| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Don't be a Jock Sniffer
Jim Urquhart, Photographer
 |
Salt Lake City | UT | USA | Posted: 11:45 PM on 09.07.11 |
->> Put this on the Utah PJ board last week but forgot to add it here. I know this topic is covered a lot here, but with college football starting it may be good refresher for the newer shooters.
http://utahphotojournalism.com/2011/08/dont-be-a-jock-sniffer/
Cheers,
Jimmy |
|
Jim Colburn, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Omaha | NE | USA | Posted: 10:56 AM on 09.08.11 |
| ->> Thought you were talking about the famous Scottish photographer. |
|
Andrew Brosig, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
Nacogdoches | TX | United States | Posted: 9:33 AM on 09.09.11 |
| ->> Love the WTF look from the guy in the yellow shirt at photo right. Seems he can't believe the kid is cheering, either. |
|
Aaron Babcock, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Lincoln | NE | | Posted: 3:45 PM on 09.09.11 |
| ->> Great shot. I've worked in media relations for a university and an MLB team and anytime I spotted a "jocksniffers" or "hoosiers" you could be sure they weren't getting credentialed again. I'm amazed at how often I see it. |
|
Nina Zhito, Photographer
|
bay area | CA | | Posted: 2:06 AM on 09.10.11 |
->> Along the same lines though, and this is an earnest if stupid question: What do other shooters do when the national anthem plays / is performed at the beginning of an event?
Decorum dictates that one stand silently and at respectful attention along with everyone else in the stadium. On the the other hand, this heartfelt formality that concludes with emotion and energy is as much a part of the ritual of the Game as the coin toss. And I am there to cover the Game, not to spectate or cheer.
SO.... I wind up doing a lame combination of both, my 80-200 over my heart while I scan the crowd, studying, watching, waiting.
How can you do both? Or maybe, the point is, you can't. |
|
Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
|
San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 2:35 AM on 09.10.11 |
->> Nina, Unless I have a specific thing to shoot, I face the flag, stand at attention. remove my hat and put my had over my heart. At hockey games where they sometimes play, "O Canada," I similarly stand and face the flag. Sometimes I even sing because I dig the song. "O Canada" beats "The Star Spangled Banner" all to heck.
--Mark |
|
Gregory Greene, Photographer
|
Durham | NH | USA | Posted: 5:25 PM on 09.11.11 |
->> Handing out credentials doesn't necessarily mean you are
covering the game for a media outlet or organization. The
university I shoot for allows famous alumni and/or large
contributors to the athletic program on the sidelines and in
press conferences with special passes. Many of them have
cameras and they obviously cheer for the home team. I don't
begrudge them the space on the sidelines as without their
support many programs would be in even deeper trouble then
they already are. I find my angles to shoot through just
fine and don't see the need to ridicule them for home team
enthusiasm.
Not saying that is the case here but the article is written
in a way to blanket everyone and to be honest it also comes
across as somewhat elitist. |
|
Jim Urquhart, Photographer
|
Salt Lake City | UT | USA | Posted: 8:08 PM on 09.11.11 |
->> Gregory,
I wrote it with young photojournalist in mind. Not photographers, fans or jock sniffers.
If are a photojournalist or student journalist, be a photojournalist and cover the game accordingly and conduct yourself like an objective professional observer. If you work for the school, school supporter with a pass for the field or are fan, go ahead and cheer.
But you cannot be a journalist and act like a fan at the same time ... then you would be a jock sniffer.
You are employed by UNH. At this point you are provider of pics for the school and there is no ethical dilemma with your behavior as long as you don't streak the field "nekked."
But the problem is if there is a student working for the school's paper or a photojournalist working for a news organization and they "appear" to be not be acting professionally or objectively.
When I am working I strive hard to ensure no one can question my ethics. When I am being a fan, I try really hard to be remembered as, "remember that guy that was dancing around shirtless and knocking over kids and kicking cats on his way to the beer tent?"
