A very special welcome to Shot Selection if youve never read a post on this blog before. If you have, and I believe that there are over 40 pieces to choose from, then I say, Have you not had enough already?Today Ive decided to let you in on the dark arts of gaining access to a cricketer for what we are going to call a special shoot. Normally, for a special shoot you have to approach the media liaison officer and persuade her or him that it is in everyones interest that a photographer (me) should have five or six minutes with a particular cricketer, and that the subsequent photograph will take cricket to the next level (whatever that means). Normally this approach will get one of two responses. Either a positive one, which may be something like: Ill ask the cricketer and see what we can do, or No.I have had an instance where a cricketer agreed to a quick special shoot at Southampton during a one-day county match. No media liaison officer was involved in this case. The player wasnt due to bat till seven wickets had fallen, so he was ready to do a five-minute posing session there and then, as his team had just begun batting. I stupidly told him to let me set up my lights and that he should come over to the nets in about five or ten minutes. I kept sending messages to the dressing room saying that I was ready. Six hours later I gave up and packed up my gear and when I drove past the Worcestershire coach (a bus, not the human coach of the team) at a nearby McDonalds, I was tempted to go in and give this player a piece of my angry mind. I wont name the player as hes a nice guy and also comes from Wales. No point holding a grudge, is there? Or is there?I did a shoot for the Cricketer magazine in 2007 with heart-throb Mark Ramprakash at The Oval. I decided to put my camera on a tripod and take two different images of Mark that I would stitch together using Photoshop. As Mark was involved in the popular Saturday evening programme Strictly Come Dancing, I wanted to show his flamboyant side. I used a couple of flashes to make him stand out on a grey London day. I was very happy with the result, but Mark wasnt so chuffed when he saw it. England have a brand new media liaison officer who is very, very nice and more importantly, very helpful and accommodating. (Ill send a link for this blog to Danny, I think). I had a plan in 2015 to photograph the baby-faced Joe Root in the Lords Long Room, and he agreed to do it in September. Unfortunately Joe forgot his Test kit and the shoot had to be postponed.Anyway, last month the opportunity to do this shoot reared its lovely head again. Joe was chatting with journalists in the writing room at Lords and was due to join me in the Long Room for a few minutes of fun and photography. I took out a small insurance policy to make sure that he came to the Long Room by taking his bat and batting gloves with me. I neednt have bothered. Joe was quite happy to pose for five minutes in the famous room.I got some shots of him looking out the window and looking at the camera. Lastly I wanted a moody shot of a determined young man staring at the camera. I asked Joe to look at me as if he hated me and the shoot descended into laughter. He is just too nice for any of that stuff. I cant imagine why David Warner tried to batter him in Broad street all those years ago.Ramprakash: Canon Eos 1D MkII 125ASA F5.6 24-70 @32mm 1/400th; Root: Nikon D4 500ASA F5 70-200 @110mm 1/200th Vincent Lecavalier Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. 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Melbourne City want Tim Cahills signature to complete the clubs transformation from A-League ugly ducklings to top dogs.The all-time leading Socceroos goalscorer enjoyed his first training outing for his new club on Monday, the first time since 1997 hes worn Australian club colours.For City fans, theres never been a more hopeful time to be a supporter.There have been other milestones such as the clubs formation in 2009, its league debut a year later and the purchase by cashed-up conglomerate City Football Group early in 2014.Then there was World Cup winner David Villas guest stint later that year.But its Cahills signing that completes the cycle.The biggest name in Australian football is now playing for the club that used to treat players to ice baths in recycling bins.Coach John van t Schip said the clubs evolution had City well poised to leave their mark this season.We are looking every time to improve, he said.We improved with facilities. Were improving with the quality in players. We signed Bruno (Fornaroli) up as a marquee. We got Tim in.But those are no guarantees to win a title.Its aall about hard work.dddddddddddd Dedication. Effort.The real attitude to have that winning mentality ... those things Tim all has.Hes won titles. He has a winning mentality. He has a guidance for young players.Hes going to help us. Were going to help him. In the end it has to result in that we can lift a trophy.Luke Brattan, who joined in the off-season, has spent time with Cahill in Socceroos camps and hopes his professionalism rubs off on the entire squad.Hes massive. A fantastic footballer and a fantastic bloke off the field as well, he said.He takes a lot of responsibility. Hes a great leader and I cant say enough good things about him.Im buzzing to have him here and cant wait to get started.Another new squad member and fellow Socceroo Neil Kilkenny said the club was setting its expectations high.You dont want to go into a season thinking well come second. We want to come in and go for everything, he said.Hopefully hell score many goals and help the squad. ' ' '
