Reily Rogers: the face behind Lee athletic photos

Reily Rogers, the Athletic Communications Coordinator, graduated from Lee in 2021 and began working full-time for Lee University Athletics in July 2021. Her job entails taking photos of the various Lee sports teams and managing Lee University’s main athletics Instagram page. However, at the end of this semester, Rogers will officially be leaving Lee.

“I’m so thankful for the time I’ve spent working at Lee and all that my team and I have been able to accomplish over the past four years. After much consideration, I have decided to pursue full-time freelance sports photography next year,” said Rogers.

Rogers said Lee Athletics has been a launching pad for her freelance career and she is excited to focus on developing herself into the best sports photographer she can be. While a student, Rogers was a triple jumper on the Lee Track and Field team and served as a student worker in Athletic Communications for three years, holding the position of student director for two years.

“I didn’t really have any sort of sports media experience or anything coming into college. I was going for a public relations degree, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with that,” said Rogers. “I was on the track team freshman year, and I made some friends through that, and had a camera here with me just for fun.”

Rogers also took pictures of her friends on the soccer team for fun, and after encouragement from friends, she sent the photos to Lee Athletics. Rogers said she didn’t expect much of it, but Carman Lastoria, director of Athletic Communications, was instantly interested.

“I think it proves you don't know until you put yourself out there, and so she sent in these pictures thinking, ‘I haven't really done anything like this before. I don't even know if these things are good.’ We were looking for an athletic photographer. We needed somebody that could shoot sports and get us high-quality photos,” said Lastoria. “I always love sharing that story, because I think it really signifies you just don't know until you put yourself out there – and that takes risk.”

Lastoria said Rogers was possibly the youngest Lee Athletics employee when she first started in 2019. Rogers said being young and one of the only women in the sports field was tough at first.

“It's definitely tricky. One out of ten people I meet at sporting events will be female, but they’re usually older. You don't see many young females,” said Rogers. “It's male-dominated, but older male-dominated. It’s tough, and it definitely kind of hit me hard my first two years because I would definitely get treated differently than other people at different events.”

Rogers said she has learned to be confident in herself and her work.

“When I was just starting off, I was 18 or 19 and I didn't have a lot to show. Over the past four years, being a little older now, is great and I have a lot more work to show. I’ve gotten to shoot lots of national championships and stuff like that. It’s been great – just having that inner confidence in myself and my work and not relying on other people for that,” said Rogers.

Despite her age, Rogers said she still puts pressure on herself to perform well. She said she doesn't want to let people down, particularly women, since she represents a small group of them in sports media.

“I can't be perfect, and not everyone is going to appreciate my work the way that I do… you can't please everyone. That’s definitely what I've learned the most,” said Rogers. “You can't make everyone happy, but you can always do your best and do your best work, and if that’s not good enough for people or they don't like it that way, then that’s too bad for them.”

Rogers has worked alongside Lastoria closely over the past four years, and he says he knew when Rogers first arrived she would be a good fit because of her determination and work ethic.

“Reily is one of the hardest workers that I've ever been around, and that was apparent from the start. Reily is the example of somebody that worked her way into this position because she’s talented, yes, but because she works hard – and I think that’s a really good combination,” said Lastoria. “She’s very determined, but that determination I love because that shows that you care. I think that’s rare to be able to partner those three things together. You work hard, you’re naturally talented and you care about your work and what you do – I think that has served her well and will continue to serve her well.”

Lastoria said Rogers is a natural leader, and took Lee’s team accounts and digital content to the next level.

“I think our content shows that we're constantly trying to innovate and think of new ideas, and she's been a big part of that,” said Lastoria. “I’m very thankful for Reily, and I think that as a father of a five-year-old, there are a lot of qualities in Reily that I would love to see my own daughter develop in her life, and that’s probably the best compliment I can pay. Whatever field she decides to do, I hope she does it with the determination, work ethic and care that Reily has done for our departments.”

Athletic Director Larry Carpenter has also worked closely with Rogers during her time at Lee Athletics.

“She's a perfectionist; she wants to get the best shots. She goes the extra mile to get what she wants. Her pictures tell a story,” said Carpenter.

Carpenter said when it comes to Lee's website and social media, Rogers has been a big help because her work is always creative.

“She's always able to go in and get something that's a little bit different, and that's what we want. We want something that's going to catch your eye. She’s just an all-star in her field,” said Carpenter.

Rogers said she didn’t make it this far alone, and is thankful for all the people she has worked with along the way; Carman Lastoria, Jonathan Murray, Drew Cook and Shayna Ryan.

“People might think that I do all the work, but we have our student workers. We wouldn't be able to do what we do without them. I think Carman and I would die without our student workers. They're a real help. I started off as a student worker, so I appreciate them a lot. I'm just very thankful for them and that they go along with my crazy ideas,” said Rogers.

As she concludes her career at Lee this spring, Rogers said it’s been rewarding seeing athletes and coaches appreciate her work. Rogers said she loves when athletes repost her work because it means she is representing them well in her photos.

“I hope I'm representing Lee Athletics well, and that I'm representing these four years well and the history that’s been made,” said Rogers. “I hope that people have received the messages that we’ve been trying to put out there. I hope I've represented what’s been going on here well, and [I hope] that people appreciate Lee Athletics as a whole.”

For more information on Rogers, follow her sports content page @reilyrogersphoto on Instagram.