Readers, I am so excited to bring you the interview I did with one of my favorite sports photographers of all time, Jade Hewitt of Jade Hewitt Media and Athletes Unlimited.
Hey Jade! Please tell readers a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Mandeville, Louisiana (just north of New Orleans).
What is your job title?
Director of Photography for Athletes Unlimited and Founder of Jade Hewitt Media.
Did you play sports as a kid?
I was obsessed with softball and soccer. I did ballet and soccer until I was 13 years old, then committed to softball, which I played through college.
Where do you live now?
I currently live in Chicago, IL, but make frequent trips home to see family in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Anything else you’d like readers to know about you?
I hike at least one National Park a year to reset the creative part of my brain. I live and breathe women’s sports, but I’m a huge Saints fan and have been for life. WhoDat!
Super cool! How long have you been a photographer? When did you start?
I was that kid in junior high and high school who always had a video camera in her hand. I had my dad’s old Sony that used mini DV tapes and shot with that for the longest time! I fell in love with filming my friends and making videos of trips, parties, etc. Our family also had a Kodak digital camera (super high tech at the time….it weighed as much as a brick) that I brought with me everywhere! My freshman year of college was the first time I shot with a DSLR. A teammate of mine brought her camera down to practice, and I vividly remember feeling the shutter click for
the first time, and I was hooked.
Your "gateway" DLSR camera experience- I love it. What was your first “pro” camera?
I bought the original Canon Rebel from my local camera shop and shot with that thing on auto for YEARS. I still have it sitting on a shelf!
I think the Canon Rebel was the first "pro" camera that about 90% of sports photographers start with! What camera(s) do you currently shoot with?
I currently shoot with a Canon IDX Mark III and Mark II. They are big and clunky, and my camera backpack weighs more than a small child, but I love them. All the other shooters on my team are mirrorless, but I have yet to make the switch. My fun cameras are a Canon M50 Mark II, Camp Snap, GoPro Hero 11, and Fujifilm Instax NeoClassic.
Every pro should have some fun cameras! I have a few old film point-and-shoot cameras. I love bringing them with me on walks and vacations. I also love using old film. Also, I have not switched to mirrorless yet, either. I'd like to have a Nikon Z9, but I haven't made the purchase yet.
What makes a “professional photographer,” in your opinion?
This is a hard one! I would say, at the most basic level, someone who can make a living and support themselves off their work. But I do think that photographers should be gracious and welcoming to all skill levels. If someone loves to take photos on their iPhone, AWESOME. Good for them, they’re a photographer. If they have an old Canon Rebel, AWESOME, they’re a photographer. If they want to consider themselves a photographer, then all should encourage it. Photography is a talent that crosses from hobbyists to 40+ year professionals, and I think that’s beautiful.
Great answer. What was your first paid photography gig?
This is a tough one! I started doing paid video work back in 2009, but I think my first paying photography gig was shooting the College Softball Camp down in south Louisiana. My dad/family founded the camp, so I got the job by default. But I got paid!
What was your first paid sports photography gig?
My first real photography job was as an intern for a first-year professional softball team, the Dallas Charge. I called the General Manager begging for a media job, got told no, and then applied to be an intern. I was the only Media intern, so they gave me the green light to create whatever I wanted! I ended up traveling the whole season with the team, and it launched me into my career now.
Good for you! It's almost like you knew what you could make of yourself if you just got yourself in the door. You knew in your gut! I admire that kind of tenacity.
What was one of your favorite events/competitions/games/matches that you shot?
This one is a two-parter!
My all-time favorite event was shooting the 2018 WBSC World Championships in China and Japan with Team USA Softball. I was the photographer and videographer for the team, and it was my first big USA tournament, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. We beat Japan in an insane extra-innings game and took home the gold medal, which I still have! I absolutely blacked out during that game from the intensity. I don’t
remember most of what happened.
My sentimental memory is shooting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with Team USA. It was such a unique experience with COVID and no fans, but it was still the Olympic dream. That was my literal all-time dream, so to live it was something I’ll never forget. Getting to wear USA across my chest at the Olympics with athletes and photographers from all over the world was a feeling that is like no other. I still have my Olympic Photo Vest and
I plan on having it framed one day.
Wow!! How incredible!!! What’s a special experience that photography gave you that you weren’t expecting?
Back at the start of Athletes Unlimited in 2020, we announced a partnership with Topps Trading Cards. At the time, we were so busy getting ready for the season that I didn’t think much of it, but once I saw the press release, including Topps mockups with my pictures, I freaked out! Every year since 2020, Topps has made a trading card deck featuring exclusively Athletes Unlimited athletes/sports. That 2020 Softball deck was the first ever all-female trading card deck in Topps history, and I got to be the photographer for it. Now, after games in autograph lines, I see our athletes signing Topps cards for fans. I see little girls with their binders of organized cards waiting to be signed, and it makes me tear up every time. It’s been an unbelievably special relationship with Topps and something that will never stop being cool to me. I’m very proud of it.
