In a time full of Instagram, and the constant taking of photographs, it’s safe to say that most high schoolers have an online presence of some sort.
At Mount Carmel, a lot of students enjoy using their social media accounts to share pictures of them playing a sport or participating for a team they are a part of.
In recent years, some students have taken advantage of their peers’ need for pictures by taking them themselves. Whether it’s a football press conference after winning a state championship, a rivalry basketball game in the main gym, or the baseball team getting rowdy in the dugout, it seems like nowadays there’s always a student photographer capturing these events with their camera.
Some of these young photographers have had an interest in cameras before they became a student at MC. However, the student with the most experience and consistent uploading schedule of quality photos didn’t get involved in the game until his sophomore year.
“It was November 16th, 2023,” recalls junior Rocco Lopez, the sole moderator and photographer behind Instagram account shotsbyrocco. “I was in my video media class that Friday, and my friend Dave was talking to me about a camera. I figured I might as well buy it, you know, see if this can take me somewhere.”
Lopez’s camera took him somewhere alright. Currently his Instagram account has just over 1,800 followers, which was gained by uploading 121 posts from football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and many other athletic events.
But just buying a camera obviously didn’t get Lopez to where he is today. His growth as a photographer took time and effort. Afterall, one has to start somewhere, right?
“I texted my friends on the hockey team and told them I just got a camera,” says Lopez. “I told them I was going to go to their game later and take pictures. Those first pictures were horrible. I hated the way that they looked and it took a lot to keep coming back to those games.”
Like any creator on a path to more recognition for their work, Lopez experienced adversity as a beginner. Over time though, he started to get better.
“Especially with anything journalism-related, consistency is key,” Lopez says. “If you’re not publishing or posting consistently, people are going to lose interest because there’s always going to be some other photographer out there at the game.”
Lopez’s constant attendance at athletic events has allowed him to add frequently and consistently to his diverse portfolio on Instagram.
By focusing on growing his platform, Lopez ultimately changed the way people perceived his work. He took his account and it made it into a brand.
“I hit 100 followers at the end of February,” he says. “It took like three months to get to 100, and then at the end of September I was at 1,000, and now it’s at 1,800. It feels like it just came out of nowhere.”
Lopez grew his presence within both the MC and local photography community overall even more by handing out wristbands with his logo on it. He also started using different equipment, such as a disposable camera and lenses specifically for recording video instead of just capturing photos.
These additions to his equipment allowed him to get a variety of different posts for MC’s football season, in which Lopez went to all fourteen games, including the state championship for which his posts reached thousands of people across the state.
“During the football season is when a huge jump came for me,” he says. “I was not expecting it, and then obviously the further that the team went in the season the harder it got to get on the field. But it’ll be easier for you to get on the field if other guys taking pictures recognize you, which is why I’m thankful for building relationships with them.”
Not only does Lopez have a strong relationship with other photographers but he also knows the players he’s taking the pictures for very well.
“It’s a great feeling to be posted on shotsbyrocco,” said senior football player and Caravan Media Group member Marty Mann. “He’s a great guy. I even got his wristband on my water bottle right now. Two of them, actually.”
Mann isn’t the only one that’s appreciative of Lopez’s work.
“It feels great to be in a post,” said senior football player Jackson Barrins. “I’ll make a play in a game and think about what it’ll look like on his post. I’ve also gotten a lot of followers from him.”
Overall, Lopez’s work has influenced many people in multiple communities. His work certainly does not go unappreciated at MC, and everyone wants to see him continue to grow and succeed in this field.
“I could definitely see myself doing this for a while,” he said. “There’s a lot more to come for the account.”
