Interview with Sports Photographer Dave Schofield

This weeks’ interview is with retired sports photographer, Dave Schofield. Dave retired in 2016 after an incredible career which got its start while still in college in Buffalo, New York. His story is a lot like other photographers – his father was a talented amateur photographer who passed along his love for the medium. The trusted Brownie was his first camera, using this until he got his first Nikon 35mm camera as a hand-me-down from his father. He has been a Nikon shooter ever since and, naturally, has handed down equipment to his children along the way.

He got his first break almost by accident; he brought some contact sheets to someone for a critique and walked away having sold five prints and, ultimately, a job. Pretty good for someone who was still a junior in college. I was introduced to Dave as the team photographer for the Trenton Thunder and Lakewood BlueClaws but as I looked into his career I discovered that is just a small part of who he is as a professional, as you will discover in the interview. He was the first photographer hired by the Thunder when they started in 1994 and it was he who initiated the meeting. Dave’s wife told him about a stadium being built next to her office; he kept his eyes and ears open. When the offices opened he introduced himself and secured a meeting with the ownership. They worked together right up to his retirement in September 2016. The Thunder and BlueClaws share the same ownership so it was only natural that he shoot them, too.

When I asked Dave to send me some images to include here I was expecting the typical – diving catch by the shortstop, a dramatic play at the plate or the grimace of a pitcher throwing his fastball. Instead I was treated to images showing more personal moments of the game. The celebratory shots that show the unbridled joy of the players and the inner kid that we all have inside of us.

I have enjoyed getting to know Dave through this interview and looking at his work, I only wish I had met him when I was a young man and maybe get a chance to work with him. Though he retired from his work with the Thunder and BlueClaws, he certainly has not gone out to pasture; he is still quite active shooting both sports and landscapes. I encourage you to check out his Facebook page (see link below) or search for his images online.

The Interview

Personal questions

What is your favorite childhood memory?

I grew up the second eldest of nine, in Louisville, KY, so there was always a lot going on. Picking a favorite childhood memory would be tough. But I guess it would be the time my Dad took the four oldest, all boys, to Crosley Field in Cincinnati to see the Reds play the Chicago Cubs. I think I was 6 or 7 and could probably count that as the day I became a die hard baseball fan. Dad was a big baseball guy who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, the heart of White Sox Country.

What are the five foods you can’t live without?

WOW! I will give this a shot

1. Meatloaf
2. Mashed potatoes
3. My wife’s Irish soda bread scones
4. Apple pie
5. Tea

What’s the best advice anyone has given you and who gave it to you?

Professionally: Bob Shaver the renowned photographer for the Buffalo News and Buffalo Sabres once told me two things. He said, “Never cry in the darkroom”. He meant shoot loads of photos. He said that (in that day and time) if you sell one or two photos it will pay for your work and your expenses. I have followed that axiom to this day.

Personally: My Dad used to say, “Always tell the truth, if you lie there is too much you have to remember.” I truly hope I adhere to this advice.

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren't shooting?

Travel, which of course always involves shooting photos. Brennan (my wife) and I travel to her native Ireland nearly every year. If I ever went there without a camera I would deem myself quite foolish. It is such wild and beautiful country. In our travels there I have met many photographers, some of whom have gotten me work shooing Gaelic (Irish) games and football (soccer). We have also traveled to Spain, France, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Scotland, England, and all around the USA. Travel is something I hope I always do.

If you could spend an hour with any famous person, past or present, who would it be and why?

My Dad, because I surely did not pay close enough attention to him when I was young. There is so much more I could have learned from him if I had paid more attention..

As for famous person, I’d love to sit down to tea with Seamus Heaney, the Irish poet.

Professional questions

Why photography?

As a sophomore in college, the editor of the newspaper, The Griffin, asked if I could take some photos of a baseball game being played in Delaware Park, a short walk from the campus. He had a Nikkormat 35mm camera for me to use and two rolls of film. I took the camera and a short lesson from the Photo Editor and off I went. Apparently I had an aptitude for it as they assigned me to several events the next week. While working on the paper and the yearbook, I worked beside people who went on to write for some of the most prestigious publications in the USA. It was a great training ground.

Every day since then I have seen my images bring some joy to someone. Photographs are memories and when you provide people with those, you make them happy.

Can you explain your photography in 10 words or less?

I make action photographs of boys and girls playing games.

What is your greatest achievement in photography?

Providing support for my family by doing something I loved doing every day.

If you could share a gallery show with anyone past or present, who would it be?

