Workshop helps to Streamline Student Workflows
Students work to refine their captions and metadata for optimal performance in the field
By Isaiah Vazquez
When I was approached in the fall of 2022 about the Lake Placid 2023 Winter World University Games, I jumped at the opportunity. It gave me the opportunity to utilize the skills I learned from my undergraduate career, my past internships, and my experiences in graduate school. The first step to ensuring a successful project is making sure the entire team was brought to the same level. This meant providing resources to photographers to articulate the clients needs and effectively teaching new tools.
To prepare for the event, I conducted a workshop focused on software tools for streamlining image post-production and processing. This session was crucial for sharing knowledge on shooting techniques and image processing to facilitate faster image handling and tagging. The workshop allowed our team to build a shared vision for event coverage, and set the foundation for metadata and caption standards throughout our photographic coverage. The workshop’s purpose is to teach the tools many sports photographers use to aid in image processing, including using Photo Mechanic, Adobe products, code replacements, and more to ensure safe and reliable delivery of images to the clients.
My role was not confined to creating the workflow; I actively worked with each photographer to make sure photography guidelines accessible and easy to follow. Thanks to the workflow guide and the sports photography workshop, our team was able to deliver quality imagery throughout the games. During the initial phase of the games, I was able to collaborate with students, faculty, and FISU Photo Cluster Managers to plan coverage of the the opening and closing ceremonies. The collaboration was essential to provide comprehensive documentation from every perspective.
My Role Throughout The Games
- Photographed 19 events in 11 days
- Assisted in organizing and planning photographic coverage
- Organized coverage for opening and closing ceremonies
- Developed and taught workflow system
- Adapted Workflow system to event challenges
- Fostered a positive team culture
- Curated 13 galleries featuring student works from multiple sports
- Curated print gallery for public viewing in Newhouse
Throughout the games, I remained a valuable resource to the faculty, enhancing team culture and maximizing our collective experience. I worked closely with the photography teams and students to refine their captions and workflow, finding great reward in providing individualized support in both on-site image creation and post-production.
Our team faced logistical challenges, particularly with the technology for uploading and cataloging images. Initially, we encountered obstacles with the FISU Dropbox account, requiring a swift and effective solution. Transitioning to Google Drive for initial uploads, before transferring images to Dropbox, ensured uninterrupted delivery of photographs to FISU.
As the Games progressed, our photo team’s size was reduced from 17 to three due to the commencement of classes at Syracuse University, which presented additional challenges. Despite these, we maintained our wide array of event coverage while managing the photo desk at the Main Press Center. Toward the Games’ conclusion, I played a critical role in securing access to critical locations for medal games coverage, including locker rooms for pre-game preparations and celebrations.
Lastly, I was able to plan strategic locations for closing ceremony to prepare for any events that may happen throughout the event. Through innovative workflow development, educational initiatives, and strategic planning, our group was able to significantly enhance sports photography coverage outside of what is taught in the classroom. We were able to leave a lasting imprint on both the students and the overall quality of the event’s photographic documentation.
To take on this opportunity was an eye opening experience that humbled me as I was able to learn firsthand the complexities of organizing such a major endeavor.
I felt that the project was a major success thanks to three major reasons; We adopted a uniform workflow for each photographer that allowed easy delivery and eliminated confusion for submission guidelines. We fostered a positive culture that promoted learning with one another, and we paid careful attention to make sure each person involved had met their personal goals from the games.
