Jody Hou started her journey in sports photography in 2020. For this SoCal native, her love for photography was one that she unearthed back in the eighth grade but strengthened throughout her time in college and upon graduation. To her, photography was the perfect medium to merge her passion for visual media and storytelling. As she began working at a local gym, Jody remembers watching athletes come in to train day after day. Determined to shine light on their work behind the scenes, Jody started sharing their stories on the basketball court and documenting their journeys through photos. She hasn't looked back since. From The Crew League to Jordan Brand to Hoop Bus to the NBA, Jody has worked with an array of organizations in the space since then. As she continues to immerse herself in the world of sports photography, Jody is excited to grow her personal brand "WYD Jody'' further; while also collaborating with more brands in the years to come.
Diving into your journey early on, how did you get started in the space?
My love for photography started back in eighth grade. I took a class in high school, fell in love with it, and tried to kind of keep creating through college with my first DSLR camera. I was just having fun with it back then—just taking it to parties, taking pictures of my friends—, but I didn't really get to the sports and hoops scene until 2020 when the pandemic was happening. I found myself working at a gym and then from there I was just like: “Let me dust this off, bring it out again, and start shooting these hoopers in the gym because they’re putting in the work.” I think it was just a cool thing to capture and then put it on social media. It just kind of continued from there—it led me to my next spot, and my next spot, and so (on).
You mentioned that you picked up a camera back in the eighth grade and that throughout college you also studied photography as well. How did you find your way into sports photography?
I would say that throughout my journey I took a couple of courses. I can remember back in college, when I was really directed towards the graphic design path and just trying to stay creative, that I was taking a photography course. I remember feeling like my creativity was being forced. I was just uninspired in the class, and I think that love started dying a little bit. You know, a lot of it was like: “You learn some tips here and there. You learn the basic rules.” When I was able to pick the camera back up, those basic rules stuck with me. But I also feel like, since I didn't honestly remember too much of what I learned, I changed the rules a little bit to match with sports and the high speed of basketball. I think in a way I was able to just transition right into it.
Take us through that journey of diving into the freelance world! What were some challenges that you faced early on?