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Runner’s World

Design Director: Kory Kennedy
Photo Editor: Andrea Maurio
Deputy Art Director: Marc Kauffman  

Photographer: Craig Cameron Olsen

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Heidi: What are some of the hurdles when shooting elite athletes?
Craig: The biggest hurdle is their schedule. How much time I have with them sets the tone for everything else, and it can change on a dime, depending on training schedule or whether other photographers are shooting them as well the same day.

Does their training schedule influence what you can have them do, ie sprint, run stairs full blast…
Well schedule is followed closely by weather, weather dictates a lot.  I find the best tactic is to keep it moving, I have my set ups in mind, scouted ahead, and depending on the editor’s direction, I know where I want to take them.  I don’t like to get one shot, I like to play with the possibilities and get as much variety out of my time with someone.  With athletes it’s gotta keep moving or they get bored, tired, and it’s over.

Were the permits hard to get or did you run and gun it?
For Mo and Galen, Andrea Maurio at Runner’s World wanted open sky to lay type, and the story was about their partnership-training together. We were on the Nike Campus where they train, so permits were a non-issue.  We started on the oval track and then hit a spot I found on the cross-country track through the woods.  I found a soccer ball on my scout and picked it up as a souvenir for my son, and it turns out Mo was a big soccer fan, so after the first couple set ups, he saw the ball and started playing…punting it back and forth with Galen, then the next moment they were hitting it each other with it and the spirit of their partnership really came through…and that’s the moment we were all looking for.