Senior Siobhan Terry spent an “unforgettable” day assisting professional photographers at the first home Saints game of the season.
Professor and Director of Photography at the Times-Picayune and Nola.com David Grunfeld is in his sixth season of taking his students to Saints football games at the Caesars Superdome.
For each game, Grunfeld takes one student from his photography class, chosen by lottery. Each interested student writes their name on a piece of paper, which is then rolled into a ball. Grunfeld throws the names in the air, and the one closest to him is chosen for the day.
Terry, a public relations major, photographed the New Orleans Saints versus Carolina Panthers game on Sept. 18.
Orleans, LA. (Siobhan Terry)
“While attending the game, I definitely got an inside look at what goes into live photojournalism reporting,” Terry said.
Grunfeld describes the day as a mentorship program, where students can see how professional photographers work in a sporting environment, while meeting reporters and photographers.
“The game is a great educational tool for students,” Grunfeld said.
The students main task throughout the game is to run the SD cards from the cameras into a computer so the photos are ready to be edited when the photographers come off the field at halftime.
Samantha Guillotte, Loyola journalism junior, went to the Sept. 22 game with Grunfeld, where the Saints played the Philadelphia Eagles. While at the Superdome, Guillotte met and conversed with other photographers to form new professional connections.
“It’s what you make it,” Guillotte said regarding the connections she made at the game. “If you didn’t reach out to other photographers and reach out to the media people who were literally there with you, then you probably wouldn’t have earned a lot.”
According to Guillotte, this opportunity at the Superdome reinforced her plan of becoming a professional sports journalist, a career she came to Loyola to pursue. While assisting Grunfeld during the game, Guillotte witnessed Chris Olave, a New Orleans Saints wide receiver, score a touchdown just a few feet in front of her.
“As someone who’s always loved football, watching Olave score the touchdown for the Saints was surreal, especially because it was right in front of me,” Guillotte said. “The energy radiating off the field was mesmerizing and made me want to find a career in sports even more.”
Terry had a similar experience when she saw Jamaal Williams score a touchdown, “just ten feet” in front of her, as she described it.
“I had never been to a professional football game before, and it was fun to see how excited and into it the Saints fans got,” Terry said.
Following the experience, Terry said that she feels encouraged to take more photos after watching and working with Grunfeld and the other photographers on the field.
“This is an opportunity for me, who has been in this business over 40 years, to pay it forward, and give other people an opportunity to see what we do for a living and to witness it up close,” Grunfeld said.
