Randy Johnson has made countless memories for baseball fans over the course of his 22-year career, but now he captures memories through his camera lens. Since his retirement in 2009, Johnson has taken up photography as a passion, bringing the same Cy Young mindset he had when he was pitching to his new career.
Johnson played for the Diamondbacks for a total of eight seasons, most notably being a part of the World Series-winning team in 2001.
Johnson recently joined KTAR News 92.3′ Amazing Arizonans podcast to talk about his career, love for photography and more.
His passion for photography started when he was at USC, but his baseball dreams put his hobby on the shelf.
“It elevated when I went to college at USC and I studied photo journalism and got into black and white photography and developing my own film and working for the Daily Trojan, the college newspaper there on campus,” Johnson said.
“And a couple years of that just opened my eyes, and it was a lot fun. And then my junior year, I got drafted out of USC in 85′ to the Montreal Expos, so photography naturally took a backseat and I was on the path to trying to get to the major leagues. Periodically, I would get my camera out, but it was not until I retired after the 2009 season that I really dove back into photography.”
After 22 years in the league and 618 games played passed, Johnson dove right back into his old pastime. Johnson is now an experienced photographer and has found his preparation to photography very similar to when he was pitching in the major leagues.
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“In a lot of ways, the photography to me has parallels to baseball and what my mindset was every fifth day when I performed,” Johnson said. “There was a great deal of preparation and research physically and mentally going into the game, preparation leading up to gameday.
“It’s the same thing if I go on a trip somewhere, what camera equipment am I preparing to bring, what day or time of the year am I going. You know, being prepared so you’re not caught off guard. Being prepared for something that maybe you weren’t prepared for. And it’s the same way as having that [baseball] focus.”
After spending more than two decades playing baseball for six different franchises, Johnson is enjoying the traveling opportunities photography offers and the chance to connect with fans in a new way.
“It’s a great escape [photography] for me when I’m anywhere,” Johnson said. “Could be sitting at 5 o’clock in the morning, waiting for the sun to come up outside the coliseum in Rome. Or could be in the back of a car, drinking a cup of coffee and watching the great migration of wildebeests crossing the Mara River.
“It consumes me because it’s pretty awesome to see this when I never got to see it before. And now I’m in a different part of the world and not in a ballpark, and I’m trying to capture that moment and not only put on my wall but thankfully have an exhibit and share with people and get a response.”
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