I’m going to preach from the pulpit today so I’m going to need the congregation to gather closer and listen. Dearly beloved we’ve gathered here to share in the undeniable fact that an iPhone is not a Professional Camera. Again for those late to today’s sermon, an iPhone is not a Professional Camera.
As a sports photographer I have found things that annoy me when shooting games. From obnoxious fans to all about me in game reporters there is a laundry list of things that bother me when I’m shooting a sports photographer. These are just a few of the bigger one that tend to rub me the wrong way.
To say I didn’t know what to expect in my first season shooting for the NHL would be an understatement. While my hopes of shooting the Stanley Cup faded in the second round of the Playoffs, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It was such a wild ride and the non-stop action made it all that much better. Of course when you get to cover the best team in hockey, it definitely makes things more enjoyable.
It seems like every other week sports photographers on social media are bashing one of their own for something they did that either caused them no miss a shot or ruin it for someone else. Even though sports photographers will preach about mental health constantly on social media, we’re the first ones to put someone on blast or tear them down for something they did. And to be honest it’s mostly the experienced people attacking the newer ones. Reality is that there are rules or etiquette for sports photographers. Some are obvious, others unwritten.
It feels like with the adaptation of 4k, 8k etc. that video is the go to medium when it comes to sports. On the sidelines and baselines videographers appear to outnumber photographers. While video has been the hot item recently, photography in sports is still important. Now more than ever.
When I was hired by the NHL to be one of their photographers in their LSC program I thought hockey was just another sport for me to photograph. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Photographing NHL hockey is a whole other beast entirely and honestly, I wasn’t ready for it.
The 2021 MLB Opening Day marked the start of my third season as a photographer for Major League Baseball and like the start of the 2020 season, we still were dealing with the effects of Covid. This year was a little different as I was not shooting from the photo wells to start the season, but from the stands. Was it ideal, no, but you play the hand you were dealt not the one you hoped for. The big difference to start this season was that fans were allowed back to the games albeit a limited number of fans to start the season.
The 2020 MLB season was definitely a unique one. 2020 in general was a whole other story to be honest. For the 2020 MLB season I was tested for Covid numerous times a week and I was the only sports photographer, other than the Marlins team photographer, in the well shooting. There were 60 games in 60 days and I had a stretch of 14 games in 10 days including a few double headers. The 2020 MLB season truly was an experience and one that I’m more than ok with not having again.
As a sports photographer, it is super important that my sports photography workflow for during and after games is on point. If I’m slow transmitting photos up to the teams, the leagues or wherever then the chances of my photos being picked up dramatically decreases. The whole point of my sports photography workflow is to get my photos off my camera and uploaded in the shortest amount of time possible.