By Kenny Barto

I’m fortunate. It’s that plain and simple, I’ve been extremely lucky when it comes to my career.

Up until this weekend, the biggest game I had ever covered was the Connecticut Whale’s outdoor hockey game at Rentschler Field, but the work that night was for The Recorder.

So, when I found out that I would be shooting UConn Basketball’s “First Night,” I found myself nervous for the first time as a photographer. I wasn’t nervous because I would be standing in front of 10,000 people, I was nervous because of the client.

When my friend and fellow photographer Steve McLaughlin booked me for the Friday night event, I really didn’t know who we’d be working for. But, when I met up with McLaughlin on Friday I found out that we were working for a marketing company, who was working on a Nike ad campaign.

Primarily, our shoot list consisted of getting anything containing Nike’s famous logo, but it wouldn’t be easy. The major shot they wanted was a banner that would be unveiled while the lights were off, with a spotlight shined on it. So, we set up a time lapse on a stationary camera on the opposite end of the arena. I was shooting with a bigger zoom lens, and my photos came out so-so, but the time lapse was awesome. I had never done anything like that before, but McLaughlin’s idea worked.

With the tough part of the shoot done, the fun part began. I was able to get close to Ray Allen, Jim Calhoun, Geno Auriemma, as well as shoot the three point contest and dunk contest from down low. It was exhilarating, and I was able to witness how a large program operates.

This thrilling and rewarding experience was only the first half of my weekend.

On Saturday, I was able to assist McLaughlin again, but this time it was a top 10 Division-1 hockey match up. The third ranked Denver Pioneers were playing the eighth ranked Boston University Terriers at Agganis Arena in Boston.

For the second night in a row, I was able to shoot a top ranked program, but in a different sport. I like hockey, and I got to see some of the best talent in the country. About half of the players that played on Saturday had been drafted and will play in the NHL some day.

I ended up meeting another photographer who was my age, Andrew Fielding, who traveled to Boston from Denver. He shot for U.S. Presswire, and has done work for the Pioneers as well as the Colorado Rockies and huge events like the 2011 Orange Bowl between Stanford and Virginia Tech. The best part of it was that he was the Photo Editor of Denver University’s paper, The Clarion. When I planned on writing this column, I planned on talking about how the two programs had awesome fans and great attendance, but instead, I just wanted to say that meeting Fielding was a breath of fresh air. It showed me how far I have to go and refocused my mind on what I need to do to get there.

I admit that I was a little high on my horse going into the weekend, and it seems that life found a way to get my mind where it should be. It got me to focus, and I was able to prove to myself that I’m good, but I’m not great. Ultimately, it’s given me the ability to strive for more accomplishments similar to Fielding’s. At the same time, I sort of know now that my dream of possibly shooting at Yankee Stadium just might come true.

This breath of fresh air has given me a new perspective on my career. This is why I love traveling to work and why I always enjoy meeting new people. CCSU may always be my home, but I will forever cherish the opportunity to visit a new destination.