about me
Hi, I’m Emily Riddle, a Michigan-based photographer and recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Photography. My work spans sports, university media and freelance photography, with a growing focus on collegiate athletics. Since picking up my first camera in 2018, photography has taken me from high school sidelines to documenting major university events, collegiate athletics and the people and stories in between. Today, I’m continuing to pursue opportunities in sports photography while continuing to grow my freelance business, and also challenging myself to keep learning, experimenting and creating.
My journey
WHERE IT STARTED | 2018
My journey with photography started a little unexpectedly. In 2018, I came home from school early and found a camera that was supposed to be a birthday gift waiting for me. I opened it early, and by December, I was photographing my first basketball game.
That camera quickly became something I carried everywhere. I started experimenting with portraits and sports, and later took an online photography course during COVID that pushed me to learn more about the craft.
LEARNING BY DOING | 2020–2022
In high school, photography became much more than something I did for fun. I began photographing heavily for my school yearbook, covering everything from sports and school events to graduations and student organizations.
Eventually, yearbook became an independent class where I served as the sole yearbook staff member and editor-in-chief, helping photograph and design the entire book. With a small school and a lot to document, I learned by doing, sometimes traveling to nearly every home and away game with my camera.
FINDING MY PLACE | 2022–2024
I arrived at Grand Valley State University in 2022 to study photography and immediately began looking for ways to grow outside of the classroom. I applied for an on-campus photography position my freshman year and didn't get it, but I kept creating and applied again. In 2023, I joined the Promotions Office as a student photographer. The experience helped build my confidence behind the camera and gave me the opportunity to photograph events, organizations and people from all across campus. As I continued to grow, I eventually advanced into an Advanced Photographer role in February 2025.
That confidence also pushed me toward University Communications. After getting to know more about the work their photographers were doing, I I decided to take another chance and apply.
In October 2024, I joined the team as a student photographer. Across both roles, I photographed hundreds of assignments, but some of the experiences meant much more than simply completing another project. I had the opportunity to document commencement, major university events, athletics, portraits, student experiences and countless moments that became part of Grand Valley's story. Being trusted to photograph those moments while learning alongside other photographers played a huge role in shaping the photographer I am today.
BACK TO THE SIDELINES | 2025–2026
As I took on more university work, I found myself returning to where photography had started for me: sports. Through University Communications and the Grand Valley Lanthorn, I began covering collegiate athletics more consistently and started challenging myself to look beyond the expected moments.
The more I photographed, the more my mindset began to change. Instead of simply asking whether I got the shot, I started thinking about what I hadn't seen before, what I could do differently and how I could make an image feel like my own.
In 2026, that journey brought me to Pittsburgh to photograph Grand Valley women's basketball winning a national championship. Basketball was the first sport I photographed back in 2018, making the opportunity to document one of the biggest moments in my university's history especially meaningful to me.
WHAT’S NEXT | NOW
After graduating from Grand Valley State University in May 2026 with my Bachelor of Arts in Photography, I’m currently looking for photography opportunities where I can continue learning, creating and growing professionally. I’m especially interested in pursuing a career in sports and collegiate athletics while continuing to grow my freelance work and work with University Communications on a freelance basis.
As I move into this next chapter, I want to continue developing my photographic eye, experimenting with the way I approach my work and searching for the moments and perspectives that make an image stand out. I may not know exactly where photography will take me next, but that’s part of what makes it exciting.