Background

Leon Devance is a skilled sports photographer and writer with a great eye for that important action moment in a game, whether it’s football, baseball/softball, volleyball, basketball or any other endeavor, at both the pro and amateur levels. As a sports reporter for the University of Missouri-St. Louis Current student newspaper, he photographed college sports teams in baseball and softball, basketball, and volleyball; as sports editor, he edited copy and designed the page.

In recent years, Devance has provided game stories and conducted sports interviews with prep athletes and coaches as a freelance sports writer for the Alton Telegraph and the St. Louis American newspapers. He is available for sports writing and photography assignments.

Education and skills

Devance attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis, earning a BS in 1995 and Certificate of Photography in 2013. He also attended the University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, and received a BS from the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale in 1999. He completed a basic liberal arts education arts curriculum and took courses in journalism, expository writing and mass communication literature, as well as training in QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign.

Devance received a Mark McDonough Memorial Scholarship.

Professional activities

Devance is a member of the St. Louis chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and of the SPJ Freelance Community. He is also involved with the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists (GSLABJ).

Contact

To work with Leon Devance on sports photo and text coverage; use photos at this site; or see other electrifying sports photos by Leon Devance, contact Leon Devance Sports Photography at Ldevance2011516@gmail.com or call 314-281-6183.

Copyright

All photos seen here are © Leon E. Devance and may only be used with prior permission of and payment to Leon Devance Sports Photography.