By Lindsay Devereux & Maddie Metzler | Collaborative Reporters

Sporting purple and gold and standing on the sidelines, Sam Scott gives back to the community through photography.

Scott began his career in photography ten years ago when his three daughters started playing sports. His original goal was simply to document some of their childhood.

“I wanted to capture some of their talent so they could go back and look at it later,” Scott said.

However, Scott has not always been interested in photography. Scott knew almost nothing about cameras when he began taking photos.

“When I started taking photos, I was terrible,” Scott said. “I didn’t know anything about photography.”

Although Scott focuses mainly on sports photos, he also enjoys capturing landscapes. He tries to take unique photos so the viewer can create a story from each image.

“I want to make you wonder what else there is to that picture,” Scott said. “It’s all about perspective. The cool thing is that different people see the photo differently.”

Even though Scott only took pictures of his daughters at the start of his photography career, his photos soon began to move toward other people. He started with Marshfield cross country, since his daughter, Tori Scott, was a runner on the team.

“A lot of the parents couldn’t make it to the meets and I wanted to share with them how their child was doing in a way that words couldn’t express,” Scott said.  “I realized how much both the kids and the parents enjoyed the pictures and it all really expanded on that.”

Scott now photographs multiple sports such as volleyball, basketball, football and track. He makes an effort to attend as many events as he can.

“I try to make sure to get pictures of everybody,” Scott said.

Marshfield track coach Mac Macintosh asks Scott to accompany him on numerous track meets, where Scott takes photos and puts them on his website for free use.
“It’s a tremendous service and he offers it for free,” Macintosh said. “I’m extremely grateful.”

Junior Tracee Scott, Scott’s daughter, is supportive of his photography career.

“Photography is his second nature,” Tracee said. “It’s a passion he loves to do besides carpentry and dentistry.”

Fellow photographer Allan Ledesma also believes Scott has a large impact on the community.

“I think very highly of him,” Ledesma said. “He gives a lot back to the community. He’s a great guy and a great person overall.”

Scott and Ledesma maintain a close relationship when it comes to photography and have always been willing to help each other out. The two even share camera equipment and give each other photography tips.

“I’ve learned that most photographers are more than willing to help you out,” Scott said. “Even when I started photography, Allan Ledesma helped me a ton. He’s taught me a lot. I even borrow cameras and lenses from him from time to time.”

Both Scott and Ledesma started out small and have taken photos throughout the entire community over the years. Though they are relatively small-scale photographers, both try to reach out to as many people as possible.

Despite years of experience, Scott is still learning.

“It’s an art that definitely improves with practice,” Scott said.

Today Scott can be seen on the sidelines of a sporting event or in the midst of a game trying to get that perfect shot.