Brian McGuckin Photography: 2011

This year the NFL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was exciting to me cause of the induction of Richard Dent, DE for the 1985 Chicago Bears! I grew up wanting to be like him since that was the same position I played in high school. I was like a kid in a candy store excited to see him and a few teammates in person. When I saw the owner, Virginia McCaskey - owner of Da Bears and daughter of Papa Bear George Halas, I couldn't resist meeting her. A fragile aged woman, she shined Bears pride and has a heck of a grip! I introduced myself and told her how I grew up hoping to play for her some day. When she looked at my camera around my neck, I admitted to her that that dream never came true. She entertained my conversation for a few moments and introduced me to her family standing near by. Another highlight in my life!

Well, my focus for this event was Shannon Sharpe and Deion Sanders. It was a blast having the access I had and being around all my childhood heroes! Below are just a few of my favorites from the night. It ended with Nelly and Snoop Dogg performing at a private party for Deion and Marshall Faulk. What a night!!!

2011 ESPYS

For the past few years I've been fortunate enough to shoot the ESPYS preparties in L.A. This year was a little extra bonus as I got to shoot the red carpet/award room for the actual event. It was a great week! I love this event because I've had the opportunity to see some of the same people over and over and build some really cool relationships. One of my favorite moments was a conversation in a club with LeAnn Rimes...
LeAnn: "Have we met before?"
Me: "I don't believe so."
LeAnn: "Are you sure? Cause you look really familiar."
Me: "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
LeAnn: "Well, I guess you just have one of those familiar faces."

If she wasn't standing next to her new beau, Eddie Cibrian, I'd think she was hitting on me! (ok, not really) Anyway, both she and Eddie were very kind and allowed me to take a shot of them (see below) even though they've been keeping private lately.

EDDIE GEORGE

LEANN RIMES & EDDIE CIBRIAN

FLO.RIDA

KATY PERRY in awe of JUSTIN BIEBER? JUSTIN BIEBER
SERENA WILLIAMS

DIRK NOWITZKI

JASON KIDD

TIM TEBOW

CAM NEWTON

HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE

VERNE 'mini-me' TROYER

DANICA PATRICK

BETHANY HAMILTON

DR. J

RYAN REYNOLDS & JASON BATEMAN

SCOTT PORTER

DEWEY BOZELLA

LINDSEY VONN

JAY LENO

ANTHONY ROBLES

SETH MEYERS

DALAS MAVERICKS

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR???

Courtney & Cory:: Indianapolis Wedding Photography

Wow, so this one is long overdue! Before the ESPYS my summer kicked off at a beautiful wedding at Carmel's Coxhall Gardens with the reception downtown at the Conrad. On a day filled with dark clouds and visible rain a few blocks away, it all held off till the end as we headed to the reception. The timing was perfect. The wedding was beautiful. The images are stunning. Thanks Courtney and Cory for allowing me to be a part of such an important memory for the two of you!

Friday, June 3, 2011

2011 INDY 500 :: Celebrity Event Photographer

Born and raised in Indiana, I never cared much for racing; football has always been my passion. However two years ago, my racing world changed. I've been fortunate enough to have spent the past few years shooting the Indy 500 weekend celebrations organized by event guru Jen Beaver. This past year was a celebration of many things, not only was it the 100th anniversary of the race, but it was also the kickoff of the Indy Car and Facebook joining together with the MiCar allowing Facebook users like YOU to become an "owner" and have your profile picture on a car for the whole racing season. Whether you're a race fan or not, you gotta check it out.

What I love about the Indy 500 now is that I get incredible access to the cars, drivers, celebrities, REAL fans, and of course - amazing food (such as the yummy deliciousness at Sensu downtown)! The weekend kicked off with a party at Sensu and the talented DJ Irie in from Miami. The MiCar was introduced and people were tweeting about it like crazy! Saturday we took a few laps around the track in a pace car and then rested up for the big day Sunday. Sunday we hung out on the track before the race took off and I got "stuck" against the wall as the cars took off for their first lap. I've posted the video on my Facebook. It was... as some would say... EPIC! We spent the rest of the race in a couple pits and then up on the top of the Pagoda, literally!

I could go on and on about the whole weekend and how amazing everyone was, but I need to stop somewhere, so I'll let the pics below speak for themselves. If you want to see all the pics, hit me up on Facebook! If you want to hear some crazy stories, buy me coffee!

DJ Irie spinning it @ Sensu