Alexander Saballos Maggie Samples Ines Lopez-Almansa Benjamin Sanzone Isaac Sanzone Chloe Schliffka Noah Schutzler Trevor Schwiethale Lael Seats Junior Lexi Chism excels in photography and promotional footage for Harding’s football team. The Harding football team had close to 50 people on their sidelines, including players, coaches and something a little unexpected: a junior Harding student with her camera. Junior Lexi Chism was the head Harding University football photographer for the 2023-24 and 2022-23 school years. During her time as a student, Chism traveled to every game with the team and took action-packed photos along the way. She even had family on the team’s staff. “My dad is the offensive line coach, and then during COVID, I randomly made a video because he asked me to with clips I found online,” Chism said. “I edited them together, and the Sports Information Department hired me from there.” Her education at Harding and specifically her studies in integrated marketing communications honed her skills and gave her an eye for what makes a photo exceptional. Chism, on average, took around 1,000 photos a game and narrowed each set of pictures down to 100 highlights. “There are definitely a few [pictures], like touchdowns, that are always [crucial to get],” Chism said. “Or if the defense gets a sack, that’s always really fun, but I also really like capturing the reactions after the touchdown where [the players and fans are] all super excited.” Chism was also in charge of creating promotional footage for Code Black and potential players. This added to her commitment and time with the team, personally and professionally. “Getting to watch the whole season unfold and getting to see the story behind the season makes everything a little more exciting,” Chism said. Her father, Kevin Chism, the team’s offensive line coach, watched his daughter’s professional life unfold and how she interacted with the team. “Lexi has made tremendous progress in her photography over the last three years,” Kevin Chism said. “I think Lexi’s best gift is her ability to capture our players’ personality. She has taken the time to get to know the players, so she knows what their true personalities are. She does a great job taking action shots, but my favorite are the candids where she captures their personality.” Kevin Chism was impressed and inspired by his daughter’s work. “When Lexi approached me about wanting to do some photography and video with the football team, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Kevin Chism said. “She has gone above and beyond my wildest expectations. She has been fully committed and has spent countless hours taking pictures, editing pictures and making promotional and entrance videos. I think most people would be shocked to know how much time she spends on it. I could not be more proud of how she has invested in something she wants to pursue and cannot wait to see where this road will take her.” Senior Nathaniel Wallace, defensive lineman for the football team, said he appreciated that Lexi Chism was able to vividly capture different moments of the team. Wallace felt the impact that Lexi Chism’s photos had on the players. “I believe her pictures kind of bring the team together in the sense that we get to see both sides of the team – offense and defense – just being able to see each other work really hard to make each other better,” Wallace said. Lexi Chism worked to provide the players, staff and Searcy community with quality photos that captured the memories made by the team, and her impact was felt by all. Written by Emma McDaris CODE BLACK 175 Juniors
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