Awww, I can't even imagine how cool that would be. I'd be crying with every card I saw if my image was on it.
Do you do your own photo editing? If so, do you like photo editing? Why or why not?
I definitely do my own editing. Editing is so great when it’s poppin’, but it can be so tough when you aren’t feeling it. Overall, I love the editing process. I love taking a great photo and making it even better, as well as putting my own stamp on an image. I also think editing is a great way to progress and understand when an image ain’t it. It’s a chance to really dive into your shooting and evaluate your work in a critical and analytical way. I think hitting the “Delete” button can be just as helpful as making a great edit. If I have to ask myself, “Is this photo up to my standard?” then it probably isn’t. And I make a mental note of that and aim to be better next time I’m shooting.
What photography jobs do you have coming up that you are excited about?
The company I work for, Athletes Unlimited, announced a new professional softball league called Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). I could not be more excited! It’s still the same softball games, but it’s a new era in professional softball, and that’s
what makes it exciting. With the formation of AUSL, I’m hoping to make a significant jump in my work next year. I want to take some new risks and shoot some new looks, and any photographer knows that’s enough to get you fired up.
What kinds of non-sports-related photo jobs do you take?
I started CrossFit back in 2012, and I’ve shot it a lot! It could not be more different than traditional sports, and I love that. The space, movement, athletes, lighting, etc., are all so drastically different than something like pro softball, and I love that challenge and contrast. And it’s always fun to photograph your friends and show them in a light that they aren’t used to seeing themselves in. I also have a beautiful niece and nephew who are the center of my world, so doing photoshoots with them throughout the year is always slightly maddening, yet also a ton of fun. Family photographers out there: y’all are heroes. I could never.
Ha ha ha, I completely understand that sentiment. I did family photos for years and gave it up for good in 2018 when I let my studio lease go. Also, I would LOVE to see some of your CrossFit work! I did not know you photographed some CrossFit. It's one of my favorite sports to shoot, next to volleyball.
What is a topic related to photography in general, or more specifically, sports photography, that you are passionate about?
This is the question that fires me up the most. My biggest message to young women out there is that if you want to work in women’s sports, we want you here. We need more young female professionals who want to commit their time, energy, and careers to women’s sports. It doesn’t matter if you specialize in photography, writing, business, medicine, or marketing…. women’s sports needs you. There are so many levels to women’s sports that if you want to work in this space, you can make that happen. Many out there think that the NFL, NBA, or MLB are the ultimate destination for jobs in sports. While they are indeed the top of our craft, have the most resources, and are a wonderful job for many, that doesn’t mean that’s where you have to end up to be successful. I’m doing the job I LOVE because I know I'm making a difference in women’s sports and that I can blaze my own path. We work every day to push women’s sports forward, and that’s a mission that keeps me going.
Yes!! Amen, sister. Yes!
Who were/are your mentors?
My first mentors were Nina Parikh and Jami Lobpries. Nina was my filmmaking professor at Millsaps College, and we went on to have a wonderful relationship. She’s an absolute badass woman who owns whatever room she’s in, and she’s been a fantastic resource and role model, especially in my younger professional years. Once I entered professional softball, Jami took me under her wing in my first year as an intern. She’s a titan in the softball world and has such a unique cross-section of playing experience and media knowledge and has been an invaluable resource these
past ten years.
Who is someone you look up to?
I really love researching and diving into women who have stamped their mark in the creative space. One of my idols is Marie Colvin, who was an American journalist working as a foreign war correspondent. She was a writer, but more importantly, she was a storyteller who attacked her work with fury and passion like I’ve never seen before. If you haven’t read In Extremis or seen the film A Private War, I highly encourage you to do so. The conviction she had for her work is what I strive to have for women’s sports.
What would be an event/competition/game that you would love to shoot someday?
One day in the United States, there is going to be a major softball game playing in front of a sold-out crowd of thousands and thousands of people, and when that happens, I want to be there to capture it.
What sport have you not shot yet that you would love to shoot?
I’m slightly embarrassed and yet also proud to admit that I was a skater kid growing up, so I would love to shoot skateboarding. I still follow the community and watch skate content daily, but I have yet to give it a try!
Nothing to be embarrassed about at all! If you are ever in Santa Cruz, you should photograph my friend Judi Oyama. I'll connect you both if you ever find yourself out there.
Thanks for all of your thoughtful answers, Jade! I truly appreciate you taking the time to speak with me and give readers a lot to think about. Readers, you can follow Jade Hewitt Media at her website and also check out Athletes Unlimited. Jade is also on Instagram and Twitter/X.
Thanks for coming along with me for these interviews. As always, if there is someone you'd like to learn about or if YOU want to be interviewed, email me at wendy@wendynielsenphoto.com and let me know!
~ Wendy
