SLAM Magazine — BTS Cover Shoot
Behind-the-scenes coverage of the SLAM Magazine cover shoot featuring Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. SLAM is basketball culture's most iconic publication, and having two Knicks on the cover was a significant cultural moment for the franchise. I embedded with the SLAM editorial team to capture the energy of the day.
The BTS piece documents the intersection of basketball, fashion, and editorial photography — showing what happens between the frames that make the magazine.
The shoot took place at a studio in Manhattan. SLAM's creative team built elaborate sets with custom lighting rigs for each look. My approach was to stay invisible — handheld, no tripod, moving through the gaps between lighting stands and reflectors. The goal was to capture the feel of the room: the banter between Randle and Barrett, the SLAM team's precision, the wardrobe changes, the laughter.
I structured the edit as a visual progression that mirrors the energy of the day — starting with the quiet focus of setup, building through the energy of the shoot, and closing with the candid moments after the last frame. The pacing is fast but controlled, matching SLAM's editorial aesthetic.
Sound design was critical. I layered camera shutter sounds, directorial callouts, and ambient studio noise into the mix to create an immersive texture that puts you in the room. The music was selected to complement SLAM's brand identity — confident, stylish, unapologetically New York.
The BTS piece was shared across both the Knicks and SLAM social channels, reaching a combined audience of millions. It demonstrated the value of having a dedicated video producer embedded in high-profile moments — you can't recreate these moments after the fact.