Trade Secrets: High school sports are not just about the action

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2005-07-25

Trade Secrets: High school sports are not just about the action
Bruce Ely's photo column called 'Sidelines' is the second in a series of SportsShooter.com features called "Trade Secrets."

By Bruce Ely, The Oregonian

Photo by Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

This picture was of a dejected quarterback after a playoff game drew alot of reader interest.

Idea: Its hard to believe, but I used to be a high jumper back in high school. I jumped 5 feet, 10 inches - which is completely average. I was never good enough to get my picture in my hometown paper, The Spokesman Review. I wasn't good enough, and my team wasn't good enough. Just like most newspapers, space in the sports section goes to the biggest and best athletes in the community.

I am sure every sports photographer out there has gone to an event and come back with a great picture - only to have it not published because it wasn't of the winner. Some of the best moments in high school sports often do not involve the biggest schools or best athletes. How do we get these telling pictures in our paper? This is the idea I started with when I went to the sports department to pitch a photo column called "Sidelines".

Execution: High school sports is not just about the action (I bet some of you would disagree). With this column I am trying to show the culture surrounding these sports - away from the action. Each week we try to take a look at a different sport or team that does not get coverage in our newspaper. Students are participating in sports other than basketball, football and tennis.

Once a week, I am given a day to work on the column - shooting and researching. Fortunately, I am not asked to cover an event for the daily paper while shooting for a Sidelines picture. One issue that came up is what to do if I get sent out of town or take vacation. This is the point that SportsShooter.com member Sol Neelman started to contribute to the column. He is based in Eugene, OR and travels all over the state as part of his job for The Oregonian. This has helped us include parts of the state that otherwise would not be included.

Progress: After starting the column in the Fall, Sol Neelman and I have published 33 Sidelines columns. We decided to put the column on hold during the summer while school is on break. It will start again this Fall.

Having a dedicated space in the newspaper each week comes with an added level of pressure. Lots of critics inside and outside the newsroom. We always hope to get emails and phone calls telling us how wonderful our work is. It doesn't always work out that way though. This email is much too long, but here is a portion of an email I received from a cheerleader regarding a Sidelines column. The picture was of a dejected quarterback after a playoff game...

"It is hard to understand the reasoning behind posting a picture of my quarterback and fellow cheerleaders like that, three days after the fact. No other reasoning can be drawn except that the picture was meant to cause pain and humiliate. You should be ashamed for your self for what you have done. If you are a holy man, God does not except this kind of behavior and you have rightfully earned your spot in hell. But if you are not a holy man, which would not surprise many, you have earned your place with the other scum of the earth.

You must be a sad troubled man to have such a small, unimportant column in the newspaper. And by your appearance, it obvious that you could not be new to the journalism business, you are way too old for that. So it looks as if your career has developed into shattering the hearts and souls of young aspiring athletes; in a small column run only once a week. It must be a nice feeling. Getting back at all the jocks who more likely than not, never knew or cared about your worthless existence."

Sincerely,

Your Cheerleader Friend

Here is another response from the same picture...

"Bruce - I just wanted to thank you for the "Sidelines" picture you ran on December 6. My son, Stephen Scott, is the lineman in the middle on the bench. Your picture said it all. My son was very moved by the picture. He has it in his room to remind him of an awesome season, the friends he met, the highs and the lows...and the dreams for the next year. Thank you for being there and capturing the moment."

Laurie Scott

Bruce Ely is a staff photographer for The Oregonian in Portland, OR.

"Trade Secrets" is a series of educational features where SportsShooter.com members reveal the inside-information about how they were able to create a specific image (or two.) To nominate an image for this feature, please send a message to the SportsShooter.com admin staff here: http://www.sportsshooter.com/contactus.html The SportsShooter.com admin staff reserves the right to accept, or not accept, any nomination.

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