As Told to Charisse Lambert
Inside Game is a new series on Full Court Press Breakers where we will feature exclusive Q & A interviews with players, coaches, and other colorful characters that you might find across the basketball landscape. You can find them across the baseline coast to coast. Inside Game will give readers an up close and personal look at who these people are, what they do best, and what inspires their love of the game.
NAME: Michael Starghill
POSITION: Photographer
CLAIM TO FAME: Freelance Photographer in D.C. who this summer is capturing action at the famed Goodman League at Barry Farms
What are your thoughts on The Goodman League and what brought you to want to make this a project of emphasis?
Basketball and photography are two of my favorite things. I grew up in Houston and played basketball coming in high school. I moved to D.C. and went to school at American University in 2001. I was a Political Science major there. But really, deep down, I was always interested in film classes and decided to take some. In order to do that, I had to take Introduction to Photography as a prerequisite. I ended up going to this Walter Iooss exhibit at the Govinda Gallery in 2003. He is this famous sports photographer for Sports Illustrated who got his start when he was 19 years old and shooting the magical season of Roger Mariss hitting 61 home runs for the New York Yankees in 1961. After seeing that exhibit, I knew that I was in love with sports photography and that was what I wanted to do.
How did you come to start shooting at The Goodman League?
It was always something that I wanted to do. Like I said, I remember so much when I was in school and Gilbert Arenas was out here balling. The thing about playing at Barry Farms, those guys don’t care who you are, where you are from, or how much you make. You play in the League? They don’t care. The night I took the pictures of Kevin Durant, it was just raw. You had the guy on the sidelines talking trash. Everyone was out to see the show. I think that is the beauty of leagues like the Goodman League and just outdoor, summer basketball. It gives people in the community something to do every night. It gives them the chance to be a part of spectacular basketball. It might not be the Verizon Center, but they are getting a chance to see stars competing in basketball right there in their ‘hood. That is special and it means a lot to the people who come out. Every night it’s packed in there. They say the games start at 6 or 7, but they never start then. Most nights I wasn’t leaving until at least 10. But it’s magical out there. And I wanted to show that in my pictures. The players and the audience make it something that you will never forget. And each time, it’s just that more special. And no matter if it’s NBA stars or just local players, everyone comes out there ready to bring it. And that is what the crowd comes to see.
My plan is to follow the action at Barry Farms as much as I can the next weeks. (Michael has plans to move to Sacramento in early July.) My style of photography, I don’t just want to get action and game shots. To me, it’s all about the complete package. It’s about getting shots of all the action that goes along with the game. The people in the crowd, the guys selling sunglasses, the people cheering. It’s all a part of that action and that is what I look to bring out. Out there, there are just so many entertaining elements. It’s not just the stuff on the court or in the game that I want to capture. It’s the whole environment, the people. I appreciate if you get that from my pictures because that is the part of the game that I really want to bring out.
Yeah, I definitely got that from your pictures. Looking at your images, it’s clear that you are documenting all the action that surrounds the game. And that is important. It’s not necessarily documentary style to me, but it’s really intimate. That definitely comes out in your work.
Thank you. That means a lot to me that you get that from my work. I shoot other stuff too—not so fun stuff—but it’s the sports stuff that I enjoy shooting the most. I do some freelance work with some high schools out here, shooting some of their sports teams. But I am interested in seeing what I get from this Goodman League project before I go. There is just so much there. The crowd is extremely close to the action which creates an atmosphere in which players and spectators can engage in intimate conversations.You never know what you might hear or see that day! So I want to be the one to show that.
Michael’s Goodman League images definitely captures the heat of the summer and the beauty of playground basketball. Visit his website to see more amazing work.
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