She’s the one who’s always taking pictures for the sports games. She’s the one who always makes time to help others before helping herself. She’s even playing her own sports for the school and club, along with schoolwork, and riding buses for away games. She’s got a bigger and busier schedule than probably anybody in the school! Can you guess who it is?

She’s Elizabeth Blank, a junior, a varsity volleyball player, and a committed photographer. Her dedication towards other sports and her own is truly incredible.

I recently asked her a series of questions, wanting to know more about how she is able to deal with the craziness of everything and what really inspires her to continue taking photographs for each team.

“I love the thrill of capturing an awesome photo,” Blank says. “Soccer and lacrosse are my favorite two. There is such a fast tempo and the shots come out really cool.”

Photography is the art, application and practice of creating durable images by recording light. You need to know exactly the right angle, the right time, the right spot, and the right lighting to make the perfect picture come out. It takes hard work and practice for such perfect photos to make the cut. Many people decide to take courses or extra classes on photography to make sure their pictures come out…well…picture perfect.

“I took a pre college course at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in 8th grade and loved it. I bought a camera within 5 months after that. For sports photography I fell in love with it when I joined the photojournalism club in freshman year. I started going to sports games and just loved it.”

A sports photographer has one of the hardest jobs. With the plays constantly changing and the athletes constantly moving, if you don’t take the picture at the exact moment you wanted, even if the moment is a second off, the picture could turn out blurry or it could become a disasterful masterpiece of awkward photos. 

Blank says that the hardest part of being a sports photographer would be“not getting a shot from a good play. Also lighting. Taking photos outside means that lighting will always change.”

As a junior playing middle hitter on varsity volleyball, she certainly has her hands full, either running from her games to other games, or running from her practices to other games of other sports.

“It is hard. I do not get a chance to get to go to all sports as often as I would like. But I have a good team to help when it gets tough. It is overwhelming at times but it is always worth it. Of course, like anything, sometimes it can be quite overwhelming doing so much.” 

So I think all athletes, and students, can thank Elizabeth Blank for her dedication and kindness. Her precise and incredible photos make everyone’s day! 

You can look at more action shots that Elizabeth and other photographers took of the sports and clubs at the New Providence Providental Photography section, where photos are published each week. Be sure to tune in!