Life Behind The Glass

While it’s the action on the ice, field or court that people come to watch, it’s often those behind the glass, who capture the unforgettable moments and plays created by athletes.

That is the job of Blenheim’s Kelsey Vermeersch, to capture those memories.

Surprisingly for Vermeersch, a budding local photographer, who is becoming known for her sports photography, it wasn’t a passion for sports that got her noticed, and hooked on sports photography; rather, it was happenstance.

“To be honest, I was just bored one night so I brought my camera to a Blenheim Blades playoff game,” says Vermeersch about her start in sports photography. “Then after I sent a few photos, they asked me to do it for the rest of the playoffs. After that it just became a routine.”

Long before that however, Vermeersch, who has since then founded “Kelsey Captures,” her own photography company, loved photography, and loved seeing sporting moments immortalized in photos.

“Growing up my mom always had her camera with her taking photos of me and my brother at our sporting events, and I think it’s awesome to be able to look back at all those. Some people don’t have that and I love being able to capture these moments for them, capturing memories.”

Serving now as the Blenheim Blades game day photographer, as well as capturing photos for teams across the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League, and other local sports organizations, and working as the photography editor for the Chatham-Kent Sports Network, Vermeersch has much bigger goals in the sporting world.

“My lifetime goal is to get a job with Hockey Canada or be a personal photographer for an NHL or higher level sports team. It’s a long shot but I’m not going to give up on trying.”

And since that day she first shot a Blenheim Blades game, Vermeersch has fallen in love with capturing live sporting moments.

“I love that it’s constantly moving,” says Vermeersch, who was an accredited photographer at the recent World U17 Hockey Challenge in Sarnia, Ontario. “There’s never a dull moment in sports. From fights to goals, seeing the expressions on the guys and girls faces is the best.”

In an age of social media, Vermeersch, who also does family, portrait, and special event photography says she loves seeing her photos shared by parents and athletes alike, and has received an abundance of positive feedback, which continues to drive her back to arenas and fields across Chatham-Kent.

“I have had so many positive comments from parents, players, and teams,” explains Vermeersch. “I now have relationships with so many coaches and players I don’t think I would have had as a spectator. When I walk into an arena, I’m always welcomed with a “Hey Kelsey, can’t wait to see your photos of tonight’s game,” or “Hey Kelsey, I really liked that photo you took last game, is there any chance you could send it to me?”

“Seeing my photos all over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and especially on CKSN.ca is an amazing feeling,” says Vermeersch. “Even if people don’t tell me how much the appreciate my work, I can see it from social media that they do, it’s a great feeling.”

While Vermeersch knows the real show is on the ice, court, or field, she’s happy with her life behind the glass, capturing moments of Chatham-Kent’s budding young athletes and teams.

“I put a lot of my personal time into travel and editing, but it’s worth it, totally worth it.”

To book a photography session, or team shoot with Kelsey Captures, visit Kelsey’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kelseycaptures.