When sophomores need action shots from their games, they know exactly who to call: Sophomore Lide Edwards, who is making a name for himself in the athletic photography world.
Edwards began photography in November of last year.
“I saw my dad’s old cameras sitting around, and some friends had talked about wanting pictures for a basketball game,” Edwards said.
He taught himself by learning through YouTube videos and TikToks before photographing his first game of freshman boys’ basketball. Since then, he has continued to practice photography, and he has become so talented that classmates will pay him to come to their games. “ Normally, when people ask me to come to their game, they will either text me or ask me in person a few days before, and I will try to make sure that there are at least a few people on the team who want pictures,” said Edwards. He has photographed basketball, baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, and sideline cheer.
“Football is challenging to photograph because of how long the field is, and refs sometimes get in the way of my angle,” said Edwards.
After he photographs an event, many people are unaware that a significant amount of editing is involved. Edwards explained that it can be frustrating when clients request pictures immediately because they do not understand all the work that goes into the photos they receive.
“Editing takes a lot of work to go through, sort, and crop. It was harder when I first started and was trying to find my style, but now I know how to edit efficiently,” said Edwards.
He uses Adobe Lightroom to edit his work, which typically takes up to four hours per game, but said that all the work is worth it when he sees the reaction of his clients.
“The photos were fantastic and made me feel like an empowering athlete,” said sophomore Lucas Beckford. Edwards attended two of Beckford’s basketball games last year. “ Those were the first two games I ever photographed, so those photos were more about trying to learn,” said Edwards.
Edwards loves his job and the joy his photos bring, but he is not interested in continuing in college.
“If there is an opportunity for me to continue taking photos while I am in college, I will take it, but I am not very passionate about continuing photography in college, ” said Edwards.
Edwards has grown tremendously since he first picked up his dad’s camera and has positively impacted the Saint Pius community by motivating athletes. You can find his work on his Instagram account, @lidephoto, where he posts his favorite photos and promotes his business.
