HEATHER BARRY IMAGES

If covering baseball in the summer wasn’t weird with 30 thousand plus cardboard cutouts and fake crowd noise, covering hockey in a pandemic makes it that much weirder. 

306 days. Almost a full calendar year since the world stopped moving, feeling hopeless and in doubt of the career choice I made, all of those thoughts and fears melted away driving back to the Sports Complex Wednesday afternoon. 

Entering the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday was bizarre as it felt almost normal at first. Same entrance, same protocol until you step out to a silent concourse that’s usually jam packed with fans, lines for crab fries and beers....all of that was gone. 

Then, came assignments. Traditionally, these are given out in a round table style by Flyers PR but this time it’s listed prior to the game, which personally I enjoy. For those who don’t know assignments are given and typically you’re in a different spot each period vs other sports where you can move at anytime. This rule still applies without fans and with protocols, even more restricted than before. 

Warmups is usually first come, first serve and in any location you would like, preferably I like to switch up my locations for those to practice on photography techniques so being back in the club box for that was a joy with a 400mm.

With limited photo holes (a.k.a. portals to us) and no fans we had more shooting locations behind the glass which is sweeeeet. There’s also no netting above the glass, and for safety purposes it’s either ice level, ice level behind the nets, or the first row of the club box, which really makes tests your skills in what to shoot in each location, and I thrived on challenges like that in prior seasons. To be honest, just being fortunate enough to be in the building I’ll make it work at any angle as a storyteller.

Next lets dive into workflow and the media area. In former seasons, we have a designated photo and media workroom that’s overseen by gameday staff and secured. This season even with limited staff and security, the media workstation is located at one of the entrances of the building with tables, chairs and hand sanitizers. Personally, due to the equipment value I’m typically carrying around in general, I usually don’t like to leave it out anywhere without security personnel in a room or in an open space, so I carried two bags full of equipment around (mind you the black rolling bag is 45 pounds heavy fully loaded. One big perk? It’s like weightlifting while working! 

Without traffic (another perk) I now am able to just drive home and finish my photo editing and culling, since with new protocols you’re not allowed to stay in the building much after the last period ends. In my normal workflow, I will stay for press conference, complete my photo set in the media room while waiting for traffic leaving the complex to slow up, which usually leaves me to not getting home until close to midnight on 7pm starts. I will say getting some extra shut eye and more productivity at home is a win in my book, even though I do miss the fans and crowd since it does make the game that much eclectic. 

Howdy! Sharing below just a few questions users and aspiring photographers have asked via social media about the job and what it entails. I hope you enjoy it!

Q: How you keep inspiring during the pandemic to stay fresh and creative. I’ve seen a lot of creators struggling with it this year. Myself included.

Honestly, I have been struggling with this as well on and off since March. Creative walls have really come in waves more so than ever. I do suggest bringing a camera with you on walks or anywhere you go (doesn’t have to be glamourous). It can be an iPhone to a pro-body DSLR and just take photos that bring you joy vs that ‘assignment’ mindset.

Q: What mode do you shoot in? I normally shoot hockey in manual since it's indoors. Is there a shutter speed you try to stay above?

I shoot in manual mode about 99% of the time. If I am outdoors and it’s a windy day with clouds/direct sunlight sometimes I shoot Aperture priority mode. Ideally, for sports I try to stay at 1/1000th or higher to freeze the action. 

Q: Do you shoot RAW and JPEG when shooting sports?

JPEG about 90% of the time since I have quick turnover for media now. Any other occasion that is not sports or urgent turnover it’s JPEG + RAW. I did spend a season shooting only RAW but the workflow was so sluggish. I highly recommend trying it though to focus on post production and understanding your camera, exposure etc. if you’re up to the challenge. 

Q: Also when shooting sporting events (or even concerts I suppose), how quick do teams or organizations expect to have photos submitted from you to post to either websites or social media?

Great question. Every outlet has different requirements. My workflow has drastically changed since the major sports want immediate image use, so I upload on my phone, edit in Photoshop express and send. Non-sports related you have more time.

Q: Did you go to college for photography? Also, how hard was it to find a job.

No, I did not attend art and fine arts photography school. I am a self taught photographer, I went to college for business and a minor in fashion design. As for finding a job in this market, it is a competitive field and it’s not glamourous. It’s all about your work ethic, networking, connections, and experience to land these roles. Expect to work long, thank-less hours and handling critiques. In my journey, I spent years photographing part-time and now I am fortunate enough to do this for a living and full-time, in a pandemic in all times. 

Q: What are your go-to lenses for each specific sport you frequently cover?

For sports in general, my go-to glass is the 70-200mm and 16-35mm. I also love prime lenses, a 50mm is always fun and looking at an 85mm or 100mm for more quiet moments. 400mm is amazing for soccer and baseball, getting the reach you need from a photo well or sidelines, where sports with closer contact don’t typically require those long lenses. 

That’s all for this weeks blog, next week I will be going over game day workflow!