But that rule does not apply to local, regional or other games, where discretion is left up to the official and/or hosting school.

“The UIL only has guidelines for shooting at our state tournament events. We cannot mandate guidelines for regular season events since we do not know the lighting situation at every venue in the state,” Kim Rogers, UIL director of public information, said.

“… If the officials at that event feel that the flash is interfering with play they have the authority to ask you to stop using it.”

The Texas Association of Sports Officials represents about 14,000 members and coordinates training and education for sports officials. The group is a non-profit organization and not a state regulatory agency.

TASO assistant executive director Tony Scazzero said the group does not have specific written guidelines to instruct officials on dealing with the media at games. The official’s job is to enforce the rules of the particular sport and ensure fair competition, he said.

“The media is a non-factor. The important factor is the contest,” Scazzero said.

All TASO officials must go through extensive training on the rules of the game and attend meetings. The level of training depends on the sport.

Scazzero said most high schools do request TASO members to officiate their games.

“We (TASO officials) do not regulate the media, we officiate the contest. During play anything that adversely affects the game can be dealt with by the officials and or the game administrator, who is supplied by the hosting institution,” Scazzero said.

But Scazzero acknowledged that it is an inconsistent process depending solely on an individual official’s call. One official may ask a photographer to stop using a flash at one venue while another official a week later at the same location may not, he said.

Scazzero suggested that members of the media contact the game administrator for each hosting institution prior to the event if they want to discuss coverage issues.

TPA encourages all member photographers to make these introductions and to display their TPA press card so the officials and hosts will know they are a working member of the press.

Still if an official asks a photographer to move from a particular spot or to stop using a flash the photographer must comply or face being removed from the game site or even arrest.

On Feb. 18 Huntsville Item photographer Richard Nira was arrested following an exchange with sports officials at a girls basketball game in College Station. A longtime photographer, Nira spent a night in jail before posting bail and being released.

Murray Judson, another longtime photographer and co-publisher of the Port Aransas South Jetty, also has experienced trouble with officials while using a flash. Last year he and wife, co-publisher Mary, began talking with their superintendent about the poor lighting in the gymnasium.

“So far, we have had no success in getting better lighting at our gym,” Mary Judson said.

“Murray and I are going to have a major meeting of the minds about how we cover basketball. He does not like being verbally abused by refs and is not likely to put up with it more than once this season.”

Mary Judson said one alternative may be to take team pictures and a few practice shots, but no game pictures, then the school will realize the importance of getting its action shots in the newspaper.

Not being able to use a flash at games affects most TPA members, who like Willey are in the same predicament.

“(A lot of officials) truly believe they are acting in the best interest of the players. But they are wrong to believe that photographers like myself would willingly blind players. If we did that no team would allow us to take photos,” Willey said. “I’ve even gone as far as take photos of practice games — with flash — to show the players and the coaches that they cannot and are not blinded by the flash.”

Willey said larger daily newspapers that have better cameras and lenses that can shoot available light have spoiled the officials and made it harder for small newspapers that must use flash in dimly lit high school gymnasiums.

For more on UIL guidelines, log onto http://www.uil.utexas.edu/media/tournament_media.html

The TASO site is www.taso.org/.