Alumnus in focus: Mike Roemer ’86
Whether he’s harnessed and hanging out of a helicopter, chasing the NFL action from the sidelines, lighting his studio for a star, or focusing on commercial work, photographer Mike Roemer ’86 is always passionate about getting the perfect shot. His sports photography has won numerous national honors. Here he gives Inside readers some insight to his many adventures.
Top assignment: “Too many to list, from the Packers snow globe game of 2007, to open heart surgeries, to directing and shooting casino shoots with professional models for gaming clients. If I only shot for one type of client, I would get a little bored and not be as passionate about what I shoot.”
Cool factor: “Having a view and access to those things that most people don’t. My week can go from shooting commercial work for companies like Marriott International in California, to Con-way Trucking in the Arizona desert, to environmental portraits for a healthcare client in the Midwest, followed by a Packers game or UWGB sporting event on the weekend.”
Most difficult: “Tragedy. I worked for newspaper for 10 years after graduation covering tragedy: car accidents, fires, those type of things. That I don’t miss.”
Excitement: “As I was shooting aerials for a local real estate client, the helicopter pilot asked if I could shoot a photo of his home. He got so low that I was looking eye-level with the roof of his two-story home, and so close that I couldn’t keep the entire side of the home in frame with a wide-angle lens. That’s when I heard in my headset the words you never want to hear from your pilot, “Oh #$%^!” After a couple of hard bounces in his front yard, we came skidding to a stop, just missing a basketball hoop and flagpole. After digging the sod out of the landing gear we continued the shoot. But as I kept asking the pilot “Is that noise normal?” we decided to cut the shoot short that day.”
Favorite shoot: Climbing to the top of he Mt. Rushmore “heads” for a story on the maintenance of the monument.
Celebrity ‘awe’?: “Not much. In a studio shot for Mountain Dew, Brett Favre had to simulate spraying a two-liter bottle of soda much like you would for a champagne celebration. Brett got into it and had fun… much different then the Brett I shot on the football field for 12 years.”
More than sports: “People know me from Packers and Phoenix games. Many are surprised when they go to RoemerPhoto.com and they see the other types of work that I do.”
UW-Green Bay memories: “My favorite class and best memories are from my sailing class and my time down at the old outing center sailing the FJ collegiate racing boats. This past summer I got back into one of those boats — it brought back memories. (Either the FJs were a lot smaller back then or I’ve become less flexible). As for photography, Jerry Dell’s classes and my internships at newspaper like the Appleton Post Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal gave me a wide range of knowledge and experience that have made me successful today.”
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A version of this story appears in the February 2009 edition of the Inside UW-Green Bay print magazine. The cover theme was art, theatre and music alumni.
