VIS’ Senior Performance Coordinator, Nerissa Turner is known for her incredible photography, after she was “accidentally” introduced to sports photography work by former VIS wheelchair basketballer and now current Captain-Coach of Collingwoods wheelchair AFL team, Brendan Stroud.
Turner spoke very fondly of Stroud and admits that at inaugural wheelchair AFL Grand Final had her lens focused on him when the final siren sounded.
“He’s a bit of a character, he’s got a lot of personality so when the final siren sounded and Collingwood were Premiers, I knew that if my lens was on him I would be able to capture his celebrations.” Turner said.
When the AFL Victoria asked Turner to take photos of the match, it was something she could not turn down.
“It was really exciting to see the first wheelchair AFL Grand Final and to be a part of it was even more special.”
“And the fact that Brendan Stroud, an ex VIS wheelchair basketball was the captain of the winning side, it made it even better.”
Even though she likes to take photos of everything, she admits that there is a special connection with sport, due to her passion for it and her love to “capture raw emotion”.
Since she started looking at the world through her camera, she now says that she sees things differently now.
“It’s opened my eyes up and in terms of sport, you do some strange things.” She said.
“Instead of sitting in the stands and watching the game, I now deliberately position myself in a position that’s going to allow me to take the best possible shot, whether that be lying on my stomach or standing on a hill.”
Turner is starting to build up a large portfolio, having taken photos of the FIDA league (footballers with intellectual disabilities), the indigenous round of wheelchair AFL, concept photos for the blind AFL league and the wheelchair AFL Grand Final.
And her photography is certainly being noticed, last year awarded the AFL Victoria Media Community – best action shot, for her picture on FIDA Football League Grand Final day.
