High school is usually a time when most students are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do when they “grow up.”
But Bailey Holiver, 17, has already got that figured out. She found her calling as a photographer taking photos of the football team at Culver City High School (CCHS), where she has just completed her sophomore year.
When Holiver initially approached CCHS football coach Jahmal Wright to take pictures of the team, he was impressed by her professionalism and desire to hone her craft and as a result allowed her to roam the sidelines with her camera snapping photos.
From then, all it took was one look at the high-quality images she produced of his players. Coach Wright gave Holiver not only access to the sidelines, but also to the rest of the field and other football team facilities.
“She does a great job of capturing the moment,” Wright said. “And she has a good feel for what is appropriate for each sport.”
Despite her age, Holiver now had the kind of access that even professional sports photographers with years of experience can only dream of.
She has developed a close relationship with the team, which has come to consider her one of their own. In fact, she said, the work she has done for the football team has been among her favorite photos because it doesn’t really feel like work to her.
“I have such a connection with that whole team and so they mean more to me than photos because those are my best friends,” Holiver said. “So I can kind of capture their personalities in the photos.”
Wright, as well as the players, are big fans of Holiver’s photos.
“The team has definitely embraced her style of photos and she has really made a name for herself taking pictures of the football team,” Wright said. “The boys really love her photos.”
But the football team are not the only subjects of her photos. After Coach Wright saw how talented Holiver was, he spread the word around campus and soon some of the school’s other athletic programs wanted pictures of their teams as well.
It wasn’t long before Holiver was shooting not only for the football team, but also the baseball, basketball, and lacrosse teams.
While she has been keeping herself busy photographing nearly all of the sports at her school, she has her sights set on continuing her career after high school and beyond.
Holiver recently finished a photography certificate course at UCLA, where she wowed her professor by organizing two full-day shoots of 10-11 hours each, one at FD Studios, a professional studio in downtown Los Angeles and a second shoot at Jag Gym in Culver City.
One of the photos Holiver took at Jag Gym, featuring CCHS cornerback Deven Osborne, was recently featured in a special photo exhibit at UCLA.
Beyond high school and college, Holiver hopes to one day shoot photos for the NBA and NFL. In fact, Holiver was recently hired as an intern by a WNBA photographer, and is making contacts while learning the ropes of professional sports photography.
Not that she doesn’t know a lot already as she spends lots of time getting her photos just right so that the image that she has in her mind is the same image that comes out of her camera.
“I think you need to have a certain photo in mind that you have to want but sometimes good photos happen by accident,” Holiver said. “I think you just have to be into what you’re doing.”
The way that Holiver gets the best photos is by studying not only the players but also the sport itself.
“My football photos were a lot better once I understood the sport,” she said. “What’s most helpful is getting to know really good form and spend time with the individual players and coaches. Usually you’ll be able to tell what good form is because it will look better in the picture.”
While Holiver has strong support from Coach Wright and his team as well as the support from the coaches and players of the school’s other teams, the strongest level of support for Holiver comes from her mom Kim.
“A parent is happy that their child is happy and healthy and I actually feel extremely lucky that at such a young age, she found what her passion is,” Kim Holiver said.
Kim encouraged Bailey to pursue her passion for photography ever since her daughter first picked up a camera as the eighth grade. Mom has been supportive by driving Bailey back and forth to photo shoots, and helping her obtain professional equipment, including strobe lights, softboxes, and a photo backdrop.
She also helps her daughter run her photography business, where Bailey earns money taking photos of events, such as parties. Holiver’s images can also be seen regularly the Culver City News newspaper.
“Bailey is a rare talent,” said Gary Kohatsu, Culver City News editor. “She not only has a great eye and excellent timing, but has the drive and discipline to succeed in a very competitive market. Bailey also has the right attitude and carries herself as a professional in every way. She is a joy to work with.”
Holiver hopes the WNBA internship will lead to her dream job of taking photos for the NBA.
Andy Bernstein, the senior photographer for the NBA hired Holiver to shoot photos for last year’s Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. It was at that event where Holiver met Stephanie Romero, photographer for the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team, with whom she has a close mentor relationship.
To check out Bailey Holiver’s work, go to www.photographybybailey.com