Media Day

When I started working at Gardiner Area High School there was a lack of engagement and involvement in the athletics at the school, especially coming out of COVID. I started a sports photography club which exploded and led to many different things. One of these things was offering our athletes the opportunity to have a college-style media day each sports season. Most of these athletes won’t continue playing after high school so this is was their only opportunity for something like this.

Young female lacrosse player with dark hair, wearing a white and black uniform with orange accents, holding a lacrosse stick, and lifting one knee.
Youth football player in white uniform with orange helmet holding football against a black background.
A young woman in a cheerleader uniform with orange pom-poms and a white bow in her hair standing against a black background.
A young male athlete dressed in a white football uniform, crouching on artificial green turf, pointing toward the camera, with an orange football on the ground nearby, against a black background.
A lacrosse player in black and orange gear, wearing a helmet and gloves, holding a lacrosse stick with a netted head, standing against a black background with craft lighting.
A young female athlete with long red hair holding a black sports jersey with orange letters spelling "GARDNER" against an orange background.
Young female athlete with long blonde hair wearing a white sports jersey with the number 7 and team name printed on it, standing with arms crossed against a plain gray background.
A girl in a cheerleading uniform holding a large white megaphone against an orange background.
Young woman in soccer uniform holding a soccer ball against a black background
A female volleyball player in a white long-sleeve jersey, black shorts, and white sneakers, standing on one leg with her fists clenched and mouth open, against an orange background.
Young male basketball player in a black jersey with cross arms, facing camera with a confident expression.
A young female basketball player with long brown hair, pointing and smiling at the camera while holding a basketball over her shoulder, dressed in a black and orange basketball uniform with the number 12, against an orange background.
Young man in sports uniform jumping with one leg raised, holding a water bottle, expressing energetic emotions.
Young male soccer player in a white jersey, black shorts, and soccer cleats standing on grass with one foot on a soccer ball, holding his hand above his eyes and looking into the distance, against a black background.
A lacrosse goalie in black gear with a white helmet and orange helmet visor, arms crossed, holding a lacrosse stick.
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A lot goes into media day…

I start each one by planning and prepping what the shoots are going to look like. I would try to plan an engaging day for each athlete with multiple stations to keep them busy. This includes: Headshots, Full Body Shots, Interviews, and something additional (voting for superlatives, signing their names, slo-mo shots, etc.)

I contact each coach individually and schedule and organize their media day time. I oversee my students as they take photos and interact with coaches and athletes, while making sure everything runs smoothly.

Girls playing lacrosse indoors, with a photographer filming, and lighting equipment set up for a photoshoot.
A young female athlete is posing for a photo in front of a black backdrop during a photoshoot, with a photographer taking her picture.
Two young people standing in front of a desktop computer in a room with colorful posters on the wall, with a third person partially visible on the right. The girl is holding a camera, and the boy appears to be thinking or stressed, touching his head.

I would then edit the photos and put together videos (meet the team, question of the day, etc). Social media stories and posts were crafted to engage the community throughout the season. We receive incredible feedback from the athletes and their families every season and I strive to try something new and get better with each one.

A young man is standing against a white backdrop during a photo shoot, with a woman operating a camera in front of him.
A teenage boy with short brown hair, wearing a black sports jersey and white shorts, is sitting on a chair, holding a microphone near his mouth, with a basket on his lap and a blue wristband on his right wrist.

Sports Review

In a Sports Media class, students attended various fall sporting events to photograph events, they helped run the fall sports media day, and interviewed coaches and athletes to write articles covering the season.