Limited: The Significance of Lanyards
The first lanyard from my sports photography career hangs on the artist's statement at the 'Limited' gallery exhibition, National Wine Centre, 9 February 2022.
The lanyard that sparked my sports photography career.
I stepped onto the sacred turf of the Adelaide Oval with a mixed bag of emotions as I wore, for the very first time, a lanyard identifying me as media personnel. Humbled, a tad nervous, wide-eyed, and incredulous at what was taking place, I positioned myself at the south-western corner of the pitch. A borrowed Nikon D850 and 400mm f2.8 at the ready, I was pumped with adrenaline and primed to devour what was in front of me, like a kid in the biggest candy store on earth. It was, after all, the global stage of the Socceroos v Saudi Arabia World Cup Qualifier.
That was the evening of June 8th, 2017.
I was there as the winner of a competition, with the prize being the experience of being a sports photographer on the field, mentored by Nikon Ambassador and nine-time Olympics photographer Delly Carr. (At the time of writing, Delly has shot 12 Olympic Games.)
I recall thinking, “Who gets paid to do this?”
Little did I know at the time of the self-fulfilling prophecy taking place.
A Story in Sports Photography
This is the story of how I “made it” as a sports photographer and why not one print of sporting action is featured in Limited, my most expansive exhibition of photography to date. Instead of sports celebrities and athleticism, in this curation you will see cityscapes, landscapes and curious images captured during a significant time in my life during which I felt… well… limited! Scattered amongst the exhibits you’ll find a variety of lanyards. But why the lanyards? They, together with the art, subtly tell the tale of my journey as a sports photographer and where I found myself career wise in 2022.
Limited has shown at:
• The Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) Green Heart Gallery as part of the WCH Foundation Arts in Health Program from 4 November 2022 - 31 January 2023.
• Caroma on The Parade 6 July - 30 September (2022 SALA Festival).
• Original exhibition held at the National Wine Centre 9 February - 27 March 2022.
Wine, Not Whine
How apt that Limited was first exhibited at the National Wine Centre. I do enjoy a vino or two. Sit me down with a bottle of fine Australian shiraz and I’ll pour us a glass as I pore over details of photographing the likes of Novak Djokovic, Sam Kerr, Ash Barty and Eddie Betts, if you’ll indulge me. These are moments I treasure and of which I am proud. I don’t speak of them often but when I do, there is a mixed bag of feelings. All that glitters is not gold. But I’d rather wine than whine, so I choose my words carefully when recounting my story of “success” in having my images published by international news agencies. Like many professions, there are less gratifying aspects of being a sports photographer. Number one for me, is the adverse reality that a career in sports photography never afforded me the luxury of giving up my day job despite hours dedicated to the craft. It’s limited, you might say.
In answer to that wide-eyed girl photographing the Socceroos World Cup Qualifier wondering “Who gets paid to do this?”, I say to her, “You do, but not enough.”
Have I been “successful”? Well, that’s subjective.
Novak Djokovic competes at the Adelaide International, 3 January 2023.
Sam Kerr is photographed during training for the Matilda’s v Chile friendly, Hindmarsh Stadium, 12 November 2019.
Ash Barty deep in thought at the Adelaide International, 18 January 2020.
Eddie Betts of the Adelaide Crows flies over Port Power’s Darcy Byrne-Jones during the JLT Pre Season Cup on 2 March 2019 at Port Pirie Memorial Oval.
Take A Chance
Let’s go back a little. In 2017 Nikon ran a competition on Instagram. I saw it by chance, entered and won, but not due to photography merit. Rather, the rules were something along the lines of “Tell us in 20 words or less why you’d like to photograph the Socceroos World Cup qualifier”. While the story would be more interesting had I won due to my photography skills, it was in fact just writing a few words that got me over the line and in turn, sparked my motivation for a career in sports photography.
The night of the game I stood alongside Delly and hung off of his every word. The images I took opened doors for me that were previously closed. My sports portfolio had been limited to photographs of local footy and unrecognisable surfers catching a wave 200 metres offshore. Now I had my very own pictures of Australia’s most elite soccer players on my website. I showcased those images in emails pitching for work and used them as ammunition to target the big guns; Getty Images, Adelaide United FC, AFL Photos, the Adelaide Crows, Cricket Australia, and more.
It worked.
Saudi Keeper Yasser Al Mosailem fails to save the winning goal by Australia’s Tom Rogic in the 64th minute of the World Cup Qualifier, 8 June 2017 at Adelaide Oval.