Cheers,
Jimmy |
|
Mark Peters, Photographer
|
Highland | IL | USA | Posted: 11:22 PM on 09.11.11 |
| ->> I know there are a couple of members that referee, I was hoping they might speak up on this. If I recall correctly, I'm seem to recall hearing that any cheering outside of the team box is inappropriate, and the officiating crew can order the offender into the box or off the field. Can anyone confirm? |
|
Chuck Liddy, Photographer
|
Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 1:06 AM on 09.12.11 |
| ->> Sorry folks there is no gray area here. IF you are a JOURNALIST covering a game you don't cheer. sure inside you might be VERY happy the team you are covering won. case in point....NCAA basketball...the team you're covering wins and you get a road trip to another venue. that's great....but you don't jump up and give high five's to everyone. the football team you're covering at a bowl game wins. great...you don't run out on the field and start fist bumping the players. I make every effort NOT to wear a color close to either team I'm covering....if I f#@k up and wear a shirt the color either team I'm usually VERY embarrassed (that said, I haven't done that in many years because I check out the school colors for every game I shoot.) so jim is on target. he wasn't saying anything about the GWC, rich alumni athletic supporters on the sidelines. he's talking about the silly uninformed student "journalists" who are anything but journalists....see thread entitled "What do you guys think?" to understand why we seasoned veterans are somewhat suspect of the new breed of "photojournalists". |
|
Kent Nishimura, Student/Intern, Photographer
|
Honolulu | HI | USA | Posted: 3:04 AM on 09.12.11 |
| ->> Last night i covered the premiere for season two of Hawaii 5-0 and there was a red carpet majigger. through out it, i saw a lot of video peeps getting autographs and taking their photos with the actors. and at the end when the cast finally made their way to the stage, a photog next to me shooting for an online publication started cheering too. I immediately thought of jock sniffing, and this thread...is it the same thing? feels like it is. |
|
Gregory Greene, Photographer
|
Durham | NH | USA | Posted: 9:50 AM on 09.12.11 |
| ->> Totally agree with the principle of journalistic integrity. My beef is with the assumption that you are a photojournalist because you have a press pass and a camera. That's not always the case from the events that I cover and the first line of the article makes this implication. Hopefully the author knew the guy or talked with him to find out that he actually was a photojournalist. Otherwise, he just publicly ridiculed some poor guy who may have simply been friends with the Media Relations Director and got a press pass to go on the sidelines. As photographers we should be well aware by now that looks can be deceiving. |
|
George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 10:05 AM on 09.12.11 |
| ->> Can someone please send that article to the woman next to me at an NFL game yesterday who, with very short lens on monopod and sideline photographer vest, started jumping up and down with her fist in the air cheering on a fumble recovery? |
|
Chuck Liddy, Photographer
|
Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 10:15 AM on 09.12.11 |
| ->> @george. I told my mom to do that just to piss you off. |
|
Ed Coombs, Photographer
|
Available upon | NY | | Posted: 12:25 PM on 09.13.11 |
->> I photograph our local high school's sports teams. Both of my sons have football games and for the first time in many years they beat a Div II A team in their division. The head coach used to be an assistant to the previous head coach.
I photographed the game and their celebration and asked the coach if I could photograph his post game talk with the boys on the filed and he told me, "Mr. Coombs, you are the only parent that I have never heard say a word, either on the sideline, in the stands or in the press box, even when you're being egged on by someone. You're welcome on my sidelines any time."
Its hard to not get excited but its also easy to remain in control because I actually focus on work.
Its really hard when you know the game having coached it myself. I get photos of controversial calls and the head coach looks at me and he knows if he's right or wrong by a nod of my head. He also knows I wont show it to him. I'm not there for the press. I am there for the boosters, district and other users, I'm not there reporting on the game.
However, I'll admit that I almost missed a great shot because I was focusing on my 15 year old, 265 pound, 6'2" lineman giving out a little chin music to an opposing lineman which I was photographing as well. |
|
Chris Peterson, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Columbia Falls | MT | USA | Posted: 12:49 PM on 09.13.11 |
->> With all due respect to the profession, I can recall many pro photographers yelling into their cameras during Buffalo Bills games in the Jim Kelly era. Not exactly fist pumping, mind you, but they sure as hell liked to "coach" to anyone who would listen. They were annoying as hell.
I no longer shoot pro sports, though I still cheer into my camera on occasion, even if no one can hear me. Though I must admit, no fist pumping. |
|
Andy Mitchell, Photographer, Assistant
|
soddy daisy | TN | USA | Posted: 10:01 PM on 09.14.11 |
| ->> Being behind the camera keeps me from being thrown out of the venue if a bad call is made. etc... I quietly cheer to myself when I am covering my local team or my sons team. The people they let on the sidelines around here are louder than the cheerleaders sometimes. |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|