News
Inside Cosmos Country with JeremÃas Pérez Artiga, Match Day Photographer
By Cesar D.
Born in Guatemala but now living in Brooklyn, Jeremías Pérez Artiga continues to work hard in his chosen craft of photography. When he’s not covering soccer, Jeremí works as a food runner for a restaurant on the West Side of Manhattan. He takes Saturdays off and works a double shift on Sunday to make time for Cosmos home games.
Jeremí’s story is one of the many stories we hope to write about this season.
Where did your love for soccer stem from?
Growing up in El Petén, I followed Guatemalan second division club Deportivo San Benito who in 2010 were renamed Petén FC. Unfortunately, they’re no longer around. Being fascinated with the team and soccer, I used to follow the action by radio because I couldn’t attend every home match and they weren’t played on TV.
For each match I heard on the radio, I would write down the statistics the commentators provided. During this time, I believed I could cover my team both as a journalist and a photographer. Once I had saved up enough money, I had purchased a “point and shoot” camera and covered the team for six months before moving to the United States in 2005.
How old were you when you moved to the United States?
I was 19 years old when I moved here. I was living in New Jersey with my relatives until we packed up and moved to Brooklyn in 2008. I’ve been living there ever since.
Once you settled in the U.S., when did you resume your soccer coverage?
After a few years of adjusting to life in the United States, I became a beat reporter and covered the indoor Mexican Soccer League in New Jersey for the Spanish newspaper, Latino News in 2007. Covering this league was the door that really opened up my love for photography.
As essential as it was to write about the matches, I enjoyed the thrill, movement and timing that are involved in covering a match. Once I made the decision to focus more on photography, I started to save my money in order to purchase better equipment. Over time, I had saved up enough money to purchase my first Nikon camera.
How did you feel when you purchased your camera?
I felt good and was excited about it. While my Nikon wasn’t of the highest quality, it was still a good camera and way better than the one I was using. It was a start and until I had enough saved up to purchase a couple of lenses; I would rent telephoto lenses to enhance my photography.
How did you become a Cosmos fan?
When I moved to New Jersey, I had a friend from Costa Rica who had grown up watching the Cosmos. Every now and then when we were hanging out, he would get his box of Cosmos memorabilia to show me. As he showed me his posters, pictures and other memorabilia, he would tell me about the Cosmos history and his experience following them.
My first team, Deportivo San Benito, also wore green and white so it was easy for me to become a Cosmos fan. And when I heard more about the Cosmos in 2011, I had known I had made the right choice.
Let’s fast forward to 2013 on a road trip to Atlanta for the Soccer Bowl. What do you remember about that experience?
I was a photographer for ThisIsCosmosCountry.com. I remember we had taken our first road break. It was 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. in the morning and I was tired. But it was there I learned attention to detail and to cover a match from a different angle. Here I was riding with the Five Points to Atlanta and I almost missed capturing that opportunity. Now I understand that covering a match goes beyond the action on the pitch.
In covering the Cosmos, how’s your experience been?
It’s been educational and fun. To go from a simple camera to one where I use telephoto lenses has motivated me to work even harder. It wasn’t until the 2014 Fall Season where I felt I had found my rhythm. Daniel from This Is Cosmos Country always encouraged me to feel the game as opposed to thinking about. His advice has really helped me a lot because I’m not trying to create the perfect shot, I’m allowing it to come to me naturally.
As a fan, I love it. On match day, I get to talk to with members from the Five Points, the staff and the players. No matter the result, there’s never a dull moment.
What was your match day routine last season?
The first thing I did was check my SD cards and made sure they were empty. If not, I would transfer those photos to my laptop. I would charge my camera’s battery; review my telephoto lenses and my monopod.
Once my equipment check was completed, I would go to the press box to review the match notes and envision how I was going to cover the match. Depending on the time, I would walk around Shuart Stadium to see if anything interesting was taking place at Fan Fest, the Five Points tailgate party or during the team’s warmups.
Fifteen to minutes prior to kick off, I’m ready to cover the action, both on and off the pitch.
To wrap this up, what’s your plan for this season?
I’m going to continue to work hard and make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. I hope my photos are able to give our audience a clear view of the passion and love we have for our club, each other and for Cosmos Country.
All photography in this piece coutesy of Jeremías Pérez Artiga
