Yesterday, I was privileged to be invited to speak to the employees’ at the Google offices to share my experiences of being a professional photographer at the World Cup.

Adam Jacobs talks about his experiences as a professional photographer at the FIFA World Cup.

I provided a photographic tour of the fifteen games I shot including all of the US games and the final. I also discussed my charity work with the 1GOAL initiative which allowed me to photograph well known figures including Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu, Mick Jagger and Shakira.

Thanks for having me Google!

Last weekend I traveled to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park in Northern Michigan, granting me an exciting opportunity to explore the dunes, lakes, mountains and forests that make up the park. After arriving in the early afternoon following a five hour trip from Ann Arbor, we headed up to the to of one of the huge sand dunes to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan. Despite somewhat cloudy skies, the muted sunset produced beautifully subtle shades of blue and orange which I took advantage of by creating a panoramic image of the dune system.

I stayed on Glen Lake, voted by National Geographic as the world’s third most beautiful freshwater lake thanks to its crystal-clear, warm waters and serene surrounds. This lake sits on one side of the park, separated from Lake Michigan by a vast ecosystem of sand dunes formed thousands of years ago thanks to glaciation.

The highlight of my trip came on the last night when we hiked up to a remote area of the dunes to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan, the surrounding dunes and a number of the smaller lakes. The spectacular vista offered a 270 degree view which I decided to capture in a large, panoramic photograph. The resultant shot which, is compiled of over 160 photographs and took me almost a day to put together was well worth the hike up the steep and sandy bluffs and the annoyance of having my legs being gnawed by millions of mosquitoes. Apologies for the small size but, I will upload a larger version into the landscapes gallery of the main section of the website. You can also see it larger simply by clicking on the image.

I was lucky enough to have a few days off before photographing the final of the World Cup and therefore, took the opportunity to go on a full day’s safari just outside of Johannesburg.

I could write for pages about such a wonderful and memorable experience but, instead I am happy to let some of the photos below do the talking.

A hungry Hippo!

Wild Dogs after their lunch.

A male lion close to his watering hole.

The eye of a Zebra.

A cheetah on the prowl.

During my time here in South Africa, I have done a number of assignments for the charity 1GOAL. This extremely worthwhile campaign aims to harness the unifying power of sport to highlight the fact that 72 million children are currently denied the chance to go to school.

Through its various initiatives currently running in South Africa, 1GOAL is looking to obtain 72 million signatures to empower these children with a voice, prior to a number of education summits between world political leaders where constructive solutions to the problem will be proposed. Indeed, the campaign demonstrates that education is one of the key weapons in tackling poverty throughout Africa.

The campaign has already been supported by a number of high profile players and celebrities. Over the past week, I have been fortunate enough to shoot Sir Mick Jagger, the South African football captain Aaron Mokoena and Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola as they have visited the football projects that 1GOAL is currently running for children from some of Johannesburg’s poorest townships.

I would urge you all to sign up on 1GOAL’s website and lend your voice to this incredibly beneficial, global charitable campaign.

http://www.join1goal.org/home.php

While in South Africa for the World Cup, last Thursday I was fortunate enough to be asked by US Soccer to photograph their visit to see former South African President Nelson Mandela along with the previous President of the United States, Bill Clinton. The visit was intended to promote the Bid Committee’s efforts to bring the World Cup to the United States in either 2018 or 2022. The subsequent photograph that I took has been published on various websites including MLS.com, gousabid.com, Yahoo News and a number of other media outlets.

From left, Sunil Gulati, President Bill Clinton, Don Garber, Carlos Cordeiro, and Dan Flynn with former South Africa president Nelson Mandela

Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela is undoubtedly one of the world’s most recognizable men. Indeed, meeting such a famous and historical figure was one of the most memorable moments of my life so far and being able to shake the hand of such a global icon was an unforgettable and moving experience.

