Amir Lowery set to begin trial for chance to remain in Montreal

Amir Lowery

When he’s at work Amir Lowery is a midfielder, an aggressive physical presence on the pitch and a mainstay of the Montreal Impact midfield this season. Away from the game, the Washington, D.C. native — who finished third among Impact players for playing time and led the team in both fouls and cautions — spends a fair bit of his free time involved in a more pacific pursuit.

“I’ve always kind of had a thing for photography. I’ve been meaning to get a close to pro camera for a few years but I never pulled the trigger,” he said. “In January I got a Canon and since then I’ve just been taking it progressively more seriously.”

In mid-March, Lowery began posting his photographs online, launching a blog he’s entitled DAPS + HUGS (CLICK HERE) that combines his favourites with short uplifting, reflective or inspirational accompanying texts. The words, frequently his own, sometimes give a shout out to more renowned thinkers, ranging from Don King to Luis Bunuel.

“A lot of times if I have an image that I enjoy, feel strongly about or that makes me think about certain things, that’ll be what I’ll write about,” he explained when asked which usually came first, the photo or the text. “Sometime maybe I’ll have something in mind and it’ll just fit the picture.”

Much of the work he has posted deals with his time in Montreal, taken either while enjoying what the city has to offer the lens on his off-hours or being used a family photographer by teammates.

“I don’t know who’s using who,” he laughed. “Once they saw my site and, I’m assuming, liked my pictures. Some asked if I could do a shoot with them.”

The (Leonardo) Di Lorenzo family, the (Anthony) Le Galls, the (Ryan) Pores and the (Luke) Kreamalmeyers all have toddlers or infants of proven cuteness. Eddy Sebrango was kind enough to let Lowery make use of his canine buddy, Chi Chi, for a session with Simon Gatti. And Bill Gaudette asked that Lowery memorialize his marriage proposal to his now-fiancee, Lisa.

“I’m definitely honoured that they trust me enough to do that. It’s been a good bonding experience outside of the team to be able to do these shots with them,” said Lowery, who signed with the team in late March, going without a preseason to adapt to his new surroundings, and suited up for the first time less than two weeks later in the season opener. “And, also on the other side it’s giving me a bit of a portfolio that I can build on and hopefully take it to the next level,” he continued. “I like the personal side of it, taking pictures for people and having that connection but I also like the artistic side of it too. I don’t know exactly where I would take it but it’s something that I’d definitely like to pursue after soccer. Now I’m just trying to get the ball rolling and maybe have an easy segue after I’m finished playing.”

Hanging up the cleats is still some time in the future for Lowery, who spent two seasons with the Carolina RailHawks before moving to Montreal with an eye to accompanying the team in its ascension to MLS next season. He’s sticking around town for the week-long trials that begin Monday under the scrutiny of incoming head coach Jesse Marsch. He’s going into the week with an optimistic outlook. Despite the Impact’s disappointing finish in its final D-2 season Lowery feels he’s shown enough to warrant serious consideration.

“I think my performances got stronger as the season went on and I finished on my best form,” he offered. “I worked really hard and I’m hoping to take that into next week and see what happens. That’s always the plan, to get better every day.”

While he has yet to experience a Montreal winter, associating the month of March more with cherry blossoms than snowstorms, Lowery describes his present location as “Definitely the best city I’ve played in” and one he’d like to stay in for a while if he could although he recognizes the final choice in the matter is not his to make.

“Unfortunately it’s not in my hands, so it’ll be a matter of seeing what direction they want to take the team in and whether I fit in with their plans,” he said. “It’ll depend what happens after I sit down with the staff and figure out what’s going to happen with the team. If I have to look elsewhere I guess that’ll be what I have to start to do. If I can stick around for next year then I may stay a little longer and just relax a bit.”