Unlocking the art of sports photography for NICA athletes: A collaboration with Fujifilm

January 30, 2026

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Korey Hopkins (captured here by NICA athlete-photographer Ashlynn Anderson) is an outdoor sports photographer and videographer, Maryland league photographer, NICA board member, avid mountain biker, and mentor to youth. Hopkins hosted the 2-day “Frame the Ride” experience with help from Fujifilm to source professional-level photography equipment for student-athletes.

Written by: Korey Hopkins

I’ve been shooting for Maryland for four years now. It has been awesome watching the community grow – both the footprint of the league and all of the wonderful student-athletes.

As a visual creative, I am a people watcher at heart. I am always looking around for the “moment” that defines the time and space that I am in. When I turn away from the bikes, I frequently see student-athletes running around with cameras to capture their friends out on course. I frequently am giving some tips and guidance on how to use the various DSLRs that they have and what to look for when shooting.

Last season, someone came up to me and asked “is this a good picture?” It was honestly a better shot than anything I had shot that day.

Five student-athletes from Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia had the opportunity to step off the bike and behind the lens at NICA’s latest Eastern Regional Event.

Student-athletes are more in touch with the moments that define what their friends and peers are into than my 30-something year old self. They are also the future. When I first started sport photography, I had a mentor that tossed me some camera gear that was actually capable for keeping up with fast-paced action so that I could focus more on the moment than pushing my camera to the limits.

<FujiFilm> saw my vision of getting capable gear into the hands of students and letting them loose to document NICA Eastern Regionals. Armed with 5 camera kits, we picked 5 students that had an interest in photography.

Hopkins teaches athletes from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina at a morning photography clinic. Five students spent the weekend capturing their peers and the experience of NICA Regionals through their own lens.

On Saturday morning, we held a photo workshop to gear up students with some more knowledge and cameras. After an hour and a half, we set them loose.

Student-athlete Andrew Diefendrof took some time to step off the bike and behind the lens for the 2025 Eastern Regional Event.

“Student-athletes are more in touch with the moments that define what their friends and peers…they are also the future. When I first started sport photography,” says Hopkins. His own experience with a photography mentor inspired him to bring this opportunity to NICA athletes.

“I really enjoyed this experience, and I had so much fun capturing these photos. I learned how to use a different camera and learned to look for different angles that I never thought of before. It was really interesting to be the one behind the camera instead of the athlete competing in front of it.” - Ashlynn, MD League & NICA coach/alumni student

Riding bikes can feel like science. Photographing them is the art. Merging the two together opens up a whole new world for everyone to enjoy.

“At the start of the weekend Korey Hopkins mentioned how important storytelling, which changed my perspective and pushed me out of my comfort zone to capture a different aspect of the weekend. All of this gave me a better idea of what pursuing sports photography full time might look like.” – Andrew, MD League

I want to give Fuji a huge thanks in making this happen!