Social Media Persona Assignment – FEB 22
The Insider Athlete-Photographer – https://www.instagram.com/ryanharveyphotos/?hl=en
Playing sports has shaped almost every aspect of who I am, but for most of my life, I experienced them from inside the lines as a player. Growing up playing football year-round made it difficult to capture the game the way I saw it because I was still competing. I wasn’t documenting moments in front of me since I was still chasing what I saw in front of me.
In 2020, I created my Instagram account, @ryanharveyphotos, after I started noticing small opportunities to shoot during my off-days. What began as taking photos of my teammates during offseason workouts quickly expanded into portrait sessions, concert photography, and especially sports photography for those springtime sports. Anytime I had time away from football and saw something worth capturing, I went for it.
If you scroll through my Instagram now, it doesn’t show nearly as much as I’ve actually shot. This past season came with a lot of responsibility. Between being a full-time graduate student, balancing my role as a graduate assistant, and working behind the scenes for over 60 hours a week, posting consistently wasn’t realistic for me. Most days were staff meetings, filming lifts and practice, editing hype videos, traveling, completing schoolwork, managing content for @odufootball, and delivering media to players after games. By the time I had a second to breathe, posting on my personal page wasn’t the priority.
Some of my favorite photographs, graphics, and post-victory celebration videos are still sitting on my desktop as I write this. That’s the reality of working in sports and being fully committed to your role.
This semester feels different. As I move closer to finishing my GA position (End of next Fall), I finally have the mental and physical space to intentionally showcase my work. For this assignment, I’ll be consistently posting content I’ve been sitting on while continuing to build the persona I’ve slowly been shaping over time. This isn’t just a class requirement for me, it’s for my career.
Below are three of my favorite posts from my Instagram over the years. If you’re curious to see more, check the ODU highlights on my profile or the link in my bio to my Gondola. While I may not have posted consistently on my personal page this season, I documented and tracked every piece of content I created or contributed to for the 2025 season for ODU Football.
Due to Instagram’s policy, I cannot embed my Instagram on my WordPress.
Favorite photograph of the 2025 season: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSdUkHBEQ5A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== This is a picture I took of Coach Rahne getting water dumped on him after we won the Cure Bowl against USF.
Favorite set of photos during my time competing on the football team: https://www.instagram.com/p/C67NSkdgLRw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== This is a collection of pictures I shot on my point-and-shoot camera that my grandma gifted to me. I did not want to be a distraction to anyone, so instead of hauling around my professional camera, I used the point-and-shoot I was able to keep on me. This was a special year after making it to the Famous Toastery Bowl.
Favorite uniform shoot I’ve taken to date: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxdbVIZgZ8v/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== This is a set of photos I was able to take during my time on the team as a player. This was special because this was the first time the ODU ‘retro racecar’ logo was being revealed to the public.
Looking forward to posting more of my work and keeping you along for the ride!
– @ryanharveyphotos
