October 27, 2019
During the 2019-2020 football season, I've been focusing on only shooting video during the games. With my current workflow, it's difficult to fit in 600+ photos every Friday to look at and edit. Photographers have become a dime a dozen and with the advancement and affordability of professional grade cameras, almost anyone can take photos. Don't get me wrong, it's not that easy when you're working through low light conditions and need to know how to edit properly. However, most families are looking for photos to simply capture a few memories of their athlete. I tend to focus on the more artistic form, which is why I've always subscribed to my own motto of "if I can't feel any emotion, I'm not interested".
During the game on Friday, October 25th, I shot a lot of video, but decided to come out of "Friday night light photography" retirement. It was senior night, and for me it was pretty special because some of the football players, who are seniors, were some of the first students I spoke to when I started visiting the high school for prevention education presentations while I was a Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Some of them grew up with my daughter and some of their parents have been instrumental figures in my life. So, for one game, I pressed the shutter button a few times in between pressing the record button.
I'm extremely proud of all of these students and even more appreciative for their acceptance of a person who has tried to be an extension of their parents/guardians over the last 4-5 years.
If there's any advice that I have for other photographers out there in the world who are taking photos of students it would be to actually get to know the students in your community. Don't treat them like a number in your quest of "how many senior sessions can I do in a year" or "how much money can i make off of this family". Get to know these awesome kiddos and their families. The reward from the relationships you build and the stories that are shared with you are worth more than any price you can place on the experience.
