COLUMBUS, Ohio – I love the game of hockey. Like other writers and photojournalists, I grew up playing the game. I dragged my mom and dad to five in the morning practices, traveled more than an hour to play a game, and living in Southern California at the time, having to take on weird looks when you tell somebody you play hockey. As a photographer, I am there to work, photograph the game, write about it, and get it in on time. Why do I do this? It brings back memories of being a kid who fell in love with the game, and I love to tell stories.
at the Arnold Sports Festival.
I remember when I fell in love with the game of hockey. I had just began to play and was an avid King’s fan. It was Christmas morning 1985. My Dad gave me the best Christmas gift a kid hockey player at that time could ever receive; Tickets to see the Soviet Red Army Team play against the Los Angeles Kings. The Red Army Team was the Soviet national team at the time, and they were the best in the world. I don’t remember much of the game, but I do remember watching awe dropped at the skill of the Russian team. Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov, and Sergei Makarov, better known as the KLM line weaved through the Kings defense with grace and jaw dropping speed. The accuracy of their passes and shots were with surgical precision. It was a miracle the Kings only lost 5-2.
The joy and the adrenalin rush of watching that Kings game against the Soviets is the same kind of rush when I’m photographing the Columbus Blue Jackets. Getting shots of Sergei Bobrovsky making the save or Brandon Saad scoring a goal and getting that celebration shot is like playing hockey as a kid. Getting a great standalone shot is like
November 14, 2015: 2015: Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23) scores the tying goal against Columbus in the second period in Columbus, Ohio. Brent Clark/Alamy Live News
scoring a goal for your youth hockey team. Your coach, the editor, gets just as fired up as your youth coach does when you light the lamp. When I’m writing about the game, describing the plays and the emotion of the game from my perspective is like re living what I just saw; The slam of bodies being hit into the boards, the crack of a stick during a slapshot and the roar of the crowd after a goal or the boos of a crowd after a bad call.
As a journalist, whether you are a photographer, writer or both, this is what you live for. Telling the story from your own perspective instead of reading it or viewing a photograph written or shot by someone else is by far the better choice. Your own words or photographs and seeing it in print or being published on a website for a professional writer or photographer is like being a musician and hearing your own song being played
on the radio. You get to do that night after night. There are times when I get to bed late at night. At times, I don’t get to see my wife during the evening. Sacrifices are made to bring the reporting of the greatest professional sport in the world. There is nothing else I would rather do.
Here is my point. If you are doing something day after day and night after night that you hate, why are you doing it? What is it that keeps you from pursuing your dreams? What are you really passionate about? I love being a photographer and writer. It is what I am really passionate about. I am blessed to have this opportunity. My biggest hope for you in reading this is to live your dreams. Nobody is going to do this for you.
18 Dec, 2014-Columbus Ohio- Columbus’ Jared Boll (blue) exchanges punches with with Capitals center Michael Latta in their game Thursday.
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) defends the wrap around against Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger (16) during a regular season game between the Columbus Bluejackets and the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Nov.19th.
November 14, 2015: Columbus Blue Jackets center William Karlsson (25) celebrates his second goal of the nigh with Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Kevin Connauton (4) in the third period against Arizona in Columbus, Ohio. Brent Clark/Alamy Live News
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