Liv Lyons always dreamed of capturing the Mariners with her lens. This season it is happening
Photographer Liv Lyons smiles on the field at T-Mobile Park prior to the Mariners facing the Houston Astros (photo Chuck Hamaker)
By Liv Lyons
"When I was a kid, my parents would take me into the city for any major sporting event we could attend. Seahawks, Sonics, and my personal favorite—Mariners games. I was 4 years old in 1995, when the M's beat the Yankees in game 5 of the American League Division Series, and the images that came out of that game ignited the spark that would end up growing into a lifelong passion for photography and storytelling."
All photos by Liv Lyons
Fast forward to 2022. While freelancing for Converge Media, Omari Salisbury approached me with the opportunity to provide photo coverage during Mariners games. I was ecstatic. On May 5th, the Mariners faced off against the Rays and I stepped into the press room. After getting acquainted with the writer I would be working with, Chuck Hamaker of Circling Seattle Sports, Omari put me in touch with a local photojournalist who would show me the ropes. It was just my luck that it would be a photojournalist whom I had studied in college, and whose work I admire: Ted S. Warren of the Associated Press. Ted walked me through the ins and outs of photographing a major league baseball game and was as great a resource as he is a photographer. During our walkthrough, I had the honor of meeting some of the other photojournalists I would come to see regularly, as well as team photographer Ben Van Houten.
Kyle Lewis grins as he circles the bases following a home run (photo Liv Lyons)
Come game time, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. I was buzzing with excitement. Sitting in an available seat within the 1st base photo well, alongside three amazing photojournalists, about to photograph my first Mariners games—I had held onto this childhood dream for 26 years and now it was unfolding in front of me. All of the hard work, the rejections, and the victories—it all led me here. Four games in, and I'm still as excited as I was on that first day. Excited, humbled, and determined to grow and create (hopefully) timeless images.
Thank you again to Omari and our team at Converge, our partners at Circling Seattle Sports, and the Mariners organization. I'll catch y'all at T-Mobile Park!
You can check out more of Liv’s work on Instagram and Twitter @_livlyons as well as her website www.Livlyons.com
