Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs

Nick Bosa, Kansas City 49ers

NFLPA

Photographer: Dominic DiSaia

Heidi: How long have you been shooting the for the NFLPA? (National Football League Players Association)
Dominic: For the last 4 years I have been shooting the incoming class of NFL rookies for the NFLPA (National Football League Players Association).  This entails me photographing over 40 professional athletes over a two day period.

How long to do you have each player?
I have each player for about 5-10 minutes total so there is a challenge to connect with them quickly and successfully accomplish our shot list which includes many variations in two different lighting setups.

What tools do you rely on to make a fast connection?
To help achieve this I always do some research on the individual players and try to find something interesting to ask them about, play their favorite music, or any other technique that will quickly engage them.  This quick connection is very important on these days as these players schedules are packed with meetings and obligations so it is easy for them to be mentally fatigued.  I thrive on the challenge to connect with my subjects in a short period of time despite the fact that they all have very different personalities and their comfort in front of the camera can vary greatly.

How are these images used?
The NLFPA uses the images from our shoot as a catalog of assets they can make available to corporate sponsors throughout the NFL season.

Tell us about these two portraits.
Two of the players shot this season for this project will be in the Super Bowl on February 2nd and played major roles in their teams success this year.  Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers and Mecole Hardman of the Kansas City Chiefs.