The Photo That Wasn't a Coincidence: Carey Schumacher and the Road That Led Her to the Dallas Flash
Dallas, Texas — We had seen her before, without fully knowing it. In several of the cities where we've traveled to cover MLP, there she was, moving between the courts, working side by side with the TV cameras — always yielding the way, finding her own angle around them — with the kind of agility that comes from already knowing exactly where the next play is going to land. Even during live broadcasts, if you paid attention, you'd catch her sneaking into frame for a second, doing her job.
The real connection came through a different path. In our August edition, with Danni-Elle Townsend as the lead story, we used an image for the cover without knowing that behind that shot was the eye — and the shutter speed — of Carey Schumacher. What followed was some necessary back-and-forth over copyright, resolved with a grace that says a lot about who she is: instead of conflict, Carey responded with full willingness to help us get that cover across the finish line.
One edition earlier, we had invited Omar Díaz, a photographer and friend from Puerto Rico, to be part of our July edition. We already had it in mind to keep adding voices from behind the camera. Carey arrived at exactly the right moment — because it's professionals like her who keep the scroll moving. This is her story.
From Fractions to F-Stops
Carey holds a Math degree from Pepperdine University. It sounds like an odd detour to end up behind a camera, but she sees it differently: "Math and photography are cousins. Lots of fractions, proportions, calculations, plus a lot of creativity — there is always more than one way to solve a problem or create a photograph."
In 2002 she founded San Diego Barefoot Memories, and what pushed her to do it wasn't some grand artistic vision — it was a practical decision: either turn that hobby into a photography business that worked, or sell the house. It worked. But it wasn't just fun pocket money — she had to turn a profit and build a real business.
As her kids got older, Carey started photographing youth sports: her son's soccer teams, her daughter's volleyball/tennis teams. She did it for herself, with no clients, no pressure, no shot lists. But as she kept improving her sports photography, more clients started coming her way. She worked her way up — from youth sports, to college, to semi-pro, to professional.
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LAFC, a Move, and a Fresh Start in Texas
In March 2022, she signed her first contract as an official photographer for LAFC for the upcoming MLS season. A month later, in April, her family moved to Texas.
"Ugh!!!" she remembers. But her boss at LAFC connected her with MLS teams in Dallas, and that summer she ended up shooting the youth Academy teams for LAFC and Austin FC. When LAFC had an away game in Dallas that season, she was the team photographer. "It was very nice of the folks at LAFC to help me get such a great start here in Dallas."
Around the same time, she started working with her new pickleball club, Oasis Pickleball in Rockwall, becoming the club photographer and shooting pro tournaments there. The timing couldn't have been better: right around then, PPA moved their corporate HQ to Dallas. "I pretty much kicked the door in" to get in, Carey says, and she became one of their contractor photographers for 2023, traveling with the tour to stops around the country.
"That was a fun year, but that travel schedule is grueling! I don't do that anymore." Today she works directly with individual players and teams during MLP, or with brands, traveling where she wants, when she wants.
Pickleball as Community, Not Just Work
Carey is clear about one thing: she doesn't need sports photography to generate a huge income the way she once did with Barefoot Memories. "Good thing, too," she jokes, "because the joke is true: what's the best way to make money as a sports photographer? Sell your gear."
Still, she loves the work. She's been hired by ESPN in Dallas — jobs she describes as stressful and very rewarding. But it's her pickleball clients who bring out a different kind of smile: "The pickleball community is just unmatched."
In 2024, she got to know the Dallas Flash organization and became the team photographer. That's when she talked the owner into letting her create that epic nighttime preseason promo shot — the one she says wasn't a coincidence when it came to the title that followed.
"And now we need to go win it all again this year," she says of the current season. "But if not, that's OK. We'll keep building. The Dallas Flash and the Flash Mob are the best in all of pickleball. Not even close."
Carey is a full-time pickleball enthusiast, with a bonus: she gets to combine her work with what she actually loves doing. And that might be the real story behind every one of her photos. Because people like her, professionals like Carey, are what make this sport grow — not just visually, but with the energy and passion they bring to everything they do.
