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“I used to only do landscape and nature photography, but now I've learned how to do sports and it has opened up a whole new passion for me,” Keller said. “It boosted my confidence, helped me create an Instagram page dedicated to my work, and taught me to be unbiased and just shoot.”
That opportunity came through the SEK Sports Exchange, a new program created by Pittsburg State University Professor Ken Ward (Communication).
The initiative connects student photographers from high schools across the region with community newspapers that need help covering local sports — especially “away games.”
“This helps community newspapers at a time they’re struggling, and it provides students with access to some of the cool resources we have in hopes that perhaps they’ll come here for their studies,” Ward said. “My goal is to connect the dots between high schools, publications, and us. It’s been a successful experiment this fall, and I'm hoping to expand it in the future.”
Each Friday night during football season, students from Chanute, Iola, Pittsburg, and Prairie View capture action from high school games and upload their best shots to an online workspace Ward created. Area newspapers short on staff can access the photos for use in their coverage in exchange for crediting the students and sending printed tear sheets for their portfolios.
“We reach out to them to let them know we have a student from a partner school photographing it,” Ward said.
Students receive one-on-one instruction and feedback from Ward — and their teachers can, too, if they wish. Their work is frequently published, including on the Pitt State Photo J Instagram account, giving them an early taste of professional exposure.
To enrich the experience, several students have visited campus to shoot from the sidelines at Gorilla football games in Carnie Smith Stadium. They’ve used university equipment, shot pregame warmups, toured the top of the Jungletron digital scoreboard, and watched Pitt State media production students call the game live.
“They got to see our media production operation up close,” Ward said. “It’s a great way to show them what college-level journalism and photography look like.”
At Pittsburg High School, Keller’s advisor Nikki Foster said she plans to expand participation when basketball season begins.
“This opportunity is fantastic real-world experience in professional sports,” Foster said. “Sometimes student sports photographers only shoot their own team, but in professional settings you have to cover both sides fairly. This helps them learn that. Luckily, photography skills are needed everywhere — business, marketing, social media — and experiences like this help students see that.”
At Chanute High School, advisor Dustin Fox has five student photographers who shoot each game, with two of them focusing on the opposing team for the first half. Senior Kaanin Pontious and junior Kynleigh Oliver have been part of the exchange this fall.
“Both of them are very talented photographers and have some interest in pursuing photography in the future,” Fox said. “Any time we can give our kids the opportunity to have their work published and seen by others is a win. It’s definitely motivating, and Kaanin and Kynleigh have a healthy competition going to see whose photo gets published each week.”
Pontious said the experience has been rewarding.
“Getting photos published is always a good experience,” Pontious said. “It makes all the time and thought I put into the thing I love most feel like it’s worth it. When a professional group of people use my work, it gives me a feeling like I am one of them.”
Oliver agreed.
“It was a great feeling seeing more of my photos published and getting to see them in papers I hadn’t even heard of,” she said. “It was super cool to show people that far away my talent.”
For Ward, that sense of pride and connection is exactly the point.
“It’s about giving students meaningful experience, supporting local journalism, and building community through storytelling,” he said.
