An eye for sports photography

Ryan Kang covering an Oregon football game post-graduation joined by a familiar face at the University of California, Berkeley in 2018.

An eye for sports photography

By the time Ryan Kang, BA ’16 (advertising), was a junior in the School of Journalism and Communication, he already had a multitude of professional photography experiences. After working for several years at The Emerald, University of Oregon’s student newspaper, the L.A. native was able to work as a tour photographer and videographer for The Voice Tour the summer before his junior year. From there, doors of opportunity continued to open.

Kang began working as a freelance photographer for the Associated Press (AP) in August 2014, and he was given three regular season Oregon football games to shoot. He’d known since high school that sports photography was an area he wanted to explore. However, his time at the UO is when he really saw the potential in his own work and the career it could bring.

Marcus Mariota looks on following Oregon’s Rose Bowl victory over Florida State in 2015 to send them to the first College Football Playoff National Championship. (Ryan Kang/Emerald)

“I remember I had shot a game for AP, and the next week I went to Utah for the Emerald to cover the following football game,” Kang said. “I looked at one of the Utah newspapers and my photo from that previous game was in the paper, and that was a ‘wow, this is pretty cool’ moment.”

By the time Kang reached his senior year, AP gave him the entire UO football slate for the season, and Kang went full-time with his freelance work.

Oregon running back Royce Freeman (21) scores a touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014, in Eugene, Ore. (Ryan Kang/Emerald)

During the second half of his senior year, Kang worked for the Register-Guard, Lane County’s newspaper, where he was able to cover events like the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene.

In August 2016, the California native moved back to his hometown to pursue a career with the NFL as a photographer and photo editor—his dream job.

Following the NFL’s busy schedule, Kang is set to cover around 33 regular season games this year in places like Arizona, San Francisco, and Vegas, in addition to shooting nine preseason and eventual playoff games. During the 2018 NFL season, Kang traveled to and covered a total of 53 football games.

“Majority of my year is traveling,” Kang said. “The NFL is almost a year-round thing now, with the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, the NFL Draft and training camps.”

Philadelphia Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount (29) walks to the field during player introductions prior to an NFL football NFC divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in Philadelphia. (Ryan Kang/NFL)

Kang said that since he joined the full-time sports photography world seven years ago, he’s seen a major positive shift in the culture and representation.

“Sports photography has been primarily a white, male-dominated industry, and it’s been awesome to see more people of color and female photographers on the field. Every one of those people brings a new eye and unique style of photography that we haven’t seen before. Having these new perspectives on the game is really incredible.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and strong safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) celebrate on stage after the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Ryan Kang/NFL)

Looking forward, Kang is excited to continue working for the NFL and improving upon his craft, constantly looking for the next big moment to capture in a creative way.

“I grew up on football. I love shooting football. I don’t see how any job could be more meant for myself than the one that I’m in right now,” Kang said.

(Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) scores a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019, in Kansas City, Mo. (Ryan Kang/NFL)

In terms of goals for next season, he has one at the top of his list:

“I’ve been to every single NFL stadium except for one: Jacksonville. I didn’t get it this year, but hopefully next year, I will definitely try to prioritize the Jacksonville game just to complete the list.”

-By Peyton Hall, UO Alumni Association Student Associate