January 2008

Here we go again. We are now in year 8 of this venture. I decided not to revamp the web site too much over the break. Too much stuff to do, and not enough time. And, why not leave well-enough alone.

My photographic experience spans about 30 years. I have been shooting sports professionally since I was about 14. My first published photographs was in the New England Trailrider Magazine. They were from some motorcycle races I covered. My brother was an aspiring racer--and I was too big for my bike, so I took pictures and he rode. Over the years he's changed from Motorcycles to Hummers to 1957 Trucks. I guess he is slowing down as well.

In high school and college I could always be found carrying a camera with me. In fact, my high school "will and testament" mentions me with a camera. I won't dignify where they thought I would be shooting, but it does suggest a future in photography. After graduating from college (Norwich University in 1982) I decided that paying off my loans was more pressing than my photography career--so i put down the camera for a long time.

During the hiatus, I worked for Continental Cablevision, SISBank, and Banknorth. My specialty was in call centers. I managed groups from as small as ten to more than 400 at one time. I was honored with national customer service awards, and I spoke on Customer Service and Call Centers throughout the country. Staying at nice 5 star resorts and earning untold bonus points from Marriott were nice perks. The time on the road sucked.

I started working in photography again when my children started playing sports. It developed from simply shooting their games for our use, to shooting for the team, to getting paid to shoot other games.

Richard Orr Sports was founded in 2001 as a part time venture. This was brought on by the advent of digital cameras and the internet. In the end, I was shooting and working as a photographer more and more. And I was liking the call center business less and less. Finally, in March 2003 I left the bank and started working at this full time.

I am now the authorized Athletic Department photographer for many colleges throughout New England. I also shoot for several high school programs. Additionally, I've done some commerical work for publications. All in all, this is a lot more fun than working in the corporate world!

I reside in Longmeadow, MA with my wife Mary, my two daughters--Liz and Christine, and our two Dogs, George W, and Gracie. Mary and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary last October. I used to joke that they were the best 18 years of my life. But, I don't mean it. They are easily the best years of my life. (Junior year in college was pretty good, but that's another story!)

My spare time is spent working on other photographic skills, such as landscape, nature, and travel photography. These can be seen at my personal site, www.RichardOrr.com.