Everyone sees them all the time, yet no one knows what to think of them. They are at games and events. They are professional photographers.

Or in this case, professional sports photographers. They’re everywhere; on the court, in the stands, next to the coaches, anywhere they can get to find the perfect angle to get the perfect shot.

However, here at SHS, we don’t have these professional photographers.

Now, I’m not knocking down our photographers here. They do great work. Don’t get me wrong.

But the rules being put in place specifically at SHS limit how great our work can be.

Student photographers are limited to what games we are allowed to attend because of new numbers being put in place by the athletic office.

To be able to get into a game, students have to go to their adviser or email Athletic Director Nick Stevens directly to be put on a list, then sign into the game once they get there.

However, for the list there is a limit, and sometimes not all the photographers that wanted to shoot the game get a chance to.

We are told what we are allowed to shoot and where we are allowed to stand.

I understand limiting the number of photographers allowed at a game because too many photographers on the field can be hectic.

But when there are only four home football games, our coverage is limited.

There is so much to cover at a high school football game outside of the game itself. The marching band, the student section, tailgates, coaches and fans are some great examples of things to cover.

However, the other rule of where we are allowed to stand when we shoot is just plain unnecessary.

High school photographers should be treated like professionals, and yes, those photographers aren’t allowed to stand in coaches boxes or other places that are limited for only the team, but we don’t have the equipment they do.

Those photographers have up to tens of thousands of dollar cameras and lenses, while SHS publications are supplied with a $600 to $700 Nikon camera with a sports lens.

The photos are not as good quality when we are unable to get as close.

I understand some of the coaches have said that they don’t want us close, however, when the number of photographers that are allowed at the game was lowered, the coaches didn’t care.

And some of the coaches even want us close. On Aug. 23, when the football team played Roncalli, there was a huge hit on the sideline, and I had a coach ask me directly if I got the shot.

Another thing about that is in the past years, cameras have been allowed in the coaches box. This is just a new rule.

Another issue is that for some photo ideas, we end up getting restricted from shooting them.

During the Roncalli game, there was a moment when one of our players knocked a Roncalli player out of bounds and tempers flared.

When I ran to get photos of it, I was told not to and to go back where I was originally. I understand keeping students away from a situation where a fight could arise, but let’s just think about it for a second.

Let’s say that our player gets in a fight, and then gets suspended. That’s a big deal, especially since it was our starting quarterback. 

That could be a story, because the next week, we would have to play without the head of our offense. 

We would need pictures.

I don’t have a problem with the athletic department and how they are trying to implement new rules, but I feel we could talk about it with advisers present and find a middle ground or a better system.

Maybe we could keep the numbers low, because honestly, I liked the new press pass that we used, but let the student publications be able to stand where we are able to get a good photo without being in the way.