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During my long editorial photography career, I’ve been fortunate to work with many magazines. My assignments have ranged from documentary work to portraits of top executives, Hollywood movie stars, and iconic musicians. And from Christian and classical to country, rock and roll, and rap.

I’ve photographed feature stories, cover stories, photo news projects, long-term projects, action sports, and portrait-driven sports stories.

My work has taken me to faraway places as well as locations close to home.

My favorite photo gigs have been when the phone rang and, on the other end, was a photo editor or art director from ESPN, Men’s Journal, or Sports Illustrated.

Pau Gasol, for example, was photographed for ESPN when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is as down to earth as they come and very friendly. We were able to speak using his native Spanish language. We also chatted about his favorite places to visit in Spain and other Europeans countries. 

There’s something special about working one-on-one with the hottest athlete of the moment, or with sports figures who became legends and left the game.

When a story runs large, several pages, a major feature, or a cover, the budget for the project is substantial. For productions of that scale, I bring in a large crew. Typically, that includes two to five photo assistants, a DIT (Digital Imaging Technician), a makeup artist, a stylist, catering, props, and multiple wardrobe changes.

Each of these roles is essential. Everyone plays a significant part in the creative process, and their presence allows me to focus on what I do best. The goal is always the same: to create unique, powerful images.

A happy magazine means a happy photographer, but just as important, the subject should feel great about how they were portrayed. The experience should feel fun, relaxed, and special.

Photographs might be made on location, in sports arenas, large studios, workplaces, or sometimes in the subject’s home. Deciding where the job will take place is a collaboration between the magazine, the photo subject and the photographer. 

Most of the athletes I’ve worked with have been easygoing and accommodating. A few, whom I greatly admired, were the opposite and left me deeply disappointed.

I remember one major cover story where, that even before the article came out, the subject demanded that People magazine send him 300 copies. 

Another time, while working for Sports Illustrated, a player asked me to bring him two cases of Cristal. No need to Google it, each bottle runs anywhere from $800 to $14,000. There is a lower-priced version around $300, but that wasn’t the one he wanted. When I told my photo editor about his request, we laughed for quite a while.

Some players arrive with a small entourage; others are low-key, grounded, and show up alone.

Over the course of my career, I’ve experienced the full spectrum of personalities in the world of fame. And, of course, there have been moments when things went wrong. But those are stories for another time

From the lessons and insights I’ve gained through portrait and travel photography assignments with ESPN, Forbes, GQ, TIME, and Sports Illustrated, I created International Photo Workshops (IPW) to share my experience with photography lovers and students around the world.

Through our hands-on workshops, participants will learn simple, effective approaches of capturing incredible images, guided by real-world experience in inspiring locations. 

Manuello Paganelli © for ESPN Magazine