SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Spring Training is the perfect time for a fresh start in a new season. Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson is sharing his new focus.
Johnson is debuting a photography exhibit titled Storytelling with Photographs on Friday at the Center Space gallery inside the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
“Baseball was a good portion of my life, but now I’m doing something that’s not baseball related that I have just as much of a passion for,” said Johnson.
Johnson has been in front of the camera for decades, but also behind it. “It’s probably been in my life as long as baseball,” he shared.
Johnson said he put the camera down to focus on his baseball career. He retired in 2010 after 22 seasons. He won a World Series Championship with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and was named MVP. He is a five-time Cy Young Award winner and was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2015.
When he retired The Big Unit picked the camera back up while traveling with his family. This rekindled his love of photography which started in college.
“I went to USC to play baseball, but at the same time I had to major in something and I thought photojournalism would be a lot of fun ,” shared Johnson. “I was going into dark rooms and learning how to develop film and inevitably I got a job working for the campus newspaper The Daily Trojan,” he added.
While working for the college newspaper Johnson would photograph concerts. “It all started there,” he shared. He even photographed performances of The Clash and The Who. He's shared some of these photography flashbacks on his Instagram page.
“To me those might be some of the coolest images I’ve ever taken at concert photography,” said Johnson. “There’s something about a black and white image in that time period in the 80s,” he added.
In more recent years, he’s photographed icons like Billy Joel and Elton John. He said he knows it’s a special opportunity and he wants to make the most of moments like it. He works to get a different perspective than what a person in the audience would see.
“People tend to enjoy to see different angles and perspectives of a concert, whether it’s backstage, or getting ready, or being on stage and capturing them on stage with the crowd reacting,” he shared.
Johnson’s Scottsdale exhibit features photographs from trips he’s taken to Africa. He’s been six times now.
The photographs highlight the people and majestic animals who call Africa home. It’s one of his favorite places to photograph, and also one of the most challenging. “I’m still convinced there's greater pictures I could take out there of Africa,” said Johnson.
While his competitive edge still thrives, he shares there are similarities between pitching and photography. This mainly applies to the preparation and capitalizing on your opportunity.
“I need to be prepared for the opportunity to present itself because It may only present itself once, that’s just like executing pitches trying to get a hitter out,” said Johnson. He added, “You’re either going to succeed or fail so in taking pictures of the animals you can’t tell them to come back and try it again. It doesn’t work that way.”
Johnson’s first photography exhibit was held in Cooperstown, New York, which is home to The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Johnson said the exhibit was so popular it was extended. Since then he’s now added ten new photographs to the exhibition for its Arizona debut.
Johnson said he hopes when people visit the gallery in Scottsdale they are inspired to book a trip to Africa and travel to new locations to explore.
He’s embracing his current job title of artist. He likes that people can decide for themselves what they think.
“In baseball you know when I’ve done my job and done it well, and you also know when I haven’t, but in photography and displaying artwork it’s all subjective,” shared Johnson.
You can see the photography collection starting Friday, Feb. 23. There is an Opening Reception where you can attend for free if you RSVP online. It’s from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Johnson is attending.
You can also visit the gallery during business hours inside the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts through April 28 for free. It's located at 7380 East 2nd Street.
Johnson shared he hopes to continue to follow his passion of photography, and maybe his next exhibit will feature more of his travels to Europe and other destinations.
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