Whether it’s a football game, a wrestling match, or senior pictures, you’ve probably seen Mrs. Lacey Nix, also known as Oh Snap Indy, taking pictures somewhere on the hill. 

Nix began her photography career about six years ago when she noticed a trend on her son’s youth football team. “Nobody was ever out there taking pictures. A lot of the parents didn’t come to games or anything and the kids wanted to show them photos so that’s how it all started. It actually started on, and this is going to age me, an old flip phone,” she said. 

When her son, senior Caleb Martin, joined the football team four years ago, Nix decided to become a photographer for the sport. “It just happened with my son playing football. There wasn’t a freshman photographer out there because everybody always wants to photograph varsity so I just started taking pictures with those boys. (From there), I just followed them as they moved up from freshman to junior varsity to varsity and then it expanded to other sports,” Nix said. “(Nowadays), I try to photograph at least one game of every sport with a primary focus on boys basketball and football.” 

Before becoming a photographer full time, Nix was a journalist for Channel 13 News. She said, “I was trying to work my way up to broadcast journalism and then I realized that I wanted to tell the story, not just be on camera. I liked crafting the story, not just reading it.” 

This passion for telling stories carried over into her current career as a photographer. Nix uses social media, primarily Instagram, to promote her work. There, she is able to showcase the behind the scenes moments that would often go unseen. Even though her children mock her for her long captions, Nix says that this is what gives the photo depth. “If you look at one of my most recent instagram posts, I tell a lengthy story about (senior) Aden Reyes at the state wrestling finals and that’s because no one else saw that. No one else gets to see those moments so I like to be able to say ‘this is what happened when this picture was going on and this is why that picture is cool.’” 

Nix said that this is what allows her photos to stand out in the crowd. In addition to that, she aims to focus on the people who don’t always get recognized for their dedication and hard work. “The sidelines are always crowded with photographers, who are there to see one specific kid and I like to tell all their stories, not just the superstars,” she said.

While most parents only get to hear about every one of their kids’ games and see the pictures, Nix gets to experience them all first hand which has proven to be both thrilling and difficult. “I try not to get too emotionally involved. This year, that was very hard for me. (First of all), my son had some big plays in football and I remember the first time he got an interception, I dropped my camera. I completely missed the shot because I became a mom at that moment,” she said. Nix also recalled watching the final game of the football season at Center Grove. She said that while she was trying to prioritize taking pictures of the game, it became difficult because it was her son’s last game and she needed to be there for him. “It’s difficult to try and stay in that professional lane and get the pictures you need to tell the story while obviously realizing I need to be there for my son, so that was hard but I love what I do.”

Despite how effortlessly beautiful her photos may appear, Nix said it is a hard skill to master. Her biggest piece of advice to people who want to get started in sports photography specifically is to practice. “I always tell the new photographers that come out from Cathedral, you have to practice. You can’t just show up to a varsity game and expect to be really good at it. Go to the freshman games, learn at the lower level so that when it’s time for those bigger games, you have it down perfectly,” she said. 

She credits the success and growth of her brand since starting at Cathedral to ceramics teacher, Mrs. Sara Greene. “(Greene) was the first person who invited me to take photos with her when she was doing varsity photos. She also recommended that the marketing team use the photos. She really opened that door for me so without her this wouldn’t have happened. (She was) just extremely helpful and since then the Cathedral family has just completely embraced me.” She said, “This business would not have grown like it has without the support from Cathedral, and I went to Chatard, so the fact that the Cathedral community has embraced me so much just shows what a special place it is.” 

As for her future at Cathedral, she said “(I) absolutely plan on sticking around (after my kids graduate) because you get to know the younger kids and (the cycle) just keeps repeating. I’ve had such a great time with all of the coaches and it has just been such a great experience. I love it.”