Randy Johnson retired from the MLB after the 2009 season and turned to his love of photography. Check out what is he doing now.
Randy Johnson : Photographer | What is doing now
Randall David Johnson, nicknamed “The Big Unit”, is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.
| Baseball Pitcher | |
| Born: September 10, 1963 Walnut Creek, California |
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Batted: Right
Threw: Left
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At 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), Johnson was the tallest player in MLB history when he entered the league: a factor that contributed to his extremely intimidating persona and pitching style.
He is particularly known for his overpowering fastball and devastating slider, a combination which remained effective throughout his lengthy career.
Randy Johnson Photographer
In truth, photograph was Johnson’s first love — he just happened to be really, really, really good at baseball.
He studied photojournalism at USC from 1983-85, and the “about” section of his photography website notes that baseball was his occupation, but photography was his passion.
Don’t get it twisted, Johnson obviously loved the game of baseball too, but he acknowledges that the fame of being a pro athlete (and the money, naturally) has afforded him opportunities to get where other photographers might not, and travel to places beyond the means of many.
Also, we can’t discuss this any longer without mentioning that Johnson has, without question, the funniest logo he could ever have for his photography business.
Truth be told, anyone would be envious of the post-baseball life Johnson has led being a photographer.
He’s a staple at NFL games where he adds to his sports portfolio, he travels around the world shooting photos of wildlife in Africa, Asia and beyond — always hungry to visit a new place he hasn’t seen yet. Hell, in 2015 he was even the official tour photographer for Rush … RUSH!
Johnson told Fox Sports Arizona, according to Cronkite News, that the bird was “a blur going across home plate and the ball simultaneously hitting that blur.
“It’s just hard to really put that into perspective. It happened so quick.”
What is doing now
Johnson retired from the MLB after the 2009 season and turned to his love of photography.
Being a photographer interested him since he attended college when he worked for the Daily Trojan but baseball took his primary focus after he was drafted by the Expos.
Following his retirement, Johnson opened his own photography company in 2010, using an image of a dead bird as his logo.
Although he does occasionally take photos of his old sport, Johnson told WTOP News in 2015 that he prefers motorsports.
“Baseball is great,” he said, “but I did that my whole life. I can’t see myself sitting in a photo pit taking photos.”
He said it is the fast movement of the cars and the bright colors which make for better photos.
“I’m not sure really why, but motorsports are the ones that really excite me,” he said. “It’s just so fast, there’s so much going on.”
Speaking about his switch to photography from MLB, Johnson told the outlet: “I have as much of a passion for this as I did for baseball.
“It’s great to be driven just as much. I know I won’t get burnt out on photography.”
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