Why Focus on Greatness?

Focus on Greatness.

That is the slogan of RCH Photography, but why is that what I choose to tailor my work to? As I discussed last week, covering sports to me is more than capturing a game winning goal- its about grit, passion, pride and so much more than a headline.

By focusing on greatness, I create images that tell a story, not just a photo for the cover of a publication. There's an old saying that almost everyone has heard- a photo is worth a thousand words, and that is true with every photo I try to give an athlete. That is without saying that I will give athletes the "standard photos" and the more simple ones- but I focus on providing athletes with photos capturing those moments that only they know or only those moments that tell their story- not just the game's story.

I mentioned in my first episode of the "Focus on Greatness" podcast that the photo of my own that started this though process in my head was a photo of myself and my dad walking away from my last ever high school golf tournament. That photo doesn't even show me actually golfing, in fact the reason it is actually so meaningful to me is that it was after the match was over. That thought process of my own photos and my own memories showed me first hand that the coverage athletes want and the moments they want to hold on to is not those "standard photos".

A fun RCH fact- over the last few years, I have covered four sets of sisters on Quinnipiac teams. The reason that's important? When I have covered games for teams with sisters on them, I want to make sure I try to capture memories and those little moments between plays of those sisters. If I know two players or a group of players are best friends or maybe their girlfriend is in the stands or their family is sitting front row? I'll want to make sure I capture those interactions so those athletes remember those very special connections as well as the big plays.

Focusing on greatness allows me to plan ahead for game day coverage. I talked briefly in my last post about my time as a baseball catcher. Well one of the things I would sometimes wear was a wrist play call strap (they're about ten dollars on Amazon). Records and stats are a cornerstone of sports. During some games I cover now- I will wear a wrist strap with game notes- these notes sometimes include a starting lineup, top goal/point leaders, or if a player or the team has the ability to achieve greatness in the game by setting a new record. By planning ahead like this- I make sure that every game I cover I have the full ability to focus on greatness and capture the moments that truly matter.

Sideline Stories.

Telling Stories Beyond the Scoreboard.