In the middle of wedding season, I don’t typically take on additional work but there was no way I was going to turn down this opportunity!
Being a wedding photojournalist in Billings, Montana, I never expected to receive a call from The New York Times. But last fall I got a call from an editor with an assignment to cover the Drum Majors at a local high school football game. The article was to focus on how this year was different from the last two years in the band room and how Covid affected the band during that time.
At first I was sure it was just some strange scam but it totally wasn’t!
When I arrived at the event, I was immediately struck by the energy and passion of the band. They were full of enthusiasm and their music filled the stadium. The journalist I was partnered with began interviewing the Drum Majors as well as the band director. You could feel the energy start to build as athletes took the field and everyone returned to their stations.
This assignment was a great opportunity for me to step out of my wheelhouse as a wedding photographer and cover something new. It gave me chance to work with a different type of subject and experiment with different angles and compositions. But despite the differences, I found myself completely absorbed in the moment and discovered that it was quite similar to capturing a wedding day. Once you know who the “Stars” of the show are, all you have to do is find nice light with a dynamic situation and wait for human interactions, just like a wedding.
Live events have long been my favorite thing to photograph. It always feels like a scavenger hunt to find all the pieces to tell a story and is one of the reasons I got into weddings in the first place.
After the event, I quickly edited and submitted the photos as fast as I could and waited for the article to go live.
When I finally got word and saw the images they had selected it was an absolute honor. It is mindblowing to see my work in print in a publication of this prestige knowing that I have work published alongside some of the most talented and famous photographers in the industry. I’m talking about Pulitzer Prize winners and big-time personal heroes like Annie Leibovitz, Bill Cunningham, Joel Meyerowitz, and Steve McCurry!!
It is an assignment that I will never forget, it was truly an honor to be published and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have had my work seen by such a wide audience.
Hi! I’m primarily a wedding photojournalist but just because that’s my bread & butter doesn't mean that I don’t photograph other things. Please be sure to reach out if you need a photographer for a new headshot, a family session, or representing an international publication looking for some local talent!
