Frosty the Duck is model of composure for ESPN The Magazineâ€™s College Football Issue

With ESPN The Magazineâ€™s College Football Preview currently on newsstands, Front Row caught up with Karen Frank, senior deputy photo editor, to discuss one particular photo worth quacking about (on page 39). Please note: No animals were harmed in the making of this photo. "After brainstorming ideas for the College Football Preview, we knew we wanted to include the [defending national champion Florida State] Seminoles in the image although did not think we could show all four teams predicted to make the playoffs. Considering Oregon is predicted to be a No. 4 seed, and likely the first playoff opponent for FSU, we decided to go with the duck versus the burning spear." "We photographed the duck [in a New York City studio] with unlit spears tacked to the back wall. After the duck left, we lit the spears and photographed them. The two images were then combined in (post-production)." "The Magazine has worked with photographer Jill Greenberg [pictured, holding Frosty], someone who is known for her work with animals, in the past. The duck from our particular shoot came from an agency called â€œAll Tame Animals.â€ His name was â€œFrostyâ€ and he lives on a farm in Long Island. This was his first shoot for ESPN and although he is not exactly trained, he had a handler on site to help keep him calm and on his mark."

“We photographed the duck [in a New York City studio] with unlit spears tacked to the back wall. After the duck left, we lit the spears and photographed them. The two images were then combined in (post-production).”

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