Sports is ingrained into the American culture. Millions of people across the nation are captivated by what they see in stadiums, arenas, and on television. Live action and video allows the viewer to watch athletics at its highest level, and sports photographers are able to freeze single moments in time, creating some of the most spectacularly memorable images.
Within Los Angeles’ Black community, and in surrounding areas, there are a number of photographers who drive around from game to game, whether it is professional, college, high school, or youth sports, to capture a piece of history in their community.
Two, in particular, can be seen close to the action at many sporting events in this area. William “Jaye” Johnson and Jevone Moore have shot the big time teams, such as the Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Angels, Galaxy, Kings, UCLA, and USC. And, they both get on their grind to cover high school sports.
They both have a passion for sports, and interact with athletics at a higher level than the typical fan.
“My thing was, how can I freeze this action, and record this?” Johnson said. “It’s like a piece of history in the frame of a shot, or an image.”
“What draws me to [photography] is my love of sports,” Moore said. “I grew up with a sports background, so I enjoy going out and shooting. Before I started, I’d be at a high school football game every Friday night. And in the past I, had Clippers season tickets. I’ve always enjoyed the sports atmosphere, but now I get to enjoy it from the sidelines.”
Johnson attended Long Beach Jordan High School, and he went on to play football at Long Beach State. Moore attended University High School in West Los Angeles, and he played football at UCLA.
Johnson has had an interest in photography since he was a young child. His uncle gave him his first camera in the 1970s, and the first sporting event he shot was the Long Beach Grand Prix. Back then he would purchase a ticket and shoot the action from the stands. This was during a time when fans could bring their cameras to the major sporting events.
After college, Johnson joined the Navy, where he further explored his love for photography.
“During my Naval career, I took a lot of photos,” Johnson said. “I spent a lot of time on my own, because I was one of the few guys who didn’t drink. So, I spent a lot of time exploring different countries, taking photos.”
Johnson picked up every photography book that he found to improve his photography skills. As a serviceman, he was able to get free San Diego Chargers tickets, so he brought his camera and shot the games from the stands.
After leaving the Navy, Johnson started shooting youth sports, and he decided that he wanted to turn his hobby into a profession in the mid 1990s. He turned sample shots into a few publications, and it did not take long before he was given assignments.
Since then his work has been in the Long Beach Gazette; Media News has sent his work all over the nation; and he has shot for Nike, Max Preps, and for retired USC athletes.
Johnson has shot numerous NFL Pro Bowls in Hawaii, as well as NCAA basketball tournament games.
Moore’s route into sports photography was different. He picked up the hobby, because he wanted to get some good shots of his young children playing sports. He thought that by the time they got to high school, he would be a pro at it. Well, things happened much quicker than that. He invested in some high-end equipment in 2011, which allowed him to capture the same images that the professionals were getting.
“I started out with a Canon 7D, and now a few years later I have three 7Ds, and lenses including a 300 2.8, 70-200 2.8, and 24-70 2.8,” Moore said. “I’m pretty solid for what I have now to be able to go out there and capture some moments.”
Moore’s photos have appeared on News Plus Online, TG Sports, TV One, Playa Vista Today, Los Angeles Sports Journal, and in the Los Angeles Sentinel.
Moore dabbled in the hobby while in high school, but playing sports took him away from it. When he picked it back up again, it did not take long before he was in the action.
“I started to meet a few different people, when I was out there shooting, and one thing led to another,” Moore said. “Next thing you know I’m shooting at UCLA, USC. I got a chance to go to Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego) to shoot my first NFL game. And things continued to blossom for me.”
The highlight of Moore’s career (so far) was shooting both the Rose Bowl and BCS National Championship games last year. One play in that game really sticks out for him.
“Florida State’s Kermit Whitfield, in the National Championship Game, seeing him catch the ball in the end zone (off of a kickoff return),” Moore said. “He starts coming down the sideline where I was standing, next thing you know 100 yards later he’s in the other end zone. That’s one of those plays that I was able to shoot from start to finish.”
Johnson also has a number of memorable plays. The one that sticks out to him happened on a high school football field, watching a future NFL star at Long Beach Poly.
“I covered Desean Jackson, when he was in high school,” Johnson said. “On one play, he caught an interception. I literally, through my lens, watched this kid. It felt like everybody on the field froze, and he ran through and scored a touchdown. I said that night that he would be playing on Sundays.”
As much as Johnson and Moore like shooting the big time sporting events, they both will drive around from high school to high school to shoot players who are performing simply for the love of the game.
“I do it mostly for the kids,” Johnson said. “I remember how I felt to see myself in black and white when I was a kid. When a photographer would take a picture of me and put it in the paper, that was huge for me, way back in the ’80s.”
As much as this is a hobby and a profession for Johnson and Moore, they both feel like they doing doing a service for this community; telling a story with their cameras.
View more of their work on the web. Moore’s website is www.fullimage360.com. Find Johnson’s images on his instagram page, @McNair09.
