The story behind the shot

This fall, Royal Stadium will be filled with Bethel fans decked out in blue and gold for a Saturday night football game. But from the sideline, Bennett Moger ’28 will be watching the game differently.

Moger keeps one eye in the viewfinder of his camera and the other on everything happening around him. He studies the players, anticipates where the ball might go, and watches for moments spectators might miss. 

That sideline access comes with his role as the athletic department’s photography and social media student manager, where he helps tell the stories of Bethel’s 18 NCAA Division III teams.

During his senior year of high school, Moger wasn’t sure Bethel could offer the kind of opportunities he wanted. When he initially toured Bethel, the university seemed too small and didn’t feel like the right fit. He had his sights set on a Division I school with more resources for a sports photographer.

“I didn't even commit to Bethel until August 1,” Moger says. “It was essentially the last day I could have chosen to go to college.”

Moger sees this as a God moment. After touring almost 15 colleges and making a decision that came down to the final days, the direction was clear. “I don’t think I’ve felt more at peace about any other decision in my life than coming here,” he says.

Bethel’s foundation of faith was also one of the key reasons Moger eventually committed. “I knew that these years were going to be so important for my spiritual growth,” he says. Moger says he grew up in church, but that his personal relationship with God was mostly reserved for Sundays. “It was honestly good that I came to Bethel, just because it set the foundation for my faith. Whether it’s classes, community, or being surrounded by people who know God, I feel I’ve grown spiritually.”

Now, as a junior, what initially felt like a limitation has become one of the defining strengths of Moger’s Bethel experience. At a smaller Division III school, he did not have to wait years for a chance to contribute. He could step in early, build relationships, and learn by doing.

Smaller school. Bigger opportunities.

Moger arrived on campus early his freshman year for a student work-study position in Bethel athletics. The opportunity grew out of a connection he made in high school with Bethel alumnus AJ Barrett ’21, who was then working in creative roles within the athletic department. Barrett was familiar with Moger’s work—by then, Moger had already begun designing social media content and photographing sports—and saw an opportunity for him to contribute.

“There was a Northwestern vs. Bethel soccer game during Welcome Week. Since I’d already moved in, I went and photographed the game during my downtime,” Moger says. The school year hadn’t even started, and Moger was already on the field.

Bethel gave Moger exposure to far more than soccer, opening the door for him to photograph and create content across all 18 varsity sports.

“I’d never shot any volleyball, tennis, or golf. Those are still the most challenging to shoot because I was never really around them,” he says. Keeping up with all of Bethel’s sports while juggling his business major with a marketing emphasis, a photojournalism minor, and a social media minor can also be demanding. 

“It’s hard to manage because, on some days, I have to go right to a game once I’m done with class,” Moger says. Between homework, home games, traveling with teams, and editing and sharing content, he’s had to develop solid time management skills.

That broader exposure—and the responsibility that comes with it—has prepared Moger for opportunities beyond campus.

This summer, he  was selected as an intern for the 3M Open, a professional golf event held in Minnesota. He worked primarily with brand partnerships at venues across the course, gaining graphic design experience for a large public event. He also carried his camera—and even helped capture the viral moment of golf champion Jackson Koivun fishing off the 18th hole.

With every season at Bethel, Moger’s skills are growing. “I already had years of photography under my belt, but Bethel definitely helped increase my confidence. Once I came to Bethel, my work started to skyrocket,” he says.

That growth hasn’t always come from having more resources. Sometimes, it has come from learning how to create more with less.

One example is venue size. Moger compares a Division I football stadium with Royal Stadium, a space that he loves but recognizes is much different than a state school facility that might be filled with 100,000 fans. 

“It honestly just pushes me to stand out. I have to elevate my work even more than sports photographers at DI schools,” he says. “It’s one of the reasons I chose a DIII school—to give me more drive.”

Smaller venues don’t put a damper on Moger’s attitude. “If you can get an incredible photo in a small venue, that just makes you stand out even more. If I can get a shot in a small arena, court, or field; then there’s no way that I won’t be able to get it in a Division I or professional venue,” he says.

For Moger, that has become part of the value of the experience: Bethel hasn’t given him every possible resource, but it has given him the responsibility, freedom, and creativity to figure out what to do with the resources he has.

Bethel’s athletic department has let Moger run with many creative ideas. “Last winter, I asked for a football helmet. I spent hours taking shots of our white helmets in the snow,” he says.

He’s pushed the boundaries on social media, elevating Bethel’s accounts with live content during games. “I created a system to send live content immediately with a phone mount on top of my camera whenever a cool play happens,” he says.

The freedom to create has given Moger significant responsibility—and the chance to learn by doing, take creative risks, and grow in ways he might not have at a larger school.

That preparation extends beyond the sidelines. Moger’s classes have also shaped how he thinks about faith as a growing professional. “Our business classes have brought in panels to talk to us about incorporating faith into your work life,” he says. “It’s given me the practical skills for sharing my faith in a work environment.”

Smaller school. Closer relationships.

That freedom has shaped Moger’s work, but so have the people he’s photographing. At a smaller school, he isn’t documenting athletes from a distance—he knows them personally. 

In some ways, Moger is treated like an athlete, spending hours on the road with the teams. His freshman year alone, he traveled to Pennsylvania and Iowa with the football team and to Wisconsin with the women’s basketball team for the NCAA playoffs. 

The familiarity with each athlete is an incredible asset when capturing moments during a game. 

“We have arguably the best wide receiver and quarterback combo in DIII football with Albert Rundell and Cooper Drews. I know to lock my camera on Albert because Cooper is probably going to toss the ball to him. He can pretty much catch any ball you throw at him,” Moger says. 

Knowing plays and players inside and out is one thing, but gaining the trust of an entire team is another. With time, Moger has built trust—not just because he’s present, but because athletes know he’ll tell their stories with care.

“I see myself more as a storyteller rather than a photographer. If I can get people to look at a few images and know what happened during the game, I think that's more valuable than just a cool photo,” he says. 

For every victory or highlight, Moger also knows that these same players will experience challenges and loss. Capturing those human moments is just as important for Moger.

“Our women's basketball team and football team are so good right now. It's a great era for both teams, and eventually, it has to come to an end,” Moger says. “Whether that's making it all the way to the national championship or losing in the later rounds, I feel it's important to still highlight those hard moments because they’re just as important as the moments when they win.”

There’s tension here, though, and Moger approaches it with great care. On one hand he says, “It would be against my journalistic instincts not to capture a moment of loss.” However, those photos are not usually meant to be shared publicly. 

“I know all these athletes so well, and I know if I was in that situation, I really wouldn't want a camera on me,” Moger says. However, because athletes have access to the photo archives from their time at Bethel, Moger sees his work and capturing those challenging moments as a gift.

“As hard as it is, I know that 20 years down the line when they are sharing photos with their children, they’re going to look back and be grateful that I captured everything.”

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