Ken Babbitt, a close photographer friend of mine who passed away this day a year ago. He was one of the warmest people I have ever known, with one of the gruffest exteriors. If we shared a gallery, it would mean he was still here.

Where do you draw inspiration from when you shoot and what’s your favorite part about the process?

I love to look at the photos of some photographers I respect. Before their terrible layoffs the Asbury Park Press had some of the most talented shooters I have ever met in the business. I always check in on the MLB website to see what they are doing. And ANY website on Irish Photography. Some of the most amazing photos I have seen of this beautiful island have been taken by Damien Stenson who is a gifted Irish musician and teacher and Conor Ledwith, who is a police officer in Co. Galway. Look them up, just amazing work!

And I am inspired and learn from every photographer I have ever stood in a photo well, sat on the floor or in any way have come into contact with in my career.

For sports photography I just love the way the game or event develops. From start to finish the excitement and emotion of the event changes so dramatically. I love following the effort and emotion exhibited by the athletes.

How did you get your start and what advice would you give to someone looking for a career in photography?

When I was a junior at Canisius College, a Jesuit College in Buffalo, NY, I was working on the newspaper and Yearbook as a photographer. I was also playing soccer and picked up a little, nagging injury during the season. Canisius did not have athletic trainers. The Buffalo Braves NBA team used our gym for practice so they made their training staff available to us. While being treated at War Memorial Auditorium, The Aud, as it was called, I snuck into the arena with my Nikkormat and three rolls of black and white film while the Buffalo Sabres were playing. I shot the three rolls of film and went back and developed it and made contact sheets. I grew up in Kentucky so I knew nothing about hockey. I wanted to see if the photos were any good and what I could do to improve them. I dropped them off at the Sabres offices for Paul Weiland, their PR director. Within a week he called and said he’d be happy to sit with me and discuss the photos. I went to his office and we had a nice, frank discussion. At the end he gave me back the three contact sheets and three photos were circled. He told me he would like an 8”x10” glossy of each of the circled images and that they would pay me $20 each. This floored me and probably sealed the deal that I would be a sports photographer if I could make it work. He also gave me a season pass and told me to work with Bob Shaver, the man whose work I admired most. So in this one meeting I got paid for the first time for my photography AND was invited to serve, basically, a paid internship with the man I saw and the best in the business.

Mr Shaver taught not just the X’s and O’s of the technical aspects of photography, but a great deal about the business of photography. Later I worked with Paul Imgrund, a professional photographer here at the Jersey shore, who taught me an incredible amount about lighting and set up. These two men were my biggest influences in the business, to whom I will be indebted forever.

I would advise someone who wanted to go into photography today to learn how to become a plumber. THOSE guys are making money. If I could not dissuade them, then I would suggest that they find a niche in the business that no one else is doing. Since the digital age arrived the business has become saturated and EVERYONE wants to do professional sports. I would also say that if you are young, work for a local publication, print or digital. It will give you the experience of learning your craft while it is being published. And shoot, shoot, shoot! When I was learning I was limited by how much film, developer and paper I could afford. Now with digital you can fire away and learn. And when you meet someone who has been in the business for a lot of years, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. There is a good chance that photographer with lots of experience will not be terribly impressed with what you have done to date.

Bonus question:

What are your Top 5 "Deserted Island" albums?

Sorry, I love music too much to limit myself to 5! If I cannot take at least 200 I am not GOING to any deserted Island. But I will limit myself to 10 for this purpose.

1. Blue-Joni Mitchell
2. American Beauty-The Grateful Dead
3. Island Girl-Altan
4. Any Album-Mark Knopfler
5. The River-Bruce Springsteen
6. Blonde on Blonde-Bob Dylan
7. The Baseball Ballads-Chuck Brodsky
8. All the Roads Running- Emmlou Harris and Mark Knopfler
9. Music from Big Pink-The Band
10. Sodomy Rum and the Lash-Pogues

Check out Dave on Facebook at:
David M. Schofield/The Druid’s Eye Photography - https://www.facebook.com/David-M-SchofieldThe-Druids-Eye-Photography-182695008430746/

The images are, in the order of appearance:

1. Dave shooting the 2008 World Series for the Phillies.
2. Ali Castillo, hoisted by his Trenton Thunder team mates after winning the 2013 Eastern League Playoff MVP, The Thunder won the Eastern League Championship
3. Shane Victorino jumping on the pile at the end of the game - World Series 2008
4. The 2009 Lakewood BlueClaws celebrate winning the South Atlantic League Championship.
5. Classie Bawn Castle, Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo, Ireland

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All photos by David M Schofield

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