Photography inspires UC student to chart new path
Maylea Salmon was pursuing a degree in nursing at the University of Cincinnati when a chance encounter changed her career trajectory in a big way.
At her CrossFit class, Salmon was paired with a sports photographer, Abigail Dean, who has worked with various NFL teams. Salmon grew up in a sports family and was a high school athlete. The idea of being around sports while working in a creative field like photojournalism excited her.
“That’s a job? I could be a sports photographer?” she recalled thinking.
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UC students sign the Alma Mater at Nippert Stadium during a football game. Photo/Maylea Salmon
Salmon was already mulling the idea after seeing photographers capture the action from the sidelines at a UC football game. Suddenly, nursing didn’t seem like the best fit for her.
“I loved the science behind it, but I didn’t love nursing the way my classmates did,” she said.
For her high school graduation present, she asked her mom for a camera instead of a stethoscope.
“I thought it would be a hobby,” her mom, Sunny Salmon, said. “Little did I know, her passion was there all along.”
Three years later, she hasn’t looked back.
Diving into something new
A third-year senior, Salmon is now chief photographer at UC’s independent student newspaper, the News Record. And she works for UC Athletics, shooting for Bearcats Digital.
She spoke about her experience in the empty News Record office in the bottom of Swift Hall, where writers and editors work at laptops around a large conference table in the middle of the newsroom. Students can be loud and boisterous together so Salmon typically holds her department meetings in the hallways where they won’t bother co-workers, she said.
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Maylea Salmon said she tries to capture the intimate moments in sports like this football player getting ready to take the field. Photo/Maylea Salmon
“There’s too many of us and we’re way too loud,” she said.
But most newsrooms are quiet at 10 a.m. and this one was no different.
Salmon joined the newspaper as a photographer while studying nursing. Students from any college or major can apply.
She remembers her first assignment, photographing a men’s basketball game at UC’s Fifth Third Arena. A member of UC Athletics Media Services walked her to her designated spot on the court.
“I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t even know where to put my bag,” she said. “I was squeezed in between these two huge men who each had three cameras and I just had my tiny one. It’s intimidating.”
Sports photography is a male-dominated field. But Salmon was undaunted.
“I quickly learned that if you ask a photographer a technical question, they will be your best friend,” she said. “Everyone helps you out, which is something I really like in the profession. I’m a people person so I needed that.”
Her mom thought she might go into writing since she had a talent for it.
“On more than one occasion, she has moved people to tears with her writing, from speaking at her uncle’s funeral when she was 16 to writing a farewell letter to her choir girls,” her mom said.
Sports photography is a beast.
Maylea Salmon, UC journalism student
Salmon grew up in a suburb outside Indianapolis, Ind., where she was a cheerleader and competed in the pole vault in track and field. But her favorite sport was basketball.
“I’m five-foot-two, so I didn’t go far,” she said.
Salmon said her sports experience informed her photography.
“As an athlete, I loved seeing pictures of me, even just laughing on the bench. It didn’t have to be an action shot — just me with my favorite people doing what we love,” Salmon said.
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UC Olympic medalists wave to supporters at Nippert Stadium. Photo/Maylea Salmon
“That’s how I approach college sports, too. They used to play this game so they could get a plastic trophy and a packet of goldfish crackers. Now it’s a more serious level, but everyone still loves a good picture.”
Salmon said she learned fast and did a lot of shooting. She changed majors from nursing to journalism and shot more video and photography for her classes.
“Sports photography is a beast,” she said. “Every game is different. Every arena is different. So you just get the hang of it.”
Professional opportunities abound
What cemented Salmon's decision was when she began looking for her first internship.
UC is nationally renowned for its top-ranked programs for internships and co-ops, in which students split the year between full-time classroom instruction and full-time work for an employer in their chosen field. UC invented co-op more than 100 years ago and its commitment to helping students get experience in their careers is a big reason many students choose UC.
A classmate let Salmon know about an internship at the sports apparel company Champion.
“I applied while sitting in a hammock on Sigma Sigma Commons,” she said of the popular student hangout on UC’s campus.
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UC journalism student Maylea Salmon works for Bearcat Digital and the sports apparel company Champion. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
At Champion, she did product reviews and put together photo boards of campus fashion trends.
“They flew the Cincinnati intern crew to Kansas to visit their Gear for Sports facility, where at the time they were making NCAA Final Four T-shirts,” she said. “They showed us how they design the different clothing and make it. They showed us all the mock-ups. It was the coolest thing.”
More recently, Champion invited Salmon to go to Wake Forest University to help shoot the company’s catalog, which will come out soon.
The opportunity lead to a paying job with Champion — Salmon works as a contract photographer for the company.
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UC student Maylea Salmon said she tries to capture the emotion and drama of sports through intimate moments such as the women's basketball team celebrating from the bench at Fifth Third Arena. Photo/Maylea Salmon
“This girl is a hustler,” her mom said. “Maylea’s dedication to her craft will lead her to great things. I believe her time at UC is just the beginning.”
Editor-in-Chief Aidan Leonard said Salmon’s biggest impact at the News Record was getting more students to participate. Students from any college are welcome to work there.
“She’s incredible. When she started, there were only three photography contributors. Now we have more than two dozen,” Leonard said. “And she sits with people one-on-one and provides feedback to make them better. She really cares about helping them.”
Leonard, a senior majoring in journalism, said photos and videos are an essential part of news gathering, particularly in today’s digital world.
“Our generation doesn’t have the longest attention span. Having something visually interesting really draws people into a story,” he said.
With photography there is always something new to learn or new techniques to try, Salmon said.
“You can’t get complacent. Once you feel you’ve mastered it, there’s a new camera or software,” she said.
“And then there are all the many forms of photography composition: leading lines, the rule of thirds, shooting through people or behind people, black-and-white, slow shutter speed. I never have enough time to try it all in one game. So there’s always the next game. I love it.”
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UC student Maylea Salmon said she experiments with different photographic techniques to capture arresting images like this UC football player framed by teammates. Photo/Maylea Salmon
Salmon worked as a student ambassador in the College of Arts and Sciences, where she helped allay the fears of incoming students about their adjustment to college life.
“Everyone feels nervous like you. Just leave your dorm room door open on your first day and you’ll make friends,” she said.
Salmon is looking forward to her next internship at Cincinnati’s alternative newsweekly CityBeat.
She said she feels like her experience at UC is giving her a good start in her career.
“When I’m in the arena, I sometimes try to put the camera down for a second and just take it in,” she said. “This is exactly what I dreamed of.”
Featured image at top: After a successful internship with Champion, the sports apparel company hired UC College of Arts and Sciences student Maylea Salmon for photography jobs. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
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