COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Just a few years ago, former student Bailey Orr began her sports photography journey at Bluebell Park, and what was once a hobby turned into something much more.
It all started as a child when Bailey’s mother, Beth, loved taking pictures and had an eye for photography. When Bailey was in elementary school, she followed suit.
“I remember taking very specific pictures, like the flag in my front yard, and thinking, ‘This is art,'” Bailey said. “And I loved it. I don’t know what it was, but I loved making art.”
But for many years, photography was just a hobby. Bailey was also born into an Aggie family.
“It’s the only school I’ve ever applied to,” Bailey said. “I have maroon running through my veins. Yes, absolutely.”
Bailey came to College Station and majored in history. She was thinking of becoming a history teacher, just like her mother. But Bailey had another passion: baseball.
“So, I’ve always loved baseball. I grew up watching major league games in Olsen, A&M games, and it was great,” Bailey said. “I just love the atmosphere of baseball, the atmosphere, the sounds, the smells of the ballpark, everything about baseball brings me so much joy.”
So when a friend who worked at 12th Man Productions told her she was good at photographing Aggie athletics, it made sense. It was under the tutelage of Craig Bisaker that she really honed her skills.
“Craig really, I mean, shaped my knowledge of sports photography,” Bailey said. “He brought in all this equipment and taught me everything I know.”
In fourth grade, she realized that sports photography was not only something she was good at, but something that brought her joy. Shortly after graduation, she was offered a job as an assistant cameraman for the Texas Rangers, but she almost never applied.
“It seems crazy to go into the professional world straight out of college, right? But when I interviewed Ben Ludman, the team photographer at the time, he hired me as his assistant, and I thought, ‘Wow. I did. So to go from A&M to the professional world is honestly a huge dream come true.
“I don’t know what it would be like to take two things that I truly love and combine them to create the art of baseball. I would have told my 12-year-old self if I came here and turned my hobby into a career. If so, I said that’s what I love. Yes, I can’t believe it, but I’m here.”
After working for the Rangers for a year and a half, he was promoted to managing cameraman in July 2023. Four months later, she was the face behind the lens as the Rangers won their first World Series title.
“I remember thinking there was more to this whole story than just the action. It was the players’ reactions, the way they felt, their emotions.” said Bailey. “My job as a team cameraman is to show the world these players and how they play the game, right? ‘Cause I’m sitting in the stands and watching them run around the bases. I get to see them from afar and it’s like, “Wow, we’re celebrating,” but my job is to be up close and show their personalities, and to be able to do that throughout the postseason is honestly a dream come true. Ta”
At just 25 years old, Bailey is one of the youngest managing photographers in all of Major League Baseball.
“When I looked back in the offseason and everyone was thinking, Wow, I was so young to be doing this, I was like, ‘Wow, you’re right.’ You know, sometimes things just pop out of nowhere. There is.”
And she credits her success to her time at Texas A&M and 12th Man Productions.
“A&M has 17, 16, 17 sports, and I’ve photographed them all. So I’ve experienced indoor stadiums. I’ve had experience with outdoor stadiums, different personalities, different coaches. So I had the experience of being in that atmosphere with the players and the fans, and I think all of that mixed together was definitely the direction that Craig and Kate Luffman were heading in at the time. I think it brought that.”
And she doesn’t take for granted the opportunity to do what she loves.
“It’s something I’ve been working on for years and the fact that I got the opportunity to come here is really amazing.”
I also couldn’t help but notice her two rings.
“These are my pride and joy here. This (Aggie ring) has been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid, but I never thought this (World Series ring) was a dream. , here it is on my finger.”
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