Live from the sidelines of a national championship game

Clemson and Alabama faced off in the College Football Playoff National Championship for the third time in four years on Jan. 7, and student journalists from both schools traveled across the country to document the game.

Kim Montuoro from Clemson’s The Tiger News and Hannah Saad from Alabama’s The Crimson White both photographed the game from the sidelines for their student publications. Below, they share their favorite photos and advice for students preparing to cover sports on the national scale.

Tell me a bit about yourself and your photojournalism background.

Kim: I am a senior at Clemson University majoring in sports communication with a minor in business administration. I started out as a staff photographer for The Tiger my freshman year and then became senior photo editor during my sophomore year. I had absolutely no experience when I joined the paper, and honestly I wasn’t even sure that I was interested in photography. Four years later, I can’t see my life without photography in it.

Hannah: I am a sophomore at the University of Alabama and the assistant photo editor at The Crimson White. My interest in sports photography really kicked off when I was in high school. When I arrived at Alabama and started working for The Crimson White, they were in need of a second photographer to work at home games and postseason games. I submitted my portfolio and was chosen my freshman year to work on the beat. This year, I became the lead photographer for football, and worked all the games, including home, away, and postseason games.

How was covering the national championship different from a typical game?

Kim: There surprisingly isn’t too much difference between covering national games and typical games. I’ve covered three ACC Championships, three bowl games and two national championships, and I go into each game with my same routine just as the players do their same warm-ups, same walk of champions and same explosion toward the fans.

One of the biggest differences is the trophy presentation after the game, which can be stressful. There are stages rolled in for photographers — which are first come, first served — so it really is a rush to get on those, and if you don’t, then your chances of getting those endgame celebration photos are slim.

Hannah: Everything about the national championship game is higher stakes. The number of photographers on the field is higher, the emotions on the field are higher, and the pressure to get good photos is higher. Typical home games will primarily be covered by local media, whereas at the national championship, national outlets will send their own photographers to the game.

The University of Alabama tries to implement many of the rules that apply to national championship games. This includes rules such as kneeling in the end zone and not taking photos directly behind the team bench. In that sense, I was prepared for the guidelines of how to handle myself during a game.

What moments did you specifically watch for or focus on in your photos?

Kim: I wouldn’t say that I watch for anything in particular because you never know what’s going to happen. I always tell our staff photographers to live by a “you do you” motto. What I mean by that is I don’t tell them anything particular I expect from their photos; I let them go out on the field and see what they can get. It lets their creativity speak for itself.

When I’m shooting, I usually follow the ball as it’s snapped, so I can watch for sacks or big breaks. Our defensive guys are very expressive. So after a big tackle, they celebrate, which is always a fun moment to capture.

Hannah: My main method is to follow the ball from the time the ball is snapped until the time it hits the ground (or reaches the end zone). This allows me to get photos of the quarterback looking down the field, running backs receiving handoffs from the quarterback and receivers catching the ball downfield. This also works on the defensive side; for example, if the opposing team's quarterback has the ball, then I can capture moments like linemen pressuring the quarterback, or a defensive player sacking the quarterback.

I love to single out fans in the crowd for photos because, at times, a fan's reaction to the game can be more telling than what's happening on the field. Whether it's a raging fan excited for every snap of the ball, or a fan clearly disappointed in their team's performance, crowd photos show off another aspect of the game many people forget about when they're not at the stadium.

What are you most proud of about your publication’s coverage?

Kim: This is the second time we’ve been able to produce a national championship edition, which everyone on campus goes crazy over. We have a really great staff that works really well together, and that makes everyone’s job so much easier. Last year the paper was awarded six first-place awards, two second-place awards and two third-place awards from the South Carolina Press Association, so it’s great to work with a really talented group of people.

Hannah: I admire that The Crimson White tries to emulate reporting as a professional newspaper as much as possible. Our sports reporters are at the same events as other beat reporters and put in the time and effort to publish the stories they think the student body should hear. Covering the football beat especially requires commitment, as we send reporters to every game, home and away, to get our name out there as a source for news on Alabama football.

From a photography standpoint, I am proud that The Crimson White is putting in the effort to run a print and online edition, which allows for different photos to run in different formats. In this day and age, it is a privilege to have a print edition of our newspaper, and it’s a thrill to see my name in print and be able to physically hold my work.

What advice would you share with other student journalists preparing to cover sports on a national scale?

Kim: Be adaptable. No matter what the sport is or how well you know the team, you never know what’s going to happen, and you have to be ready for anything. I know there’s all this added pressure when the word “national” gets thrown around, but you have to look at it like any other game you’ve shot. The team is going to play the exact same — just with an added celebration at the end.

Hannah: Get to know other journalists who work the beat. Generally, they've been in the industry longer than student journalists and serve as great points of advice for student journalists looking to improve their work. These connections can also help student journalists prepare for internships should students want to take that route.

Anytime you cover sports, look presentable. Photographers have a little more leniency since their work involves moving around, but put some thought into what you wear and how others may perceive your look. Do not wear the colors of either team, even your school's team: You are there as a neutral reporter, not as a fan, and as such, you should not appear to be rooting for any team.

Lastly, start building a varied resume/portfolio. Having the ability to report on multiple sports, photograph different sports or even photograph and report on the same game looks great to future employers and gives you transferable skills you could use when you are reporting on other sports or events.

One tool we love

Interviewing a diverse group of sources is an important goal for any journalist, but it’s often easier said than done when the same experts are quoted over and over. Freelance science journalist Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato set out to change that with Diverse Sources — a searchable database of underrepresented experts around the world in science, health and the environment. All sources have committed to responding to reporters within 24 hours, and the database includes each source’s willingness to do audio, print or video interviews.

Reading list

Two college journalists in Montreal uncovered the identities of neo-Nazi organizers in their city based on thousands of encrypted chat messages, Nick Robins-Early writes for Huffington Post. They pitched the story to the Montreal Gazette, and after it was published, the piece sparked demonstrations in Montreal and a police investigation into neo-Nazi recruitment.

Many student journalists think political journalists aren’t neutral enough, especially on social media, assistant professor David R. Wheeler writes for CJR. “When you’re being attacked by someone of such authority as the president, it’s hard to bite your tongue,” said Mallory Culhane, a University of Tampa student. “But being in this profession, it’s just something that you have to do.”

“I do think the leadership of every paper needs to be thinking about, ‘Okay, what if we go bankrupt tomorrow?’” It’s a grim statement, but it’s a reality for many student publications facing budget cuts and declines in ad revenue. The Student Press Law Center talked with leaders of student publications about how they’ve diversified their income beyond advertising. (If you missed it last week, here’s another piece from SPLC on student publications’ difficulties in paying staff members.)

Opportunities and trainings

• Summer internships with upcoming deadlines:

  • Hartford Courant (Jan. 15)

  • Atlantic Media fellowship (Jan. 28)

  • Pennsylvania Capitol Reporters (Feb. 1)

• Apply for scholarships from the Radio Television Digital News Foundation by Jan. 19.

• Colorado students, apply for an SPJ scholarship by Jan. 31.

• High school students, apply to the Newseum’s summer Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference — an all-expenses-paid weeklong conference in Washington, D.C. — by Feb. 1.

• High school students, create a podcast for NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge by March 31.

• If you’re thinking about touring potential colleges, consider attending a summer journalism workshop, too. Here’s a directory from the Dow Jones News Fund.