Billie Weiss, Red Sox Photographer, Reflects on the Outlook for 2021
“We felt an immense sense of responsibility to keep our fans up-to-date and engaged,” Billie Weiss of the Boston Red Sox commented upon while reflecting on his team’s 2020 storytelling strategy.
Now, Billie is sharing his outlook for 2021 in our new guide The Photographer’s Outlook 2021.
This guide highlights the resilience of photographers during a year full of challenges. Inside you will learn:
How photographers fueled their businesses in 2021
Industry leaders from organizations like the Boston Red Sox and Photoville modified their strategies. Tips on being successful in 2021.
Below, please find highlights from Billie’s Q&A with me, and download the full guide for further insights from fellow photographers.
Caitlyn: How has the Red Sox photo team had to adjust this year in response to pandemic concerns? Did fans expect them to stay informed and uplifted during its early days?
Billie: 2017 was certainly challenging for us. Our primary adjustment had to do with working within the new safety parameters and limitations put in place by Covid, specifically relating to access. Team photographers are used to having unfettered access into places others cannot, such as locker rooms, weight rooms, tunnels and dugouts, which wasn’t possible this year with these new rules in effect. Unfortunately I was the only member of our content team with access on-field; other shooters and creators on our team had to get creative with what they could accomplish from six rows back in stands – even I had to be extra cautious about proximity and exposure towards players when handling any exposure on-field.
At our core, we believe it was our duty to keep our fans up-to-date and engaged throughout this pandemic’s initial days, even though like everyone else we were unaware of what was taking place or how events would develop. But after several weeks had gone by, we realized we couldn’t just stay silent as a brand and through social media just because baseball wasn’t taking place. At our team, we recognized it was our responsibility as sports teams to provide our fans with content that would inspire, entertain and distract from the day-to-day uncertainty caused by pandemic disease. This content took many forms including infographics, Zoom interviews with players, at home activities for children as well as deep dives into photography archives and evergreen Fenway Park content.
What was your key takeaway from making 2020 adjustments?
At our core, the key takeaway from this experience was that it’s still possible to produce high-quality content despite having limited staff, resources, and access. All that matters is being smarter and more efficient in how we make asks, set goals, and execute.
Going forward, this mindset will enable us to be more strategic when choosing projects and remaining true to the core elements of our overall brand. Without fans present, this season was a good reminder that photography as an artistic form can be extremely powerful; giving others access into your world which otherwise wouldn’t exist if photography wasn’t used in its proper capacity – so keep pursuing it regardless!
Personaly, I would be intrigued to know more about your YouTube channel. From what I can tell, it has taken off and I wonder if that is something you believe would have had time for had the pandemic not occurred.
Launching my own YouTube channel had long been on my bucket list, yet always seemed out of reach given my busy day-to-day life. When things began to settle down again, however, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to give it a go – and have since enjoyed every second. Though initially it has been challenging and time consuming, but overall I’ve really enjoyed figuring out the platform and expanding slowly but steadily over time. Photography has enabled me to connect with so many people through it’s inherent ability of connecting visually through photography – now with an established base, I look forward to watching how far the channel continues its growth into future years!