Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Green.
Hi Patrick, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a professional photographer for nearly two decades, but my journey really began as an athlete. I grew up playing hockey, football, and several other sports, and continued competing in college. I originally went to school to study graphic design and multimedia because I wanted to create commercials and films. During college, one of my professors noticed that I saw things from a different perspective and encouraged me to pick up a camera. He believed I had an eye for photography, and he was right. I quickly fell in love with it.
I started photographing my teammates and athletes from different sports around campus, and that’s where I discovered what I enjoyed most telling stories through sports. Photography became more than documenting a game; it became a way to capture emotion, relationships, and moments that would never happen again.
After graduating, life took an unexpected turn. At the beginning of 2006, my grandfather passed away, and just several months later, my daughter lost her battle with leukemia. It was one of the most difficult periods of my life. About a month after her passing, one of my close friends, who was a reporter and editor for a local newspaper, asked if I still had my camera and whether I’d be interested in covering high school sports. I accepted, As I began covering high school sports, I was fortunate to learn from some of the best in the profession. Early in my career, I met John Rhodes of The Dallas Morning News, followed by Smiley Pool, who was with the Houston Chronicle at the time and later joined The Dallas Morning News. I was also mentored by Jim Woods Photography, whose guidance and friendship have had a lasting impact on my career. Each of them challenged me to see beyond the obvious, refine my craft, and understand that great sports photography is about anticipating moments, building relationships, and telling authentic stories. Their influence continues to shape the way I approach every assignment today.
One of the biggest turning points in my career happened completely by chance. After covering a Monday Night Football game in New York, I struck up a conversation with a man while riding the train. We talked about photography, sports, my work and life general. Before getting off the train, he handed me his business card. I didn’t think much of it until I turned it over after he left and realized it was from Sports Illustrated. I immediately called my dad and asked if he could wire me enough money to stay in New York because I had just been offered an interview.
That interview led to contract work with Sports Illustrated, where I spent time covering sports throughout Europe, including football (soccer), rugby, hockey, cricket, and lacrosse. It was an incredible experience that broadened my perspective as both a photographer and a storyteller.
After returning to Texas, I spent more than a decade working with TCU Athletics while also doing contract work with Texas A&M and several other universities. Over the past eight years, I’ve returned to where my career first began working with high schools across Texas.
Over the years, that passion has taken me from covering local high school games to photographing college athletics, professional sports, corporate events, and international events like the FIFA World Cups. I’ve had the opportunity to work with organizations such as the ESPN, Dallas Cowboys, DICK’S House of Sport, Lucchese boots company, Mercedes Benz of Plano, CFO 4 Life, Curing Kids Cancer and many schools and athletic programs across Texas.
Today, my goal is simple: create images that go beyond documenting an event. I want people to feel something when they look at my work years later. If a photograph can bring someone back to a championship celebration, a senior season, or a defining moment in their life, then I’ve done my job.
I wasn’t just interested in photographing the action. I wanted to tell the story behind it.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, and honestly, I don’t think most careers worth building are. I’ve experienced personal loss, professional setbacks, financial uncertainty, and moments where I questioned whether I should keep going. Losing my grandfather and then my daughter in the same year changed the way I looked at life. Photography became more than a career. It became a way to preserve moments that people can never get back.
Professionally, this industry is extremely competitive. Technology changes constantly, clients’ expectations evolve, and you’re always challenged to reinvent yourself. I’ve had equipment fail during major events, traveled long hours, worked countless nights and weekends, and learned that talent alone isn’t enough. Building relationships, earning trust, and consistently delivering quality work are just as important as taking great photographs.
Like many small business owners, I’ve also had to navigate the business side of photography. There have been slow seasons, financial challenges, and times when I had to wear every hat photographer, editor, marketer, salesperson, accountant, and customer service representative. There have also been seasons where I had to rebuild my business from the ground up, rethink my direction, and adapt to a changing industry. Looking back, those periods of rebuilding ultimately led me to new opportunities, stronger relationships, and a clearer vision for the future.
Looking back, I wouldn’t change those challenges. They gave me perspective, strengthened my work ethic, and reminded me why I do this. Every obstacle has helped shape the photographer and the person, I am today. They also reinforced something I learned early in my career: the best stories aren’t always about success. They’re about perseverance, growth, and continuing to move forward when things don’t go according to plan.