Dallas, Texas — We had seen her before, without fully knowing it. In several of the cities where we've traveled to cover MLP, there she was, moving between the courts, working side by side with the TV cameras — always yielding the way, finding her own angle around them — with the kind of agility that comes from already knowing exactly where the next play is going to land. Even during live broadcasts, if you paid attention, you'd catch her sneaking into frame for a second, doing her job.
The real connection came through a different path. In our August edition, with Danni-Elle Townsend as the lead story, we used an image for the cover without knowing that behind that shot was the eye — and the shutter speed — of Carey Schumacher. What followed was some necessary back-and-forth over copyright, resolved with a grace that says a lot about who she is: instead of conflict, Carey responded with full willingness to help us get that cover across the finish line.
One edition earlier, we had invited Omar Díaz, a photographer and friend from Puerto Rico, to be part of our July edition. We already had it in mind to keep adding voices from behind the camera. Carey arrived at exactly the right moment — because it's professionals like her who keep the scroll moving. This is her story.
From Fractions to F-Stops
Carey holds a Math degree from Pepperdine University. It sounds like an odd detour to end up behind a camera, but she sees it differently: "Math and photography are cousins. Lots of fractions, proportions, calculations, plus a lot of creativity — there is always more than one way to solve a problem or create a photograph."
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In 2002 she founded San Diego Barefoot Memories, and what pushed her to do it wasn't some grand artistic vision — it was a practical decision: either turn that hobby into a photography business that worked, or sell the house. It worked. But it wasn't just fun pocket money — she had to turn a profit and build a real business.
As her kids got older, Carey started photographing youth sports: her son's soccer teams, her daughter's volleyball/tennis teams. She did it for herself, with no clients, no pressure, no shot lists. But as she kept improving her sports photography, more clients started coming her way. She worked her way up — from youth sports, to college, to semi-pro, to professional.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
LAFC, a Move, and a Fresh Start in Texas
In March 2022, she signed her first contract as an official photographer for LAFC for the upcoming MLS season. A month later, in April, her family moved to Texas.
"Ugh!!!" she remembers. But her boss at LAFC connected her with MLS teams in Dallas, and that summer she ended up shooting the youth Academy teams for LAFC and Austin FC. When LAFC had an away game in Dallas that season, she was the team photographer. "It was very nice of the folks at LAFC to help me get such a great start here in Dallas."
Around the same time, she started working with her new pickleball club, Oasis Pickleball in Rockwall, becoming the club photographer and shooting pro tournaments there. The timing couldn't have been better: right around then, PPA moved their corporate HQ to Dallas. "I pretty much kicked the door in" to get in, Carey says, and she became one of their contractor photographers for 2023, traveling with the tour to stops around the country.
"That was a fun year, but that travel schedule is grueling! I don't do that anymore." Today she works directly with individual players and teams during MLP, or with brands, traveling where she wants, when she wants.
Pickleball as Community, Not Just Work
Carey is clear about one thing: she doesn't need sports photography to generate a huge income the way she once did with Barefoot Memories. "Good thing, too," she jokes, "because the joke is true: what's the best way to make money as a sports photographer? Sell your gear."
Still, she loves the work. She's been hired by ESPN in Dallas — jobs she describes as stressful and very rewarding. But it's her pickleball clients who bring out a different kind of smile: "The pickleball community is just unmatched."
In 2024, she got to know the Dallas Flash organization and became the team photographer. That's when she talked the owner into letting her create that epic nighttime preseason promo shot — the one she says wasn't a coincidence when it came to the title that followed.
"And now we need to go win it all again this year," she says of the current season. "But if not, that's OK. We'll keep building. The Dallas Flash and the Flash Mob are the best in all of pickleball. Not even close."
Carey is a full-time pickleball enthusiast, with a bonus: she gets to combine her work with what she actually loves doing. And that might be the real story behind every one of her photos. Because people like her, professionals like Carey, are what make this sport grow — not just visually, but with the energy and passion they bring to everything they do.
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