Tahlia Crane, Twin Town Times cadet journalist.

Being an NRL photographer is something I have dreamed about since the age of 15.

In 2018, I took to the field at Shark Park in Cronulla alongside NRL Chief Photographer Grant Trouville after being invited to see how an NRL photographer works.

As a first year university student this was something I never thought I would do again.

Fast forward three years, I received a phone call from the Canberra Raiders asking if I would be one of their photographers for their match against the Newcastle Knights at McDonalds Park in Wagga Wagga.

On Saturday I was fortunate enough for this to happen.

This was an experience that I never thought I would achieve.

Once I received my accreditation it all started to appear real, my dream had started.

I photographed a range of different activities during the day such as corporate events happening in the clubhouse, the Viking Clap and fans reactions to the game unfolding in front of them.

Photographing the events was a lot harder than I thought as it was very time constrained but it served as a great challenge to see what I could do in the amount of time given.

Through the day I also got to shoot a lot of sponsorship signage which is something completely new for me.

I also got to brush shoulders with some of the photographers I have idolised for many years such as

Gregg Porteous who is a NRL Photographer and Kelly Defina who does a lot of work for Getty Images.

To be working in the vicinity as both of these photographers on the same day was amazing. I became a bit star struck in the corporate event when Kelly entered the room on her way to the field.

Wandering throughout the ground it was amazing to see the atmosphere in different parts of McDonalds Park.

Events such as the Dance School, Mini Footy and the guard of honour were cancelled due to the recent COVID scare but this gave me more time to go around and take photos of the fans.

I had to get a few photos of the people everyone came to see.

With 10 minutes to go I turned my camera towards the field and started photographing the stars of the game such as Kalyn Ponga, Connor Watson and Josh Papalii.

With around 7 minutes to go Jordan Rapana made a break down the sideline which resulted in my favourite photo of the day.

Jordan Rapana Linebreak. Photo: Tahlia Crane.

Overall the day gave me a taste of what it would be like to be a photographer in the sporting world.

I learnt that the NRL is not all about what happens on the field but also what happens around it and the fans who make it happen.

My accreditation is now one of my prized possessions and will be something that I will keep forever.

Tahlia Crane