Photographer Marcus Eriksson has shot just about everything, from His Royal Airness to an angry grizzly bear. His all-time favourite? Shooting the Sedin twins for Sportsnet magazine.
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Sportsnet: Who are some of the biggest professional athletes you’ve photographed?
Marcus Eriksson: I would say probably Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony and Colin Kaepernick. Those would probably be my top three.
SN: Why?
ME: I mean, MJ is who he is, so that’s pretty exciting. He’s just so professional. I’ve shot Carmelo so many times that I’ve gotten to know him a little bit. He has a very interesting personality. Kaepernick is a lot of fun, and he’s an easy-going guy. I like when superstars are down to earth. You realize that they’re just people.
SN: Are the Sedins your favorite hockey players?
ME: Oh, absolutely. The Sedin shoot for me was bigger than MJ. Bigger than anything.
SN: How did you feel when you found out you’d be shooting them?
ME: Lucky. [laughs] I’m Swedish and I’ve been following those guys for a very long time. It was so fun to shoot them. We spoke Swedish the whole time. Nobody else could understand what we were saying.
SN: How did you prepare for the shoot?
ME: I did a bunch of research on what kind of poses and angles work best for [the Sedins]. I created a mood board. Having those reference photos in the back of my head while I was actually shooting made a big difference. I knew I didn’t have that much time. I think we had an hour. So I needed to be pretty efficient.
SN: Could you tell them apart?
ME: Yes. For me, they look pretty different. Also, when you talk to them, Henrik is more outgoing and Daniel is more reserved.
SN: Which brother is more photogenic?
ME: [laughs] I would say Henrik, though sometimes Daniel. It kind of depends on the photo. But in my experience from that particular shoot, I’d say Henrik was more photogenic.
SN: What ended up being the best shot?
ME: My favourite was the action shot of the two of them on the ice. That one came together at the very last minute. It was a little bit awkward to get both of them [in the frame]. But at the end of it, it came out pretty good.
SN: What did you learn about the Sedins that you didn’t know before the shoot?
ME: That they are really good at math. Maybe that translates into the game and how they’re able to do what they do.
SN: Would you look forward to working with the Sedins again?
ME: Oh, absolutely.
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