Spotlight On Sol Neelman

Oct 15, 2011

TID:

Sol, thanks very much for participating in this blog. It's great
to look into the unique world in which you work, rooted in weird 
sports, and we thought this picture was a great example.


Can you set the stage for this image?


SOL:

Thanks, Ross, for asking me to participate in such a cool photo 
series. It's an honor. I'm sharing with you an image from Bring 
Your Own Big Wheel, a fun bike race that happens in San Francisco 
every Easter. It used to take place on Lombard, but the event has grown 
so big, they now host it on Vermont Street.


TID:

Before we get too much into the image, let's back up and talk
about your path in photography. You seem to have found a 
niche in your work for which you are known. Can you
tell us about your path to this?


SOL:


Well, I've always loved sports. Not that I was ever any 
good at them. But I grew up as an only child with a 
single mom. Sports was a language I could use to 
communicate with other guys, to have something in 
common with them. 

My family has always been travelers. I went around the 
world when I was 4. So I always knew I could travel and 
I love to have new experiences and meet new people. 

I stumbled onto photography in junior high school. One 
of my best friends was in a photography class and I 
wanted to do the same. Never thought I had found a 
career there, but as I got older, the only thing that 
interested me professionally was photography. It allowed 
me to travel and to attend sporting events. And, believe 
it or not, I was also pretty shy, so photography gave me 
an excuse to be outgoing. 

Around 2005, a colleague in the business asked me what 
I love. It was a simple question, but one I hadn't really 
given much thought to. I was so focused on working at 
The Oregonian, doing the daily grind of Photo-J. I had 
gotten a little sidetracked over the years. I told her I loved 
sports, photography, travel and weird shit. And things clicked.

SOL:

Man, my memory is horrible. Somehow it had been on my radar 
for a couple of years, most likely a tip from a friend. I had seen 
some videos online, which showed its potential. I didn't realize 
it'd be as great as it was.

An advantage of being freelance is I have tons of free time. So 
I loaded up the car and drove down to SF.

Now I never thought I'd have a photo book published from 
my weird sports, but that was definitely becoming a goal. 
Ironically, this photo is on the cover of my new book, which 
was just published by Kehrer Verlag in Germany.


TID:

How do you make the decision that the sport is "weird"
enough to cover? What is your criteria?

SOL:

My mental preparation? Try not to fuck it up. 

One thing I love about weird sports is that it's usually pretty 
photogenic, lots of low-hanging fruit to pick. I'm sure you 
could argue that the events I find are more interesting than 
the images I make. My goal is to simply capture the feel and 
the atmosphere. And not to fuck it up.

I'm also looking for layers, which is a reason why I prefer 
using a 35mm f1.4 rather than a 400mm lens. I want more 
information, not less. I want more intimacy, not less.

One thing I've learned about making photos is that oftentimes, 
if you see a moment, it'll repeat itself, you just need 
to watch for it and be ready. I had seen waves upon waves 
of dressed-up bikers go down this hill. I chose a spot that 
had nice lines and layers. At the bend, folks usually had a 
HOLY SHIT!/Come to Jesus moment. It was also near enough 
to the starting line that the pack was still pretty dense. I 
wanted a congested image full of crazy riders having fun, 
perhaps in a mild wipeout. I knew this spot had the potential. 
I did move around a bit to mix things up for the 2-3 hours 
of racing, but I kept coming back to this spot because I felt 
it had what I was looking for.

What surprised you about this experience?

SOL: 

Well, at first, that anyone showed up. I arrived an hour or 
two early and found rock star parking in SF, which never 
happens. There was hardly anyone there. The rain was starting 
to come down and I was worried that folks might not show up. 
A few of the early birds there told me not to worry. And sure 
enough, tons of riders dressed in costumes arrived right before 
race time. 

I was also a little surprised at how many fans showed up. For 
an off-the-grid event like this, it had a strong turnout. I know 
the organizers were complaining aloud that it was getting too 
big - and mainstream. That's what usually happens with 
these weird sports: they either blow up or they die on the vine 
too quickly. If there's something I want to photograph that 
might not last another year, I try to hit it up right away. 

Slamball, I'm thinking of you.


TID:

Was there something you wish you had done
that you didn't do?

SOL:

Honestly - and hopefully without sounding arrogant - no. 
I'm not saying I couldn't have made better photos. Or done 
things differently, because I could have. Over the years, 
I've come to peace with the way I shoot photos. I'll miss 
things and others will capture better frames. But in order for 
me to be the best I can, I can only be myself. That make sense?

A pet peeve of mine has always been picture editors that 
say, "You should have shot it this way." or "Too bad you 
didn't get this." There are really no rules in photography. 
And I look at my photography as an evolution. I may want 
to reshoot something because I didn't get what I wanted, 
but I don't look at it ever with regret. My only regret would 
be not showing up and taking photos in the first place.

SOL:

There's really only one thing: 
Don't take "no" for an answer.

I have 68 images in my book and only 2 were ever 
published in print, despite my best efforts. Almost 
all of the photos were taken on my own time and dime. 

Don't think I haven't pitched being a weird sports 
photographer to magazines, because I have. But I 
refuse to let any lack of interest from others deter 
me from what I want to do. 

Back in the day, many folks like myself signed up for 
newspapers with the hope of being assigned killer 
stories at home and abroad. Budgets and priorities 
being what they are today, that's not really feasible. 
It's one of the reasons why I left the newspaper world. 
I wanted more ownership of my career.

If you start taking photos of what's important to you, 
that's all that really matters. Eventually, if you do it 
long enough, that's how people will start to identify 
you. Being my own assignment editor is pretty cool. 
I always say yes to fun photo ops. 

SOL:

It's taken a long time, but I've come to terms with my 
unique, random path as a photographer. There's a 
misconception that there's a single formula to success. 
There's not. All the steps - and missteps - I've made 
along the way helped bring me to this point. There is 
more that I want from my career, but if I look at what 
I have, I'm very thankful.

SOL:


People interested in the book can go to:

http://www.weirdsports.de/



If folks want to see my latest adventures working on the 
next volume of Weird Sports, they can check out my blog at:

http://www.solneelman.com/




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Sol Neelman spent from 1997-2007 as a newspaper photojournalist. 
The final 7 years were spent documenting his home state as a staffer 
for The (Portland) Oregonian. Yep, an Oregonian at The Oregonian. He 
has placed in the Pictures of the Year International (POYi) competition
for Best Sports Portfolio and Best Action. His mom is most proud of the 
2007 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting, which he won with a 
team of staffers from The Oregonian for coverage of a missing family 
in southern Oregon.

His work has appeared in National Geographic, ESPN the Magazine, Sports 
Illustrated, Rolling Stone, People, Newsweek, TIME and The New York Times 
among others. Commercial clients include Nike, eBay and ACE Hardware (The 
Helpful Place!).


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Next week we'll discuss this self-portrait of Ross Taylor and how you, 
too, can get into monster shape by just reading The Image, Deconstructed
and eating kale.