I’ve been in chilly Johannesburg for just over a week and have been fortunate enough to shoot five World Cup games already including Brazil, Argentina, Holland and the USA. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, the warmth of the South African people along with the festivities created by the enthusiastic fans of the 32 teams involved, has meant that my first week has flown past. The dulcet sound of the vuvuzela which, sound like a huge swarm of bees continually swirling around you for 90 minutes is beginning to irritate me a little but, has done little to dampen my excitement every time I step foot onto one of the pitches.

The main media centre is like a five-star hotel equipped with restaurants, bars, Sony 3D TVs and plenty of other amenities; they even have a Canon and Nikon desk where photographers can rent bodies, lenses and other equipment for free for the duration of the games.

Yesterday, I shot a game with two Nikon D3x, with each camera costing five times my airfare here! It has been an amazing experience and an opportunity that allows me to combine my two main passions of football and photography. Despite England’s incredibly slow and lamentable start to the tournament, being involved so intimately in the largest sporting event on the planet is something that I will never forget. I can’t write a long blog post as I’m on my way to the Brazil vs Ivory Coast game at Soccer City tonight but, below are some photos of some of the games I’ve covered so far. Sorry there a little small as my blog has been playing up but, I’m working to get it fixed.

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Yesterday, I participated in an extremely worthwhile event called the Circle of Art. Organized by the Dexter and Saline Picture Framing Store this annual event allows artists to submit work in various mediums including photography, sculpture, painting and jewelry to help raise money to stamp out hunger; the quality of work on show was phenomenal with over 450 pieces being sold off by an eclectic and talented array of more than 150 local artists. All of the artwork was auctioned off in a 5 hour  silent auction to raise money for the Food Gatherers charity in an afternoon filled with food, music and sunshine. Given that it only takes $50 to feed a senior for a month,  the benefits of the event will undoubtedly help countless numbers of people to keep nourished and healthy. Thanks to all of those who organized, exhibited and dedicated their time and effort to make the event such a great success.

Some of my photos up for auction at the Circle of Art.

Last night, I spent some time experimenting again with my Nikon strobes and Westcott silver-lined umbrellas to create some striking and unique portraiture. Although focusing in such low light is often difficult, my Nikon 50mm prime 1.4 lens has such a gorgeous sweet spot, that when you hit it, the resultant image is unwaveringly sharp.

By bouncing a Nikon SB600 into the umbrella, I was able to manifest well positioned lighting onto my model without using more expensive scrims, screens, or diffusers.  The beauty of Nikon’s TTL flash system meant that any adjustments made to the power of the strobe unit can be made directly from the camera body. Thanks to my friend’s David and Farzin for  helping to produce these shots. Please click on the any of the images to view them larger.

Last weekend, President Obama arrived in Ann Arbor to speak at the University of Michigan Commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduation of the class of 2010. Amidst tight security and volatile weather (thankfully the rain just held off!) the President arrived in his helicopter “Marine One” to speak in front of 92,000 people; the largest crowd that he has addressed since his inauguration in Washington D.C. last January. Along with my good friend David Belo, whose work can be seen here http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmbelo, I have spent the last few days putting together a large, commemorative panoramic to mark this memorable occasion.

I purposefully emphasized the blue and yellow within the image to tie in with the University’s colors. I also felt that a panoramic was the best way to showcase the sheer amount of people crammed into one of America’s largest collegiate stadiums to hear the President’s words. After speaking for about half an hour, the President swiftly left the Big House leaving students, parents and onlookers to revel and absorb the events of the day.

I hope to print a large-format copy of this photograph shortly which, should show incredible detail and allow you to pick out many faces in the crowd.

A variety of my local Michigan and U-M photographs were on display at the Borders concept store in Waters Place on Lohr Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan this weekend to coincide with President Obama’s visit for the University of Michigan commencement. Thanks to all of you who came to see my work exhibited and I enjoyed meeting many of you at the artist meet and greet event last Thursday. Many of my photographs will continue to be stocked throughout this month and are available to purchase either as note cards, larger framed prints and panoramas. Check out the video below shot from my Iphone to see my display if you aren’t able to make it in person.