You see his sports photos in the yearbook, in sports articles on The Roar and scrolling through Instagram after games, but many do not know the man behind the camera.
Northview sports photographer, Tom Reynolds started taking photos of his own children’s games when they were in high school 10 years ago. Since then, he’s continued his hobby of taking sports photos for most of the high school athletic teams.
He primarily photographs football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and sometimes wrestling and swimming.
“There are probably a few [sports] I haven’t ever gotten to and I need to,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds remembers the first cool shot he got of an athlete back when he was just starting out.
“She was a softball player back in 2011, an outfielder on varsity. The ball gets hit deep, and she’s running and looking back and she jumped up in the air and caught the ball,” Reynolds said.
After he took the photo of her, Reynolds showed it to her mom and dad. He then printed an 8×10 copy of the picture and they displayed it at her graduation.
Eight years later, Reynolds’ pictures are still popular around the school. Student athletes appreciate, love and utilize the photos he takes.
Senior basketball player Avarie Simpson said, “It’s cool how he captures athletes in the moment, and it’s exciting to be able to see yourself in action.”
However Reynolds doesn’t see what he does as important and often doesn’t expect the appreciation he gets.
It’s not uncommon for Reynolds to pull out his wallet at a concessions stand to pay for a water bottle. But it’s also not uncommon for parents to tell him not to worry about it.
It clearly shows how important his work is.
“I don’t expect it. I’ve always gotten my money out to pay and I always say thank you. I appreciate it,” Reynolds said.
Something else that Reynold’s cherishes, is how supportive his wife is of his volunteer position.
“[I thank] my wife for allowing me to put so much time into my hobby,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds plans to continue to take sports photos for the time being.
“I love it here, Northview is a great community,” Reynolds said.
