Written By Jeffrey Reed
When I took one of my earliest photographs, the Toronto Blue Jays were playing their inaugural season at Exhibition Stadium. That photo was of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who had stopped in London as part of the London Sportsman’s Show. That year–1977–I also took photos of the Jays at their cozy confines dubbed, the Mistake by the Lake, because of less-than-desirable seating, playing conditions and lakefront weather.
I didn’t take photos professionally until the late-1980s. And, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I completed a monstrous job of digitalizing tens of thousands of photos taken over parts of six decades.
From age 15, I’ve had a passion for capturing special moments–and moments that I did not know were special at the time–with a camera in hand. But it wasn’t until I had dug into that massive digitalization project that I realized just how much I had captured a pictorial history. From Strathroy sandlots to Delaware horse farms, and from Mt. Brydges’ Tri-Township Arena to London’s Labatt Park, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been welcomed with my camera in tow.
In fact, while wearing my hat as a photojournalist, I’ve visited Major League Baseball parks across North America, NHL arenas, LPGA and PGA Tour golf tournaments and a myriad of sports venues from Florida to Montreal.
I could write a book about my experiences as a photographer–and perhaps I should. For instance, in 1991, while at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium where an interview with eventual all-time home run king Barry Bonds was arranged, I took hundreds of photos of the slugger around the batting cage–after he nixed the interview. For four days, Bonds led me on before saying no. But at least I have some great pics–cherished now, given Bonds’ all-time stats, despite his reputation as a PED user.
That year, I also began roaming the sidelines at Western Mustangs football games–first at J.W. Little Memorial Stadium, and eventually at Western Alumni Stadium. When I wasn’t in the broadcast booth calling play-by-play for radio or TV, I was taking photos of the No. 1 football program in Canada–a gig that ranks amongst my favourites as a photojournalist. And, I have the bruises to prove it: anyone who has stood on the sideline of a gridiron knows it’s a danger zone for photographers.
As I ease into semi-retirement, and focus more on writing and public speaking, I’ve all but retired my Nikon, but I am blessed to have my photos as constant reminders of an amazing career.
FYI The LondonOntarioSports.com Facebook page now publishes hundreds of my photos, if you are up for a trip down memory lane.
Award-winning writer Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980.
He is publisher and editor of LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at
jeff@londonontariosports.com.
