How I Got Into Sports Photography

If you followed my work before October 2023, you never saw sports in any of my pictures. Portrait, fashion and urban portraiture is what I posted. While I still shoot these genres, at least half of my time behind the camera is spent at sporting events. So, what happened?

It began in August of last year. I wrote the first five thousand words of a short story which takes place in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where I lived when I attended art school. The protagonist, in my story, shoots for a newspaper, covering daily news in New York City. Eventually, he’s assigned to cover baseball. As I imagined what it would be like to shoot the game, it occurred to me that it would be interesting to capture athletic competition as it unfolded before my eyes. I had never considered doing this. The idea of photographically arresting the moment when an athlete exerts maximum effort, strength and spirit, suddenly intrigued me. And what about the expressions of victory and defeat?

For weeks the notion of shooting athletics rattled in my mind. Then, on Instagram, a Fresno State football post came up though I rarely had these on my feed. I messaged the photographer, inquiring how he gained access to photographing the game. He gave me a name. I looked up the lead on Fresno State’s website, and that person referred me to a lady who connected me with the director of creative services at Bulldogs Vision.

I sent an email with samples of my work though none were of sports given that I had never shot athletics and followed up with with a phone call two days later. My images must have made an impression because a meeting was arranged. Andrew and Matt decided to give me an opportunity and how fortunate I am for that! Now, I’m part of a full team of photographers and videographers creating content for Fresno State Athletics. I’ve been enjoying it very much!

Aside from my FSU game assignments, I’m now developing photo essays for Fresno State rugby. I’m also expanding beyond college as I have in-the-works an article about the Madera South High girl’s wrestling team, the first girl’s team in the region. These will begin trickling onto this blog in late November.

This week, however, I’m getting ready for a big Saturday of Bulldogs football. San José State will be in town. The game will be a triple shot of awesomeness. It’s homecoming as well as the blackout game. To top it off, the great Bulldogs linebacker, Ron Cox, will see his name added to the Ring of Honor at the stadium. Oh, and after the game, there will be a drone show.

Indeed, sports photography, provides much excitement and dynamic pictures. It has challenged me in new ways and it’s lead me to amazing experiences. I’m thrilled about the future work that I planned and excited about what else may come my way in athletics.

Below, I leave with eight pictures reflecting my first year as a photographer for Bulldogs Vision.

Thank you for reading my post. Stay tuned for more articles, interviews and features. Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question below.