A connection that made sense from the beginning and a partnership that went unrealized has now come to fruition. First-year Simpson Athletics photographer Frank Novak has officially joined the staff of The Simpsonian.

Novak has always been interested in design and photography because of his sister’s passion for art. When his homeroom teacher in high school offered a photography class, he decided to take it. 

“I am not technically self-taught because of the classes I took in high school, but I learned a lot from YouTube and even Instagram by following other photographers and seeing the way they take and edit photos,” Novak said.

Novak found his niche in sports photography by always wanting pictures of himself playing basketball and enjoying looking through his teammates’ photos.

The story of how he quickly became employed as a Simpson Athletics photographer is a testament to his work ethic and the dream he has. During April 2023, before he ever even started at Simpson, he attended a SOAR (Simpson Orientation, Advising and Registration) date, and while he was on campus, he took photos at a baseball game.

“I went to a baseball game, took pictures and sent it to athletics,” he said. “Then, she offered me a job before I even saw the school.”

Connections are very important to Novak, something that made him choose Simpson. 

“A big reason I came to Simpson over [University of Wisconsin] River Falls was that I felt Simpson was better with connections,” he said. “That’s something I’m looking to get out of being here.”

In 2023, Novak found opportunities to shoot photos at Iowa Wolves, Iowa Wild and Iowa Cubs games.

“I’ve talked to as many photographers as I can there. Follow them on Instagram. They follow me back. I reshare their work, and they reshare mine. It’s cool. It’s nice having a connection of photographers.”

One event he really wants to get an opportunity to photograph this year is the Drake Relays.

His clear-cut ideas of the skills he wants to improve include his videography and graphic design skills, besides his focus on photography. “I’m trying to do more video work. I do a lot of that in the winter because I feel indoor sports are easier to film than outdoor sports,” Novak said.

He said his ideal areas of study would be within the multimedia communications major or in graphic design.

Novak hopes to increase his media presence alongside the type of media he posts. Growing his brand and connecting his face to his work is something he wants to continue to do more of. He looks forward to building more connections and getting his work in front of more people.

To view Novak’s work, stay tuned to our publications and check out his Instagram page: @franknovak_