The Making Process

The early stages of this making process are touched by various people who have impacted my personal journey in sports journalism. I began this project with motivation to incorporate a process of making that runs in my maternal family, but that I have very limited skillsets in: sewing and needlework. It is partially from this maternal family line that I inherit my motivation to create. I inherit both my problem solving dedication and my photographer's eye from my dad. The mentor artifact I looked to for logistical inspiration (such as dimensions, camera attachment apparatuses) is pictured bottom left in the photo grid above. This was gifted to me from Seyoung, who also was single-most important support in my joining a photo desk where I learned of my love of sports photography, sports journalism, and equity + sport.

Following several rounds of drawing to get a visual and mental grasp on my initial ideas, I began gathering materials to recycle in the construction of my artifact from the lab and from my mom's scrap collection. From the multicolored denim squares, I was able to sew the foundation/background of the strap. I adapted my designs several times to sort out the embroidery pattern that was both representative of the data and within my early-learning-phase skillset. Several rounds of puzzle-piece matching occurred to settle on exactly what aspects of various data sets were to be represented in conversation on the camera strap.

Perhaps the most unclear and frustrating aspect to create on the camera strap were the brown bookend caps and the braided loops for attachment to the camera itself. Initially, I intended to 3D print buckles to run a strap through, which would further be sewn into the brown end pieces. Out of fear of damage to my camera and in pursuit of a stronger, reinforced connection point, I pivoted to creating a braided and looped end of the strap that runs through a ring to pass through the camera's hooks.

Political, Ethical, & Embodied Considerations

Political/Ethical: The main consideration taken into account was the selection of colors to use in this project (i.e. embroidery thread tones associated with certain data aspects, colors of denim used). While initially I sought to use neutral tones for the entire project, I pivoted to avoid reduction of lived experience to colors that could be associated haphazardly with visible identity factors, and to further reproduce stereotypes. Instead, I drew on an assortment of vibrant colors and actively sought to tie colors to data that I myself did not associate with gendered or racialized factors.

"Whatever you do, don't wear jeans." Before covering my first high profile sporting event (read: men's sporting event), my editor at the time said these six words to me, and they are words I repeated to mentees when I was an editor. The use of denim as the foundation of this camera strap is personally political. I was taught to exist being held to higher standards, especially in physical appearance with respect to clothing and beauty. There was no "uniform" or standard at the time in the spaces I was navigating on self presentation for me, as I was usually one of one/two women on the court/field/pitch alongside middle aged men who were allowed to be casual because their presence was expected and non-disruptive (read: they wore jeans). This quickly snowballed into fixation on performative professionalism, negotiation of hyper-gendered standards, being physically uncomfortable in dress pants, etc.

Embodied: While making this physicalization, I thought quite a lot about what it would be like to use this while covering a game or working a sporting event. The embodied experience of this strap holds weight: it is pulled down and toggled around by the body of the camera, the lens, the job itself and practice of photography. It is also supportive: providing supportive relief from the wrist and hand holding the camera while in active creation mode, it can be maneuvered around the wrist, around my left shoulder, around my right when aches progress or when space requires. This data is carried on the wear-er's shoulder, while simultaneously remaining physically close and capable of flexible support.