There are probably few people who know the individual on-court idiosyncrasies of players on the St. John’s Edge better than Jeff Parsons.
This from someone who never watched a basketball game before six months ago.
Parsons is the Edge’s team photographer and as such, has clicked off tens of thousands of shots of the St. John’s players and their opponents framed inside the viewfinder of his camera.
“The (Edge) intrasquad game was actually the first time I ever watched a basketball game. I’ve always been a hockey guy or martial arts guy,” said Parsons, a longtime hockey goaltender, who has also been involved in competitive jiu-jitsu and kickboxing.
“I never got into basketball.”
He’s into it now.
“I absolutely love it,” said the 47-year-old from Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s of his work with the Edge.
This is not Parsons’ first go-around as a sports photographer. He also did the job for the American Hockey League’s St. John’s IceCaps and is hoping to be able to get back into that side of things when the new ECHL team begins play at Mile One Centre.
But for him, working National Basketball League of Canada games at Mile One Centre has been, in a word, refreshing.
For one thing, there is the proximity to the action that isn’t available when shooting hockey from behind the glass or from in the stands.
“You’re in the play, because you are right on the floor and pretty close to the action, but more than anything, I find it’s the energy of the players … you feed off it.”
But the biggest difference may be an access that goes beyond being on the edge of the court, pretty much on top of the play. With the Edge, he’s also been given an access that was never available to him with the IceCaps.
“I don’t know about other (NBL Canada) clubs, but they’ve really taken me in as part of the team,” said Parsons, who received an early-season invitation from head coach Jeff Dunlap to takes pictures of the team in the dressing room before and after games.
That rarely happened with the AHL teams.
“Only a couple of times, like when (goaltender Yann) Danis got his 200th (AHL) win … and that was me asking if I could come in and get that shot. And when the (IceCaps) won the conference championship (in 2014). I went in to get a few photos, but that was only a special request of the team,” said Parsons.
“With these guys, (the Edge), it’s like, ‘Come in and hang out.’”
When asked if he had a favourite Edge player when it comes to being action-photogenic, Parsons mentions Grandy Glaze (“I love his energy”), Charles Hinkle (“The guy is money every time he gets the ball”), and Carl English (“There’s always strain on his face like he’s giving everything he has at that moment”).
But his favourite might be guard Alex Johnson.
“He’s the quarterback back there and he’s so athletic. For a small guy, he can really jump,” said Parsons about the player nicknamed, “Superman.”
Parsons’ photos aren’t just of the on-court action. Coaches, players on the bench and referees all are captured by his lens. So are the fans.
“I have a few friends on the mainland who have shot Olympics and NHL games and sometimes they ask me why I shoot a little wider, that I should be more focused on the players,” said Parsons, “but I’ve found that a lot of people like to look at what is behind the players.
“The expression on a fan’s face … a reaction to a play. That’s interesting, too.”
Parsons’ pictures of fans also come after the final buzzer during what’s become the standard practice of Edge players mingling with patrons. It didn’t happen Friday night as St. John’s opened its playoffs with Game 1 of a best-of-five Central Divisional against the visiting Windsor Express; the team took a one-game hiatus from its post-game practices as part of its focus shift to the playoffs. But the autograph sessions will return after Game 2 of the series Sunday afternoon (2 p.m. start) at Mile One.
Win or lose, just as it’s been all season.
“Even after a loss … and I’ve heard Carl say this: ‘Shake it off, let’s go out and sign autographs. It’s about the fans,’” relates Parsons.
“It’s great for the fans, but it’s great for marketing, too. You’re getting these young fans, whether it’s little kids or teenagers, and they’ve come to identify with the players because they get to meet them and talk to them right after the game that they just saw.
“It becomes part of their experience.”
It’s also helped make the Edge a pretty hot ticket. In its inaugural season, St. John’s drew an average of around 3,500 for home games, second best in NBL Canada and just about twice the league median.
Those wide shots Parsons takes rarely show empty sections.
The Edge began the playoffs Friday night with Game 1 of a best-of-seven Central Divisional against the Windsor Express, where attendance was expected to above the team’s regular-season average.
“The guys on the team couldn’t wait for the playoffs,” said Parsons. “They know there are probably going to be full houses or something close to it, and that energizes them. More than any other sport I’ve shot, they really feed off the crowd and I think it shows up in the pictures.
“At least I hope it does.”
Twitter: @telybrendan
Rule 1 in the event of imminent collision: protect the camera
Jeff Parsons is a busy man. He has his photography and graphic design business (https://jpphotographydesign.pixieset.com). He even designed the St. John’s Edge’s logo for Chris Batstone’s Imaging by Guido. And Parsons has a full-time job with Medisys Health Group.
But he would like to take on more work next winter when the ECHL brings minor pro hockey back to town.
If he does, he’s hopeful his work with the new hockey team would be more like it has been with basketball’s Edge than it was with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.
“With the ECHL maybe being a little more laid-back than the AHL, hopefully there would be more interaction with the players,” said Parsons. “For me, I want to shoot things fans don’t usually get to see. That might be a particular angle or something in the dressing room, things that require a little more access.
“I want people to see one of my pictures and say, ‘How did he get that?’”
Some other notes on Parsons’ work with the Edge:
• On the dangers of collisions with players as they careen into his camera location
“I’ve had a few close calls. I just brace myself and protect the camera, I don’t mind them landing on me. The camera is the most important thing.”
• Besides his camera, what else does he bring to his work with the Edge?
“Two pairs of shoes. One for outside and one for the courts so I don’t bring any debris. They’re nice and clean.”
• He consulted with some mainland photographers he knows on how he should shoot pro basketball games. Did he do anything else to prepare?
“I watch video online, and I’d watch highlights of NBA games on TSN, but I wasn’t interested so much in the play. I’d look at the photographers at either end to see where they were sitting.”
• Parsons has archived about 2,000 Edge photos this season, or about 100 per game. He tries to get them online to a password-accessible site with 90 minutes after contests. The Edge players, who have access to the site, apparently can’t wait.
“I get notified as each picture gets downloaded and with the players, it’s almost immediate. They put the pictures on Instagram or whatever social media they use. They’re all over it. They love it.”
• Do you have a favourite photo?
“I have a quote on my photography page: ‘When people ask me what’s my favourite picture, I always say the next one.’”
Twitter: @telybrendan
