In their element...

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  Andrew Wiggins, Lawrence, KS

  Assigned to shoot an SI Cover that entailed photographing Andrew from behind, as part of a composite image, I was frantic to find a way to make a cool picture of him to run inside. Well, actually, I just didn't want to forgo the opportunity to shoot the likely one-and-done Jayhawk in Allen Fieldhouse. He showed up quiet as a church mouse, sniffling, and holding a box of tissues. Too cute. Andrew had a cold and was clearly not feeling 100%. But, like the pro he would be just a few months later, he made both shots work.

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  Junior Johnson, Charlotte, NC

  NASCAR legend Junior Johnson posed on a sweltering morning in the woods behind a friend's house. Assigned to photograph him in front of a NASCAR Museum display of his father's whiskey still, I spent a day touring the Carolinas with my buddy Bob Leverone, looking for a whiskey still and some props to try something a little more "authentic". This was shot in Bob's back yard!

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  Mo'ne Davis, Philadelphia, PA

  Mo'ne Davis stood the sports world on its head in August 2014 by dominating the first game she pitched at the Little League World Series. Her team, the Taney Dragons, did not win the tournament, but the glow of that magical week stayed with Mo'ne for months. The following February I shot a series of pictures for a line of M4D3 shoes she endorsed to promote PLAN, a children's rights organization. This was the final shot of a long day of shooting.

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  Glen "Big Baby" Davis

  LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis apparently had a history with dance. In search of a location I contacted the Baton Rouge Ballet. As luck would have it, the director taught at LSU and offered her campus studio and school dance team. Well, it turns out Glen only ever took one dance class, and only to meet a girl, but he was game for anything we wanted to try. I guess catching flak from your friends is easier if you're an NBA lottery pick.

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  Jalen Brunson

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  Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion, PA

  Premier athletes are often great photo subjects for posed action like this. Besides the physical talent to do things others can't, there's often an innate comprehension of what's necessary to create a dramatic visual image. Kobe was well past his seventieth shot when we pulled the plug on this session, yet he hardly seemed winded. He hung there and froze exactly where I asked every time. It was magic.

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  Joey Logano, Charlotte, NC

  Joey Logano endured hours on this steep bank at sweltering Lowes Motor Speedway as we prepped and awaited a break in the clouds. This beautiful flash of sun lasted 30 seconds. Packed into an SUV with my assistant and 400 pounds of gear, I challenged Joey to a lap we'd been told not to take. I hung on for a while, until he blew by me on the second turn going high up on the track. I'd lost my nerve; I just couldn't see us trying to flip that SUV back up if I rolled it.

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  Brooklyn Nets, East Rutherford, NJ

  An SI cover shoot of Brooklyn Nets starters Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez and coach Jason Kidd came with these dreaded instructions from the team PR director: "You have 5 minutes, I'll time you." Fortunately it was around halloween and we were piggybacking an SI for Kids shoot. So with a minute left we pulled out the pumpkins and we got about an extra 90 seconds. This shot was never published but is one of my favorites. Anytime I can get athletes to really clown around, I feel I've accomplished something...I got them to forget about me and my camera.

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  ESPN Gameday Crew, Tuscaloosa, AL

  ESPN's Gameday Crew was becoming a cult in 2003 and I was sent to Tuscaloosa AL to go inside the show. They strolled around campus like rock stars, but their meetings were all business. When they posed for this shot they had the best time; it was as if they were college kids garnering all this attention.

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  Harvey Pollack, Sixers stats guru

  The late Harvey Pollack was the Sixers' Director of Statistical Information. Pollack was the only remaining NBA team employee from the league's 1946-47 inaugural season. He kept score at Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game and is credited with drawing the "100" sign he held in the post game pictures. This portrait was shot for a small, local Philly publication, but when published it was as a bit-mapped, for-position-only proof image. That was truly heartbreaking; I love this picture.