‘Baseball was my livelihood, pictures is a ardour,’ Randy Johnson says

Randy Johnson is greatest generally known as a Hall of Fame pitcher, five-time Cy Young Award winner and World Champion with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

But in his post-baseball profession, he’s traded his mitt for a lens. He’s had reveals of his pictures and now has a e-book out documenting his travels in Africa, referred to as “Experiencing Africa.”

He’ll be at Changing Hands Bookstore on Tuesday evening to speak about it.

Johnson studied photojournalism whereas he was in faculty at USC. He instructed The Show what led him again to pictures in his post-baseball life.

Full dialog

RANDY JOHNSON: Well, as a result of I began touring then, I wasn’t touring to ballparks and taking part in baseball anymore, and I used to be touring and having fun with what folks do when, you already know, they’re retired with my household.

And I used to be simply seeing issues that I believed had been wonderful, and for the primary time, and I believed it was nice to take footage of them. And then I began peeling the layers away on numerous journeys and began going to completely different areas and completely different journeys.

And then inevitably, you already know, found Africa. And that was one cause why I’ve traveled there so many instances, as a result of there’s so many alternative locations to go in Africa.

MARK BRODIE: Yeah, what appeals to you a lot about that continent? … What appeals to you about that place? 

JOHNSON: I feel the animals, the folks, there was a lot that Africa supplied and it wasn’t simply animals, you already know. I went trekking up into the Rwandan mountains to see silverback gorillas.

I went to Ethiopia two instances, so not solely was it an important pictures expertise, therefore the pictures reveals I used to be in a position to have due to it, but in addition the espresso desk e-book, but in addition the cultural expertise that I received from it and studying extra about Africa and the folks there in Ethiopia and the tradition and the life-style and their each day routine.

So it simply appealed to me, to not say that I do not like touring to different locations, it is only a vacation spot that you already know, very snug with. And I really feel like I’m simply flexing the floor there.

BRODIE: Do you discover that when you’re taking pictures photographs that you’re leaning on the talents you discovered in faculty? I imply, have you ever taken courses or completed something in addition to that? 

JOHNSON: Well, that was again within the ‘80s. I mean, I barely even use a film camera. I do have one and I do use it. But I mean, that was back in 1983 through ‘85. So we’re talking, that was a long time ago, and I’ve learned a lot more since then. Everything’s digital, and, you know, I’m on YouTube learning how to, you know, do things and edit and things like that.

So, I mean, just like baseball, I’ve come, you know, I came a long ways in baseball by going out there and doing it and correcting my mistakes. It’s the same thing, same process you would do with anything, hence my photography.

BRODIE: Yeah. Do you see similarities between photography, the kind you’re doing now, and being a pitcher? 

JOHNSON: Taking pictures and actually throwing pitches and stuff, the only thing, you know, not really. I mean, I guess there’s some focus that has to go into both of them, but, you know, baseball was my livelihood, my, you know, photography is a passion. It keeps my mind right and keeps me busy and occupied.

BRODIE: I’ve read where you’ve said that you prefer shooting landscape scenes, shooting nature as opposed to, for example, sporting events. I’m curious why that is. 

JOHNSON: Well, because I, I’ve been playing sports my whole life since I was 7 years old, and I retired when I was 46. So a good chunk of my life was playing sports.

And so why wouldn’t I want to see other parts of the world and other things that the world has to offer and capture those through photography and be able to share those experiences.

BRODIE: Are you somebody who, if you are traveling somewhere, always has a camera with you, even if it’s not specifically a photo shoot? 

JOHNSON: Yeah, not always. No. You know, sometimes the best cameras, the one you have in your back pocket.

BRODIE: Do you take a lot of iPhone or cellphone photography if need be? 

JOHNSON: Yeah, sure.

BRODIE: Is there somewhere that you would like to go or someplace, something that you would like to photograph that you haven’t yet had a chance to? Like what’s on the list next? 

JOHNSON: I’m getting ready to go to Africa again in November. And, you know, my bucket list is really deep. So right now I just kind of, you know, go where I’m planning, which is, which is Africa for about a week.

And beyond that, you know, I, you know, talk to other photographers and see what other people are taking photos of. And I just kind of get ideas through that. And then if I do stumble upon the location, well, then I’d start doing more research, Googling it, seeing the pictures that are coming out of that area. And, you know, if it’s something that I want to take on.

BRODIE: Is there a photographer or some photographers that you look to for inspiration? 

JOHNSON: Not really. You know, I think there’s so many photographers out there now. You know, if you were talking 30, 40 years ago, then there would have only been, you know, probably a third of what, what there is now.

BRODIE: Yeah.

JOHNSON: Everybody’s a photographer because everybody’s got an iPhone, everybody’s got a camera and everybody, you know, takes pictures. And there wasn’t, there wasn’t social media 30, 40 years in the past. So you actually needed to be a photographer and to indicate folks your work. You needed to have reveals and issues of that nature.

You nonetheless do, but it surely’s quite a bit simpler. Everybody is usually a photographer and publish issues on social media, and now you are exposing your work to the world via social media, the place actually nice photographers that did it for a residing did not have that outlet again then.