Good photography requires excellent artistic and technical skills. Consistently great photography, on the other hand, relies upon determination, passion, the ability to work under pressure, and, in many cases, strong relationships. Official New York Yankees chief photographer Ariele Goldman Hecht has all these traits in spades, and it shows through not only her photos but how she captures them.
Setting the Stage: The Story of a Baseball Game Starts Way Before First Pitch
On a crisp, cloudy September afternoon, as the Yankees were in the throes of a battle for division supremacy — which they ultimately won, but not on this particular day — I took a quick flight to New York City to follow Goldman Hecht throughout the game day experience. With six hours until the first pitch, there was plenty to do.
Since the Yankees might have won the division on that day, preparations had to be made. The most pressing work was setting up remote Canon cameras in specialized camera wells that hang just below Yankee Stadium’s upper deck. With a light mist falling, the cameras were screwed into place, settings adjusted for the nighttime conditions, and compositions nailed down.
Teamwork in Sports Applies to Photographers, Too
Throughout this process and much of the entire day, Goldman Hecht worked alongside Yankees staff photographer and photo editor Jessica Frankl. A relative newcomer to the Yankees compared to Ariele, or “Arie” as everyone at Yankee Stadium calls her, Frankl and Goldman Hecht talked out the remote camera scene, the plans for the day, and how they would handle the locker room celebration that ultimately wasn’t.
It became evident that everything about how Goldman Hecht, a nearly 20-year-veteran, works relies heavily upon collaboration. Ideas flow freely between the chief photographer, Frankl, and this season’s intern, Sammy. It can be a fast-paced environment that requires immediate action, but never at the expense of teamwork. Much like the Yankees themselves must work together and push each other forward, the team’s photographers do, too.
After dialing in the perfect composition for the remote camera shot, it was time to handle some of the day-to-day grunt work. Checking all the batteries, grabbing the right lenses — the staff’s gear room is cramped but not lacking for excellent Canon cameras and lenses, DSLR and mirrorless alike — and going through any backlog of images.
The Changing Landscape of Photography in Sports
As for where all these images go, it is a mix. When Goldman Hecht first started with the Yankees ahead of the 2005 season, when the Yankees were still playing at the legendary old Yankee Stadium, a big part of her job was capturing photographs for Yankees Magazine, which remains in publication. Much has changed since then, though, and social media is where many of Goldman Hecht’s photos wind up. While it used to be the case that she could take her time selecting and editing images, these days, photos can go from capture to publication in minutes thanks to wireless transfers. That said, a robust collection of photos remain on the pages of Yankees Magazine and the team’s annual Yearbook.
In many ways, technology has made her job more manageable. Cameras are faster and better than ever, and lenses are sharper and lighter. However, in other ways, the changing landscape has increased the job’s pace and demands.
There is a lot to juggle, and new things pop up. While chatting ahead of batting practice, Goldman Hecht got a text message asking her to take some photos of new menu items at Yankee Stadium. She sometimes shoots concerts and other sporting events at the stadium too, and, of course, is responsible for the team’s headshots. It’s a diverse workload for a sports photographer that keeps her on her toes.
The other aspect of Goldman Hecht’s job that became apparent quickly during gameday has less to do with her actual work, but how she works. It may sound cliché, but Yankee Stadium is like a big family. Whether a security guard in the underbelly of the stadium, a custodian in the press box area, a team trainer, or a ball player, Arie knows them all. She asked about people’s families, holiday plans, and how things were going. This type of relationship building is rare for a typical sports photographer, but an essential part of Goldman Hecht’s work for the Yankees. It is a chaotic, unpredictable job, and the baseball season is very long. Knowing everyone you might see on any given day is vital.
Telling the Story of a Team
Fast-forwarding to batting practice, the first real action of the day. This is an area where the increased role of social media impacts Arie’s work. Yankees fans online want to get a close-up, inside look at the entire gameday experience, and that includes warmups. Whether it is Aaron Judge launching a batting practice ball into the bleachers — which he did many times — or the day’s starting pitcher playing toss, fans want to see it. They want the story of the game, which begins long before the first pitch.
Goldman Hecht and Frankl sprang quickly into action, getting different angles of everything, swapping lenses on the fly, and trying to find the most interesting stories to capture.
Once that was over, it was back to the office to top off batteries, offload images, and get the required files into the hands of the social media team for fast sharing.