The Golden Ticket
In 2018 the credentials starting coming in. The A League, Suncorp Super Netball and AFLW. Lanyards arrived in the mail and were my ticket to being as close to the action as one could ever be. There was no queueing to get through the turnstiles. The best seats in the house on the very edge of the field were mine. The only thing between me and the superstars of sport was a camera and 600mm lens. Up close and personal I saw foreheads blanketed in sweat. I heard bodies crunch as they crashed into one other and hit the ground within metres of my monopod. Access to the sporting arena, before, after, and during the breaks in play was something I became accustomed to. The after-match celebrations in the locker rooms were some of my favourite moments. The chorus of voices singing the club song, with arms wrapped around each other and so much pride in the room - it gave me goosebumps. I’d swing my camera around the team circle hoping to capture the right face at the right time telling the story of the day - the glory of the winning team.
Glenelg Football Club players celebrate their SANFL Premiership win against Port Adelaide, 22 September 2019.
The action. The photos. The vibe. The lanyards were my golden ticket.
Come the end of the day, I’d hang the lanyard on my office door handle. They soon piled up, filling one side of the door, then the other.
In 2019 with more credentials came more lanyards. AFL, WNBL, Cricket Australia, the Australian Masters Games, so forth and so on. The door handles in my home were fast being adorned. At one point I questioned why, as a woman who does her utmost not to amass clutter, I was keeping these bits of fabric with plastic pockets. I could not bring myself to step on the bin foot pedal and plonk them inside. The lanyards still had energy; a ‘life’ about them. Each used and expired “golden ticket” symbolised achievement and still gave me a sense of satisfaction just by seeing them hang, for they were my access to living the dream I’d had since being a little girl. Thiat is, to photograph sports at the elite level.
I gathered them all and tossed them in a drawer at the bottom of my wardrobe. There, the tangled mess of loops and plastic lay, growing larger with each sporting event I photographed.
For Love Nor Money
Between photographing sport nights and weekends, editing, writing and my weekday job in corporate governance, I was working seven days a week and most nights. I was beyond tired. At times anxiety set in, taking a hold and driving me to bed. My heart thumped so hard my chest cavity hurt. It was as if life force itself was punching me from the inside, begging me to stop ‘doing’ so it could take a breath. But after a short rest, with energy and thirst for the dream I’d be back at it. Photographing, editing, filing, 5:30am until 10:30pm, with the day job thrown in for good measure, plus hundreds of kilometres travelled each week.
The irony was that no matter how many hours or how hard I tried, I couldn’t make a living from sports photography for love nor money. I simply did not have the confidence in my photographic ability and business acumen to give up the security of a salaried position and venture into full time photography. So I continued as I’d always known, hustling for the next contract, pitching to photograph end of season finals series, hoping that somehow, some day, the courage and self-belief would come and I would let go of the crutch of my day job.
Just like the perpetual loop of a lanyard, I was going round and round, chasing a dream that was so close I could taste it, but never catching it long enough to savour.
Then came 2020.
From March 2020, South Australia’s Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier led the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, giving daily press conferences.
Limited
The world was introduced to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sporting events were not immune to the chaos and madness. Sports photography dried up for a few months, so I relished in the opportunity to slow right down, and my health thanked me for it. I turned my camera towards less action-packed, more peaceful subjects. I photographed the urban landscapes, nature and environment There was no brief to follow. No deadline to meet. No urgency to edit and file. There was also no pay cheque as a reward for my efforts. None of that mattered. I was having a break. The loop was broken.
Hampered with self-doubt, limited in income, and with physical limitations in place due to the pandemic, I was nevertheless determined to pursue my dream of achieving financial success as a photographer. I contemplated the possibility of exhibiting but yet another limitation presented itself, that of subject matter. Under contract with the newsagency, I was restricted in profiting from any image I had photographed. Though I held copyright, the images were licenced. They were not mine to sell.
Having studied photography in the film era, I longed to once again appreciate the tangible aspects and qualities of the printed image. I knew the following to be true.
You are much more likely to have a visceral experience lost in the gaze of a physical, framed photograph than a two-dimensional image on a computer screen.
That truth propelled me forward, and I began curating works other than sporting greats.
And so, though I classed myself first and foremost as a sports photographer, I knew that if I was to draw an income from exhibiting, it was to be my images of the urban landscapes, nature and environment that must feature.
I present my exhibition titled Limited, a curation of images at limited edition sizes. The physical exhibition displays the images adorned with sporting lanyards, symbolising a time of my photographic career - 2022 - in which restrictions with employment, communication, creative expression, and life at large was experienced. I invite you to look beyond this description and find the beauty in each piece, which ultimately lies in your eyes, the beholder.
Do you see limitation or freedom?
Expressions of interest for the showing of Limited can be directed to Sue McKay.
Sue McKay, photographed 8 November 2022.
