Why I’m Asking for Help

If you know me, you know I don’t make posts like this lightly.

For years, I’ve built this one game at a time, one late night at a time, one trip at a time. I’ve shown up at gyms, fields, tournaments, state events, college games, professional softball games, and places that took everything I had just to get there.

I don’t have the easiest path. I don’t drive, so every trip takes planning. Every event means figuring out rideshares, buses, trains, hotels, food, gear, timing, and all the behind-the-scenes pieces most people never see.

But I’ve kept showing up because this work means everything to me.

Photography has given me a way to tell stories that matter. It has allowed me to give athletes, families, teams, and communities moments they can hold onto forever. It has opened doors I used to only dream about, and it has helped me keep chasing something I truly believe I was meant to do.

Now, I’m preparing for the biggest photography-related travel project I’ve ever attempted.

This summer, I’m working toward documenting AUSL softball across multiple cities.

This is not a vacation.

This is not one game.

This is a multi-city softball photography project built around the first month of AUSL, while also continuing the work I already have planned in Wichita and back home in Oklahoma.

The plan includes:

• Oklahoma City / Edmond for Spark softball

• Rosemont, Illinois for the Spark vs. Bandits series

• Hillsboro, Oregon for the Spark vs. Cascade series

• Wichita / Andover for the I-35 Showcase

• a return to Oklahoma for more Spark softball afterward

This route would take me from Oklahoma to Illinois, from Illinois to Oregon, from Oregon back across the country, into Kansas, and then back home.

It is ambitious, but it is planned.

I’ve already mapped out the travel routes. I’ve looked at the train schedules, hotel needs, rideshare costs, timing, and the realistic path this would take. I have submitted credential requests and am waiting to hear back, but a project this large cannot be planned at the last second. The travel side has to be prepared now.

Why This Matters

I’ve spent years trying to earn my way into bigger rooms.

I’ve photographed high school sports across Oklahoma, state tournaments, college events, NAIA and JUCO games, and professional softball with the OKC Spark. I’ve worked long days, late nights, back-to-back events, and long trips because I believe these athletes and these moments deserve to be documented with care.

This year, I also took major steps forward.

I made it down to Denton for my first-ever Division I softball series when I photographed North Texas vs. Wichita State. Not long after that, I took on my first Division I conference tournament when I photographed the Big 12 Tournament.

Those were not small moments for me.

They were proof that the work I’ve been building for years is starting to reach the level I’ve been chasing. They showed me that I belong closer to these bigger stages, and they made me want to keep pushing even harder.

AUSL feels like the next major step in that journey.

Women’s sports are growing. Softball is growing. These athletes deserve to have their stories told by people who truly care about the sport, the work, and the moments that happen around it.

That is what I’ve always tried to do.

I’m not asking for help with something random. I’m asking for help with a project that directly connects to the work I’ve been building for years — and to the doors I’ve already started walking through.

What Your Support Helps With

Because this project spans multiple states and multiple weeks, the goal has to be higher than anything I’ve asked for before.

Your support would help with:

• Amtrak and bus travel

• hotels in multiple cities

• rideshares to and from stadiums, stations, hotels, and event sites

• food while traveling

• keeping my camera gear stable during the trip

• extending my rented Canon R7 so I can continue working while my original R7 still needs to be sent off

• possible lens support if the right RF 70-200mm f/2.8 or RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z option becomes realistic

• travel with camera gear, laptop, chargers, batteries, and hard drives

• emergency cushion for delays, schedule changes, or unexpected expenses

My original Canon R7 still needs to be sent off, but the timing has not lined up with how much work is in front of me. Because of that, I’m currently relying on a rented Canon R7 and will need to extend that rental again to get through this stretch.

I’m also keeping my options open when it comes to a stronger long-term lens setup. If the right opportunity opens up for an RF 70-200mm f/2.8 or RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z, extra support could help me get closer to a more stable setup instead of constantly relying on short-term fixes.

The immediate priority is making sure I can travel, photograph, edit, and keep working without my gear or travel situation falling apart in the middle of the project.

The goal is high because the project is big.

I would rather be honest about what this will take than pretend a smaller number can carry me through something this large. This is multiple states, multiple long-distance travel legs, multiple hotel stays, and nearly three weeks of work built around softball, photography, and the opportunities I’ve been chasing for years.

Why I’m Asking Now

I know this is a lot.

But I also know what this could mean.

I’ve had people support me before when I needed help getting to meaningful places — trips like my return to Porum, my trip to Denton, Wichita, state tournaments, and other moments where people believed in what I was trying to do. That support helped me keep going. It helped me show up. It helped me create work that mattered.

This is the biggest version of that yet.

If this comes together, it would not just be another trip. It would be a full softball journey through Oklahoma, Illinois, Oregon, Kansas, and back home — photographing the sport, the athletes, and the moments that continue to push me forward.

I’m asking because I believe this is worth chasing.

I’m asking because I’ve done the work to map this out.

I’m asking because this is the kind of opportunity I’ve been building toward for years.

I’m still waiting on some final access details, but the preparation has to start now. The travel, the hotels, the train routes, the gear, and the timing all have to be handled before the window closes.

If you believe in what I’m building, if you’ve ever shared my work, donated before, encouraged me, followed my galleries, or seen me out there grinding through long days and late nights, I’m asking for your help.

Ways to Support / Follow My Work

If you would like to support directly:

• CashApp: $huntersheppard123

• Venmo: Hunter-Sheppard-9

You can also view my work and learn more about my journey here:

• Portfolio: https://huntersheppardphotography.myportfolio.com/

• Pixieset Galleries: https://huntersheppardphotography.pixieset.com/

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/huntersheppardphotography

My Linktree includes my portfolio, galleries, articles and stories about my career, and other places where you can follow or support my work.

Every donation helps.

Every share helps.

Every comment helps.

Every bit of support helps this reach the people who understand why this matters.

Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you for believing in this work.

And thank you for helping me take the biggest step I’ve ever attempted with photography.