Goldman Hecht loves baseball. In fleeting moments of respite, it is immediately evident watching her that she loves the job, the stadium, the team, and the people she works with. Nearly 20 years and thousands of games on, the experience has not even begun to wear thin.
You wouldn’t know Goldman Hecht grew up a diehard Cubs fan in Chicago. Throughout the day, I was treated to facts and trivia about the Yankees, its players, and its illustrious history. We even made the walk out to the incredible Monument Park beyond the center field fence. This is where the Yankees build monuments to former players and keep history alive. As a lifelong baseball fan myself, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the history — a reverence Arie and I share and one that clearly informs her work. Some of the players she has photographed are enshrined here now, greats like Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Bernie Williams. Some players she captures now will undoubtedly be here years down the road.
While this September night did not deliver a franchise- or career-defining moment for anyone, Goldman Hecht and Frankl had to be ready in case it did, because the best part of sports is that they are unpredictable. Anything can happen. You can prepare, and Arie and Jess prepare a lot, but ultimately, the most significant moments are outside their control. Sports are undoubtedly better for their chaos, but it does make a photographer’s job harder.
Game Time
Once it’s time for the game, number 158 of 162 regular season games, the unpredictability of sports is on full display. Marcus Stroman takes the mound and immediately gets beat up by the top of the Orioles’ lineup. They tag Stroman for three runs, and the electricity that had been coursing through the stadium as fans hoped for a division-clinching performance fizzled out. Such is life in professional baseball.
Goldman Hecht turned to me before the bottom of the first inning as we scrolled through images on our respective Canon cameras from the photographer’s well next to the Yankees dugout on the first base line, partially apologizing on behalf of the team for the tough start to the game and, jokingly, asking if I brought bad luck with me to the game. Like many sports fans, Arie is superstitious. I’m not, but as a Red Sox fan, since I was old enough to throw a ball, maybe I did bring bad juju.
The Yankees got back into the mix in the bottom of the second by cutting into the Orioles’ lead, making it a reasonably close 3-1 and bringing a bit of buzz back into the Bronx. The Orioles answered the reply in the fourth, adding four more runs. At this point, the outcome felt inevitable — there would be no division title that night and no champagne in the locker room. That remote camera sitting above Arie and I would not be fired that night.
However, Goldman Hecht and Frankl must keep shooting, remain ready, and see what happens. If the Yankees stage a fantastic comeback, which would be noteworthy any day of the season but especially incredible given the context, every inning would matter. Every hit (and out) is part of the broader story.
And for a moment in the bottom of the ninth, it felt like a comeback was in the making. The Yankees chased a reliever, Judge launched a 412-foot home run, and the Yankees brought four runners across home plate. The comeback attempt fell short, and the Orioles won 9-7. The Yankees clinched the division on their way to a World Series appearance the following night, and Goldman Hecht and Frankl were there, ready to capture the moments as they happened.
Throughout the game, Goldman Hecht and Frankl, each positioned on opposite foul lines, continually shoot photos, armed with a Canon EOS R3 and a Canon EOS 1DX, respectively. They shoot mostly with telephoto lenses but occasionally use a shorter, wider lens to show the broader view at Yankee Stadium. Although the action is unpredictable, the lighting is steady, so they typically shoot in JPEG to keep their workflow swift. After all, images are constantly transmitted to the social media team stationed in the press box.
Yankees Photographers Wear Many Hats
The photographers followed the team throughout their lengthy and nearly perfect postseason run. While the Yankees did not win the World Series, the journey was incredible, and thanks to the talent of Goldman Hecht, Frankl, and the rest of the Yankees’ staff, the team’s millions of fans were able to follow along.
Baseball and sports at large mean so much to so many people. Arie knows this first-hand, having gotten to share the long-awaited curse-breaking Cubs World Series victory with her dad in 2016. The images and memories of that moment will live on forever for her and other fans.
As the Yankees’ Chief Photographer, she has the incredible privilege to capture those same moments for Yankees fans. While the team did not win their coveted 28th World Series title this year, perhaps they will next year. And if they do, you can be sure Arie Goldman Hecht will be there, camera in hand, ready to capture the defining moments along the way.
And if my day with her was any indication, she will be as excited about the victory as anyone, a passion that is acutely felt in every frame she captures. Ariele Goldman Hecht is a brilliant photographer of many hats, but the one she wears most is that of an extremely passionate baseball fan.
Image credits: All photographs by Ariele Goldman Hecht (New York Yankees) unless otherwise noted.