'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
MLB legend Ken Griffey Jr. will be at The Master’s this weekend. But he won’t be hitting the links. He’ll be behind the camera capturing historic moments at Augusta.
The Hall of Famer, now a credentialed photographer, will be among the cameramen covering the historic PGA tournament, the New York Post reported.
The Post noted that photography has become Griffey Jr.’s second career, documenting sports instead of participating in them. Griffey Jr., who gave photographers more than their fair share of picture-worthy moments, is now on the PGA’s list of authorized photographers for the first time.
Trending
Ken Griffey Jr. also made the trip for this year’s Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Griffey was among the professionals snapping pictures of the action on the field.
According to The Post, Griffey Jr.’s former Seattle Mariners teammate Randy Johnson has also taken up photography. However, it remains to be seen if the Big Unit will follow Griffey’s footsteps and become a credentialed photographer.
Looking at Ken Griffey Jr.’s path to professional photography
Ken Griffey Jr. was the first overall pick in the 1987 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He hit the Big Leagues in 1989 and never looked back. He had a stellar career despite injuries derailing the latter portion of his playing days. Griffey officially retired in 2010.
After becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2016 with 99.32% of votes, he took on front-office positions with the Mariners as a special consultant. However, it seems being an MLB executive wasn’t Griffey’s passion.
In an interview on The Masters' YouTube Channel published on April 10, Ken Griffey Jr. went into detail regarding his journey from the diamond to photography. In particular, the MLB legend cited his children as the main reason for his entrance into professional photography.
He stated:
“It was actually the only way I could see my kids.”
Griffey added that he understood how hard it was to see his family during his playing days. But things changed substantially with the advent of social media. He continued:
“But now with social media, it’s a little different. ‘Oh, Ken’s here.’ So actually my daughter literally stopped dribbling a basketball and just looked at me when she was five. And I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to pay more attention to what’s going on.’”
The need to focus more on family drove Griffey to pursue a more humble profession. And photography made sense for him. He explained:
“I figured nobody’s messing with the photographer. Let me pick it up. Let me try it. And I got a couple photographer friends who sent me a couple cameras and lenses and said, ‘Here you go,’ and didn’t tell me anything about it, just don’t put it on auto.”
Check out Ken Griffey Jr.’s comments from the 51-minute mark on:
As for now, it seems the MLB icon will get the most attention of any other photographer on the sidelines.
