Weiser has worked events such as the Lucas Oil Motocross Championships and the Senior PGA Tour at Harbor Shores.
Joseph Weiser: A Colorful Story About Breaking Into Sports Photography
Story by Rick Bouch
It’ s funny how things turn out. A choice here; a connection there. For professional sports photographer Joseph Weiser, it was a well-timed networking encounter that led him to become one of the nation’ s best in his field. The Niles, Michigan, native has been working professionally now for 10 years, but if not for a local television news personality, he may have never got hooked on shooting sports.
Weiser first got into photography when he entered an eighth-grade Art & Science Expo. His black and white photo garnered him first place, of course, and his passion for photography began to grow. While in high school, a young Weiser was asked if he would like to shoot the Niles HS sports teams for the school’ s yearbook. It was the beginning of what would become an interesting turn of events.
Joe takes a moment for a selfy on the upper deck.
While just a junior in high school, Weiser happened to meet Allison Hayes, a former Niles graduate who worked for the now-defunct Fox 28 News. Hayes was a television reporter who had a connection. Niles, Indiana, is just 10 miles north of South Bend, home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Hayes made a phone call and secured Weiser a press pass to photograph Notre Dame football games.
When the football season ended, Weiser submitted a portfolio of his work to the university and, because of its quality, was asked to become a full-fledged Notre Dame sports photographer. It was the beginning of what will eventually be a widely successful career. Most recently,
Weiser was asked to shoot for USA Today. In between Notre Dame and USA Today, he has worked numerous sporting events around the country.
In 2013, Weiser worked at the Hockey City Classic held at Soldier Field in Chicago. The event, held annually, is a doubleheader of college hockey featuring teams from the Midwest. Weiser’ s own Notre Dame played in the 2013 event.
Weiser has worked events such as the Lucas Oil Motocross Championships and the Senior PGA Tour at Harbor Shores.
In addition to hockey, Weiser has also worked events such as the Lucas Oil Motocross Championships and the Senior PGA Tour at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan, not far from Weiser’ s hometown. He was also on hand for the final CCHA( Central Collegiate Hockey Association) event at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The CCHA became Hockey East.
Weiser’ s favorite venue thus far though has been the confines of CenturyLink Field, the home of the NFL’ s Seattle Seahawks. Seattle also happens to be where Weiser now resides. Arguably the toughest place to play in the league, CenturyLink Field, the aura of the NFL, and the hospitality offered to professionals like Weiser were the things that made an impression. The
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