However I can I never gave up and someone and someway it led me to new opportunities, stronger relationships, and a clearer vision for the future.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve always believed that photography is about more than capturing what happened it’s about preserving the moments that define people, teams, and communities. While I specialize in sports photography, my work extends into corporate events, editorial assignments, media days, commercial work, and branding. No matter the assignment, my goal is always the same: to tell an authentic story that people will connect with for years to come.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of photographing everything from local high school games to college athletics, professional sports, corporate events, and international competitions like the FIFA World Cup. I’ve worked with organizations such as the Dallas Cowboys, DICK’S House of Sport, Lucchese, universities across Texas, and countless high schools throughout the state. Every assignment, whether it’s a Friday night football game or a global sporting event, receives the same level of passion and attention to detail.
What I’m probably best known for is my ability to anticipate emotion. Anyone can photograph a play, but I’m always looking for the moments in between the anticipation before kickoff, the conversation between a coach and an athlete, the celebration after years of hard work, or the quiet reflection after the final whistle. Those are the moments that become memories and, ultimately, become part of a program’s legacy.
When people ask me what I’m most proud of, it isn’t a specific award, publication, or client. Those opportunities have been incredible, and I’m grateful for every one of them. What I’m most proud of is that I never gave up.
Over the years, I’ve experienced success, failure, personal loss, and professional challenges. There were moments when it would have been easy to walk away, but every setback taught me something valuable. Looking back, I realize that my career has never been defined by one photograph or one assignment it has been defined by perseverance.
Photography, much like life, is a journey. Every season, every challenge, every relationship, and every opportunity has shaped who I am both personally and professionally. I’m grateful for the athletes, coaches, mentors, clients, and friends who have trusted me to tell their stories along the way.
If there’s one thing I hope people remember about me, it’s not just the photographs I created. I hope they remember that I cared about the people in front of my camera, that I treated every assignment with respect, and that I never stopped learning, growing, and striving to become better.
What truly sets me apart is that I don’t simply show up with a camera I become part of the creative process. Whether I’m working with a high school athlete, a college program, a professional athlete, or a corporate client, I spend time building trust and understanding what they’re trying to accomplish. I coach, direct, and guide people throughout the session to create images that not only look great but communicate the right message to their audience.
Many clients come to me knowing they need photography, but they aren’t always sure how to tell their story. That’s where my experience becomes valuable. I help shape the vision, guide posing and movement, create authentic interactions, and develop imagery that supports recruiting, branding, marketing, and social media. My goal isn’t simply to deliver photographs it’s to create visual content with purpose.
Whether it’s a Friday night football game, a college media day, an NFL athlete, or a corporate event, I approach every assignment the same way. I look beyond the obvious moment and focus on creating images that connect emotionally, strengthen a brand, and preserve a story people will remember.
Life isn’t measured by how many times you succeed, it’s measured by how many times you choose to get back up and keep moving forward.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
he photography industry has changed dramatically since I first picked up a camera, and I believe the next five to ten years will bring even more change. Technology, artificial intelligence, and video will continue to reshape how content is created and consumed. Cameras are becoming more advanced, editing is becoming faster, and social media continues to change the way people engage with visual content. Those tools will evolve, but I don’t believe they’ll replace creativity, relationships, or authentic storytelling.
One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen is that clients are no longer looking for just photographs. They want complete visual content. Schools, universities, corporations, and athletic programs need photography, video, social media content, branding, and marketing assets that work together across multiple platforms. That’s where I believe the industry is headed, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve continued expanding my own services beyond traditional photography.
I also think we’re moving away from simply documenting events and toward creating experiences and building brands. Athletes today are developing personal brands earlier than ever. Schools are investing more in recruiting content, media days, and storytelling. Companies want authentic behind-the-scenes content that connects with their audience rather than just polished advertisements. People want to feel connected to a story, not just look at a picture.
While technology will continue to evolve, I believe the human side of this profession will become even more valuable. Building trust, creating genuine relationships, understanding a client’s goals, and helping people feel comfortable in front of the camera are things that technology can’t replace. Those are the skills that have sustained my career, and I believe they’ll become even more important in the future.
For me, the future isn’t about chasing the latest trend. Trends come and go, but authenticity lasts. I’ve never wanted my work to look like everyone else’s or be driven by what’s popular at the moment. I believe every artist has to discover their own voice, their own perspective, and the stories only they can tell. That’s what creates work that stands the test of time.
Of course, I continue to adapt as technology and the industry evolve. Learning never stops. But I never want trends to define my work. I want my work to be defined by meaningful stories, genuine relationships, and images that still evoke emotion years later. If people can recognize one of my photographs without seeing my name attached to it, then I’ve created something authentic and that’s what every artist should strive for.
I believe every artist has to discover their own voice, their own perspective, and the stories only they can tell.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.patrickgreenpictures.net
- Instagram: Patrick green pictures
- Facebook: Patrick green pictures
