Jeff Cagle
i am a freelance news and editorial photographer living in the chicago suburbs.
my portfolio is at jeffcagle.com. You can also find me at instagram.com/jeffcagle
get in touch: jeffrey [dot] cagle [at] gmail
Ask me anything
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Some days you’re driving along, minding your own business, thinking “Did I really just get paid to take pictures of parking meters for a newspaper cover story?”
And on your way home from said assignment all of a sudden you’ll almost crash into some dude being chased by a cop as he runs in front of your car and you’ll snap a picture (pic 1), then pull over to shoot more, notice a barricade situation developing at the house he ran from — a situation that you’ll be told to “MOVE BACK!” from because you’ve gotten too close to the cop huddling behind a car with an assault rifle trained on said house, so you move to a new position — talk to some neighbors, and wait an hour to capture the arrests as everyone realizes they’re out-gunned and gives up.
On your way back home you’ll think “Man, being a newspaper photographer may not pay a whole lot, but it sure can be fun.”
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The main event of the day for my assignment with the Chronicle last week was that the reporter and I were to be given extremely rare access and be in the room as executives from the Golden State Warriors interviewed a prospect. Leading up to everything, we were under the impression we’d have a half-hour or so for me to be making images and him listening to the uncomfortable questions these prospects get asked. As such, I spent a good chunk of my day beforehand visualizing shots I’d like to make after a couple conversations with the director of photography.
During a lunch meeting that day with the team’s general manager, we were told we’d have “a few minutes” to be in the room. Outside the room waiting to enter an hour later, a PR rep told us we’d have “a couple minutes.” We were allowed in a couple minutes before the prospect arrived and asked “You’re just taking a couple photos and leaving, right?” so I immediately started checking exposure and taking test shots of the executives chatting about a previous interview. Once the prospect walked in the room it was go time.
I fired off a few frames starting with a hand shake as the execs greeted the prospect, managed to change my lens and shoot several more images before we were thanked for coming and ushered out of the room. I made 14 frames total while the prospect was in the room. Time I had to do all that? Fifty-two seconds.
I really would have loved to have been in that room for a half hour and take my time with framing and capturing the moments I knew would be there to help flesh out the story, but, as is often the case in photojournalism, sometimes you can only react to a given situation and be happy with what you can get.
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It was really interesting to see the way the swarm went after potentially high draft picks and how others were left alone. Especially when they happened to be at adjacent tables.
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One of my tasks yesterday was to give somewhat of a behind-the-scenes look at the media watching the players. I got some tight shots of players to be used, but also pulled back often to show the swarm. Here’s an outtake. More to come once the rest of the stories go live.
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I shot my first assignment for The San Francisco Chronicle yesterday, covering the NBA draft combine in Chicago. Here’s a frame from when the reporter and I got to be in the room as team executives from the Golden State Warriors grilled a prospect during an interview.
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I spent some time on assignment for UFC magazine back in February photographing a day in the life of Miguel Torres as he taught in his gym and did a little light training for his upcoming bout in UFC 145 later this month. The April/May issue is on newsstands now.
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I got to take a sneak peek at the new Marriott hotel yesterday as they were putting finishing touches on everything ahead of a ribbon cutting ceremony next week. I also got to try some of the best pickles I’ve ever tasted thanks to the executive chef at the hotel’s restaurant, the Artisan Table, and I am excited to try out the menu once it’s open for business.
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Getting some sports features in the bag for those rainy spring days when games get called. The good part about having to be at the rink before sunrise or you’ve had your coffee is the cold wakes you up pretty fast.
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As a happy counter-balance to the morning, last night I shot the most epic high school sports game I’ve ever seen, which included six lead changes in the final two minutes, a seemingly winning layup with 2.5 seconds left at the opposite end of the court, then a buzzer-beating jumper on my end that led to fans rushing the court, a couple injuries, and one hell of a celebration. Here’s a few of the celebration and my favorite shot of the night, Aurora Central Catholic fans taunting a Yorkville player before he inbounds the ball, complete with a black Jesus.
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Spent some time shooting at Loaves and Fishes food pantry today. A few minutes after distribution started, the aisles were packed. Assignments like these are always humbling and serve as a great reminder to be thankful for everything you have and not focus so much on the trivial things you don’t.
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