Behind the Tip-Off: The Making of the NBA’s 2025 Ad Campaign [Video]

Some advertising photographers equate the degree of stress during a high-profile shoot as a metric of their skill as a photographer: If you’re stressed, then perhaps you were unprepared or lacked knowledge, they might say. I don’t think that’s always the case, as sometimes the extreme challenge of a complicated image requires stress to realize its full creative potential.

When I received the phone call asking me to photograph the key art for the NBA’s 2024-2025 season, I was excited. I had worked with many of the players previously, so I was comfortable with knowing what limitations to expect on set.

However, upon seeing the storyboard for the image, I realized this was going to be a very challenging photo shoot that required complete precision and focus in both the planning and the execution on set.

The parameters were that approximately 50 people would be in the image, all to be photographed separately and recomposed back together. By that small description …