On the outskirts of Rome, Michigan linebacker Mike McCray stood on a beach with a camera dangling around his neck, studying the scene, waiting for the right moment, sensing it coming.
Patience and timing and anticipation are everything – in football, to be sure, but also when making photographs.
His teammates were scattered. Some were back in a restaurant, eating pasta or waiting for a round of gelato. Others were on the lake in boats or playing volleyball or on chairs and listening to rap music with a group of Italian kids.
But McCray stood there, waiting.