Too Much?

I am a recovering sports junkie. One to two hours of Sports Center, one to three newspapers, and ½ to 6 hours of sports talk radio per day (depends how much time I spend in car). And of course, that does not include time spent watching or photographing games, matches, etc.

I am old enough to remember growing up in the pre-ESPN days. I remember watching ABC Weekend News to get “National Sports” from someone like Dick Schapp. He always had something thought provoking to say, and I could spend a week thinking about it.

Now, it seems that no matter how loud the point is made, we are onto something else before the first point has had a chance to sink in and work on me. We are in an age of abundance of media outlets. Images, video, and words are available in great quantity from all directions. While I partake deeply of this smorgesboard, I wonder what affect is has on us as a society.

Last Saturday, I had breakfast with the men's group from my church. We talked about what “courage” meant. I brought up the point that Sports Center is driven by hype and having to end with the top 10 plays of the day. “Courage”, “Bravery”, “excellent”, etc. are used daily to hype a midseason game well beyond its true importance. But the system breaks down when you are faced with someone like Pat Tillman. If coming back and playing in the second half with a sprained wrist is “couragious”, how can you begin to describe giving up an NFL career to give your life serving your country in a war?

As a sports photographer, what does this mean for me? Here are a few quick thoughts:

1) I need to realize the flood exists. Sidelines are crowded. The technology is better and cheaper, allowing more to get into shooting. If I don't move away from the flood, I will drown.

2) What can I do to make my pictures not look like everybody elses? Innovate and deliver something that will catch the eye rather than be lost in the overload.

3) Emphasize lighting, remotes, and other methods as tools to differentiate my work.

4) Quality, Quality, Quality. As I look at much that is published now, it seems that quality is not rewarded. This thinking is a trap. I need to seek quality because that is the only way to stand out from the crowd. That means drive and effort, as quality is not really a goal but a process.

5) Market with this in mind: message is not “I'm here”; message is “I'm different and that is what you want!

That is the beginning of my list. I certainly am looking for input. What do you think?