My favorite part about being a photographer is getting to attend every sporting event and being right up next to the players. It's a completely different experience than watching the game from the stands.
This year, I've already gotten to take on a ton of sports assignments for The Post.
I kicked off the year with shooting the Ohio volleyball's Green and White scrimmage, an intra-squad game. The game took place in the Athens Community Center, which is incredibly dark, but I still managed to make some nice photos.
When I shot the OU vs. Florida Gulf Coast volleyball game, I was able to take better photos because the Convo has so much more light. It was also a much more emotional game because the Bobcats weren't playing against themselves.
I've shot some Ohio football practices since I've been at school and getting to do so brought me back to my internship this past spring with the Washington Redskins. What fascinates me is how similar the Bobcats' football practice is to the Redskins'.
If you saw the first print edition of The Post tabloid this year, my portrait was on the cover. I love taking sports portraits — or "sportraits" as we photogs call them. In this photo I used a flash to fill in the shadows so you could see the stadium.
As much as I enjoy OU football, I love an excuse to shoot Athens High School football. The games are messy and there are so many more mistakes, which makes for some great photos.
The best part of high school football is the post-play shots. When younger players mess up they don't try to hide their frustration. It's all visible on the field.
For the rest of the year, I'm excited to shoot more sports photos, make more portraits and all that comes with it. I love an excuse to spend all day shooting sports — or maybe my whole life.
