumer camera, I noticed it had a remote control port.
The bells went off in my head. Could I actually use a small consumer camera as a remote?
So for last night’s men’s basketball game vs. Maryland, I mounted the Canon G12 on the catwalk above the scoreboard at the BankUnited Center.
The Canon G12 is a 10mp consumer point and shoot camera with some pro features. Relevent to the image above, it has a 28-140mm f2.8-f4.5 lens, a hot shoe and the ability to manually expose and focus. But it’s main unpublicized feature is its ability to sync at a higher shutter speed than usual when using external flash due to its CCD sensor. With the right strobe and shutter speed, a photographer can overpower the sun on an outdoor shoot. That’s actually the reason I purchased one.
While mounting an overhead camera is nothing new, it’s the first time I’ve done it at the BUC. In the old Miami Arena, the catwalks were perfectly positioned above the rim on each end of the court. I often mounted a remote above one of the hoops there, as you can see from this shot of Darius Rice. In the BUC, the catwalks are farther out along the perimeter of the floor, with one climbing to a platform above the scoreboard. The view is at a slight angle, and through a hanging speaker assembly.
The next challenge was actually firing the camera. Using Pocket Wizard brand radios to trigger the shutter was easy, but the “shutter lag,” the time it takes for the camera to respond and fire the shutter, was my concern. Sure enough, it took an average of a second and a half between my pressing the button on my radio and the camera actually firing. While that may not seem like a long time to some, to me that’s the time between the ball leaving a shooter’s hands and it getting to the rim.
While I came up with six usable images, the “shutter lag” issue took some of my attention away from using my main camera. I just could not go from using my handheld setup to firing the radio in time to catch a rebound. So while this setup isn’t practical for every game use, it is workable for an occasional different look.
Image details: Canon G12, 140mm, 1/500 sec, f5.6 @ 200 ASA. Used with Speedotron 2401SX strobes, triggered via Pocket Wizard radios.
The Best Entertainment Value in Town is…
The Miami Hurricanes Women’s Basketball team is creating excitement not seen in a generation.
Nineteen years ago, the ‘Canes sandwiched 30 consecutive wins between an opening night overtime loss at FSU and a loss to Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. The 2010-11 version has a chance to be just as special.
Sunday, the #16 Hurricanes were tested by #25 Georgia Tech, trailing for much of the game against the larger Yellow Jackets. The ‘Canes’ aggressiveness forced 28 Yellow Jackets’ fouls, resulting in four of the five Georgia Tech starters fouling out. Once the opponent’s size was sitting on the bench, the game was in hand.
The win was the ‘Canes’ 21st straight at home, and pushed UM’s record this season to 20-2.
Games like Sunday’s against Georgia Tech are games the ‘Canes need to win to receive a high seed come tournament time in March.
While the next test is a road matchup with #3 Duke, this team needs and deserves your support, regardless of the outcome on Thursday in Durham.
This time you don’t have to go to a glorified high school gym to see them. Despite the curtains ringing three sides of the BankUnited Center, the games have an electric air about them.
In the opening round of the WNIT Tournament last year the ‘Canes hosted Florida Gulf Coast in front of 636 fans, many of them Eagles fans from across Alligator Alley. The place resembled an echo chamber at times. Last Sunday, 1227 noisy cheering fans were at the BUC. There’s plenty of room for more. At $5 a ticket, it’s by far the best entertainment value in town.
Riquna Williams and Shenise Johnson will be in the UM Sports Hall of Fame someday. Each has surpassed 1000 career points and are #1 and #2 in scoring in the ACC this season. Morgan Stroman has led the ‘Canes in rebounding 10 times this season and has seven double-doubles. Stefanie Yderstrom has connected on 31 three-pointers this season, including twice Sunday in overtime. This success should carry over into next season as there is not one senior on the roster.
While I’m a fan of the big black curtains, photographically speaking, I’d rather they lift them in order to seat more of you. For a little more than the price of a value meal, you can be entertained for two hours and see some Hurricanes student-athletes who will be talked about for generations.
Hurricanes Football 11×14 Gallery Returns
Our refurbished and expanded 11×14 gallery has arrived at Caneshooter.com.
Formerly part of the Canesport merchandise site, the expanded 11×14 gallery is a collection of over 200 our best and/or most popular images of the greatest ‘Canes of the past 20 years, spanning my time as a student and as the team photographer.
Many of the great ones are here, such as Andre Johnson holding up the Sears Trophy, Darren Krein saluting after a sack, Gino Toretta carried off the field on his teammates shoulders after the Heisman clinching San Diego State game, James Jackson flying over the opposition in the Micron Bowl, Jeremy Shockey celebrating after scoring the game-winning touchdown over FSU, Carlos Huerta and Leon Searcy during the 1991 National Championship Parade (before the car caught on fire!), Orien Harris standing over FSU’s Chris Rix in the 2003 mud bath, the “Flying ‘Canes” shot of Santana Moss and Andre King from the 2000 Gator Bowl, Sean Taylor returning an interception past a diving Gator, Taylor again nailing a Pitt receiver in mid-air, Vince Wilfork nailing FSU’s Leon Washington in the 2004 Orange Bowl and Sebastian the Ibis through the smoke with the American Flag.
There are also stock shots of Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson, Lamar Thomas, Warren Sapp, Al Blades, Antrel Rolle, Clinton Portis, Dan Morgan, Damione Lewis, Bubba Franks, Darryl Sharpton, Devin Hester, Donnell Bennett, Dwayne Johnson, Ed Reed, Edgerrin James, Frank Gore, Greg Olsen, Jarrett Payton, Jerome McDougle, Jimmy Graham, Jonathan Vilma, Joaquin Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow, Kelly Jennings, Ken Dorsey, Kennard Lang, Kenny Holmes, Michael Barrow, Najeh Davenport, Nate Brooks, Nate Webster, Ray Lewis, Reggie Wayne, Rocky McIntosh, Rohan Marley, Roscoe Parrish, Russell Maryland, Rusty Madearis, Yatil Green, Willis McGahee and others.
Get 20% off photos from this gallery through December by entering the code “11×14″ at checkout at Caneshooter.com!
Former ‘Canes RB Payton Remembers His Father
Former Hurricanes running back and 2004 Orange Bowl MVP Jarrett Payton is dedicating his entire online radio show today, November 1, to the memory and stories of his father, NFL Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton. Walter passed away 11 years ago today from bile duct cancer at the age of 45. Former NFL greats such as Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders and others are scheduled to call into the show to share their stories. Tune in at www.chicagolandsportsradio.com this morning from 9am-12pm (central) and/or tonight from 7pm-10pm (central).
Above: Jarrett Payton runs on to the field with his father’s Chicago Bears jersey on Senior Day, 2003.