Australian photographer Sam Tolhurst was given a warning before he arrived to shoot “media day” last week with iconic NBA team the Chicago Bulls.
Last year, one of the team’s biggest stars, who he chose not to name, was so disinterested in being there, he spent five minutes at the photographer’s station and did not look at the camera once.
“They got one photo they used for the whole year,” he said.
“I had a sleepless night wondering what version of that player I’d get and if others wouldn’t interact with me well.”
Tolhurst has done this kind of work before — superstar players do not faze him.
He has shot NBA legends Gary Payton and LaMarcus Aldridge, shoots player portraits for his employer the Sydney Kings and counts Chicago Bulls three-time champion Luc Longley as a friend.
Media day is a busy annual event where the team gathers in their playing uniform for a series of promotional photos and interviews that are used throughout the year.
Sam Tolhurst has worked extensively with NBA champion Luc Longley on film and photography projects. (Supplied: Sam Tolhurst)
“I’m used to being in those environments — it’s about finding a connection and a rapport,” he said.
“I try and match their energy and it’s not a transactional interaction, but it is business-related and the onus is on me to make them feel comfortable when I’m working with them.
“If they’re relaxed, I’ll get great work so it’s a bit more strategic than having any time to be starstruck.”
Sam Tolhurst has honed his craft by shooting portraits of the Sydney Kings, including Jaylen Adams. (Instagram: Sam Tolhurst)
Deep connection to the Bulls
If Tolhurst was going to work with any NBA team, it was always going to be the Chicago Bulls — a franchise made famous worldwide in the 1990s through the dominance of its star Michael Jordan.
The first NBA game he photographed was a Bulls home game.
He then photographed Bulls point guard Coby White in Australia on a Basketball Without Borders tour.
Through his friendship with Luc Longley, he travelled back to Chicago with him to film a documentary.
“Chicago seems to signpost full circle moments in my career shooting basketball,” he said.
Sam Tolhurst used a simple red paper backdrop and off-camera flash lighting to create his portraits, including this one of Torrey Craig. (Supplied: Joe Pinchin)
“I’d become friends with a lot of the Bulls staff and I was going to be in the States, so I sent a message to my [Bulls photographer] mate Joe Pinchin and said I’ll be there if you need a hand.
“He asked if I’d like to shoot media day and I said, ‘I’m there, of course’.”
He said photographing for the Bulls represented “the pinnacle” of his work.
“Shooting media day portraits is something I take an immense amount of pride in and have made my signature, in a way,” he said.
“To do that with one of the world’s most iconic basketball brands represents a nice milestone in my career.”
Tolhurst says he has to work quickly to engage a player during a brief shoot. Cam Oliver is pictured here. (Instagram: Sam Tolhurst)
Five minutes, no more
His challenge is to create interesting and striking portraits in a limited space with an extremely limited amount of time.
He is given five minutes with each player, and he said most of them did not want to be there.
“They don’t enjoy it by any stretch and I was capturing a season’s worth of home game content for their graphic designer to create the ‘game day’ graphic that’s become iconic on Instagram,” he said.
The shoot also saw him photograph Australian star Josh Giddey, who has just joined the Bulls.
“We’ve been in adjacent circles for a while, I know his uncle and aunt in Wollongong and I know his agent,” Tolhurst said.
“When I introduced myself, I said, ‘I know all these people’ and we had an instant connection and it was great to work with him.”
