Unitec ‘FanCam’ a budding photo journalist’s dream

^{07 May 2012}

Five Unitec photography students are taking part in the Unitec ‘FanCam’ initiative, capturing the excitement of The Blues’ home games to share with fans.

As well as harnessing the spirit of The Blues’ rugby fans experience before, during and after the match, the initiative aims to help the students practice their event photo-journalism skills and build a portfolio of work while they study.

The students’ photos are posted regularly on The Blues’ official Facebook page, and shared online with the franchise’s loyal fan base.

 

Third-year photography student and aspiring sports photo-journalist, John Mead, helped coordinate the students’ participation while honing his own skills through the project.

“Opportunities like this don’t come up very often, and we’re really grateful to Unitec and The Blues for this fantastic experience,” says John.

“We have access to all areas other than the tunnel and dressing rooms at each Blues home game.  We’re able to get up-close and personal with both the fans and Blues players.

“It’s a dynamic and exciting way to put what we’re learning into practice. And our work captures the vibe and the buzz of a Blues home game – it’s a real win-win initiative.”

James Rigby, The Blues’ digital media manager agrees.  Since the ‘FanCam’ albums were launched on The Blues official Facebook page, the photos have reached 12,163 people and have been viewed 33,934 times. 

“We’ve experienced more fan interactions with the ‘FanCam’ photo albums than we have with any other initiative on our Facebook page to date,” says James.

Fans are actively tagging themselves and their friends, and liking, sharing or commenting on the students’ photos at a rapidly growing rate.

 

“The Unitec photography students and their lecturer, John Malcolm, are all so enthusiastic.  It comes through in their work, and our fans have responded very positively.

“Their photos really capture the spirit of home-team support and the match atmosphere - you just won’t get that watching the game at home,” says James. 

The Unitec ‘FanCam’ is just one opportunity linked to Unitec’s partnership with The Blues, where students are gaining real-world experience complementing their studies.

Check out more of our students’ work in the Unitec ‘FanCam’ photo albums on The Blues official Facebook page.