From the Pitch to the Sidelines: Finn Norsen ’28 Captures the Game

“I’ve played soccer, followed soccer, and watched soccer all my life, so any opportunity to incorporate that passion into some professional experience would be an attractive one,” he said.

After spotting a flyer advertising internships with the club, Norsen learned that most interns primarily assisted with ticket and merchandise sales during home games. Wanting a more immersive experience, he approached the club with a proposal to expand the position into a multimedia role. That transformed into work that stretched beyond the sidelines, with Norsen contributing to nearly every aspect of the club’s game-day operations and digital media.

On game days, he arrived hours before kickoff to help prepare the locker room, organize player equipment, and set up the team’s livestream before turning his attention to the field. From warm-ups through the final whistle, he documented the action, photographing everything from key plays and celebrations to coaches, fans, and postgame moments. Afterward, the work continued as he edited hundreds of photos, often well past midnight, before delivering polished images to players and coaches.

Away from the field, Norsen continued telling the team’s story by editing highlight videos for YouTube, designing digital match day programs and promotional graphics, and preparing media for the league. 

One moment early in the season captured how quickly he became part of the club. During the first match, striker Martin Echarren scored and sprinted toward Norsen. “One of my favorite shots from this summer is that one of Martin running toward me and pointing at the camera to celebrate his goal,” he said. “Throughout the rest of the season, each time he’d score a goal, he’d point over to me to celebrate, so I now have a collection of all of his celebration shots.”

What began as a photographer’s assignment quickly became something more. Players chatted with him before matches, they watched World Cup games together on away trips, coaches texted him ideas for photos and social media posts, and fans often stopped to ask for pictures.

“Overall, [those] relationships are what made this experience so positive and rewarding for me,” Norsen said. “I’m super grateful for how welcoming the whole club was.”

Norsen credits his work photographing Hamilton athletes with preparing him for the internship, particularly the mentorship of Hamilton Athletics photographer Josh McKee. “Before working with the College, I had almost no editing experience,” he said. “Having Josh walk me through his process and some tips and tricks was the biggest help in continuing my photography.”

The summer also changed how Norsen sees his future. Along with strengthening his technical skills, the experience gave him the confidence to work comfortably in a professional sports environment and reinforced his interest in pursuing sports photography after Hamilton. This fall, he’ll return to photographing Hamilton athletics with new experience, stronger skills, and a growing portfolio — all while keeping his sights set on one day photographing a professional soccer match.