Jury 2010
Eileen Ryan
PHOTO EDITOR, USA TODAY
Covering a local political campaign isn't an assignment many fine-arts photography students would take on, but for Eileen Ryan, it was all part of tailoring her studies to her career. "I used to write a lot when I was a young kid - I was the editor of the paper in high school," she explains.
While pursuing her BFA in photography at Moore College of Art and Design, she continues, "I started to shoot in a journalistic style. All my early interests came back and I realized, 'Oh, maybe I'm meant to be in publishing.'" So, for her senior thesis, Ryan tailed Philly mayoral candidate W. Wilson Goode. He won the race, Eileen built a portfolio, and Newsweek published one of her campaign photos a year later.
When USA Today came calling in 2005, however, jumping into sports was not difficult. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, as the youngest sister to six siblings - three of whom were boys - Ryan grew up playing and watching everything from volleyball to basketball to softball. "My older brother always wanted to practice his knuckleball, so I became a catcher," she laughs. "My father, every Sunday, had a golf tournament on TV. All of a sudden, being a sports editor made sense. I understand the lingo and the motivation behind a lot of the athletes."
Eileen also thinks that there is more to motor sports photography than most people would think. "I photographed a NASCAR race in Richmond, Virginia in 2007. So many people say NASCAR is boring, but if you're behind the scenes, it's fascinating. I used to have an editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer who said, 'Basically there's the arena and stadium, and those people [the athletes] are playing right in front of you. It's like a theatrical performance happening right in front of your lens.' I've always taken that to heart."
As technology has improved, Ryan's job also has evolved, and choosing images that capture mood and action while wowing the reader has become a more discerning task - especially considering the immediacy with which photographs come across her desk. "We as journalists, working for a daily newspaper with a tight deadline, now can get our images into the paper - and therefore to the reader - so much more quickly," she says. "Photography is not much of a mystery anymore. As a result, photographers need to work harder to surprise the viewer."
That surprise, for Ryan, comes from the human emotion that permeates what she considers a really outstanding image. "Driving for something [athletically] translates to someone's facial expression, whether it's exertion or frustration or celebration, and all those elements can translate into a great photograph."
What advice would see give to aspiring photographers who are looking at the talent at Red Bull Illume? "As a photographer it doesn't matter where you are at a sports event - there are pictures everywhere."
