First, I would like to thank Scott and Brad for having me on as their guest this week.
I am a sports photographer covering the Boston market for USA Today Sports, and also a portrait photographer and graphic designer.
I started my sports shooting journey with USA Today Sports back in June 2011, shortly after the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. My second assignment had me covering a Red Sox game against the A’s and little did I know, the Stanley Cup Champs would be at Fenway as well – with the Stanley Cup. Prior to covering sports for USA Today Sports, I was shooting for a small wire service where I was able to gain experience and knowledge.
Rewind to 2008 when I purchased my first digital camera, a Nikon D80. I had no idea how to use it, I knew nothing about the lenses that came with it. All I knew is I wanted to make great photos.
Having been a NAPP member for years, following Scott, and reading his blog daily, I knew he was into photography and had written some great books. I ended up buying his Digital Photography Book series, which was the foundation that enabled me to become the photographer I am today.
Slowly, I began learning more about exposure, composition, shutter speed and aperture, but really had no idea what area of photography I wanted to excel in. I was taking pictures of everything from plants, to landscapes and cars, to portraits of my kids in hopes of making some good photos.
At this time my oldest son was playing little league baseball. What a perfect opportunity to do some sports photography. For the next 3 years I photographed every one of his little league games. I upgraded some of my gear, buying a 70-200mm, a D300 and a 300mm that came with a 1.4x teleconverter and I started covering high school sports for MaxPreps. I was gaining more and more experience, getting into a comfort zone, and meeting other shooters along the way who graciously offered tips and advice.
I met a local photographer who also covered games for MaxPreps. We shared stories on our experiences covering games at the high school level and he was kind enough to look at some of my work and offer advice on composition, among other things. Having looked at his website, I noticed he had some game action photos of the New England Patriots and I asked him how he got access. He said he freelanced for a small wire service. He was kind enough to give me contact info, and I sent out an email stating my interest in working with them. Within a week I was covering AHL and college hockey.
After covering numerous games at the college and minor league level, I wanted more. I felt ready enough to step up my game and start covering the major sports teams here in Boston.
I sent emails to AP, Getty Images, US Presswire (which is now USA Today Sports) in the spring of 2011 voicing my interest in being a contributor. After several weeks, US Presswire had responded to my inquiry and explained their process for hiring new photographers.
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