The Start of Something New
Welcome back to Depth of Field. The Cardinals' Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders officially marked the start of the 2023 season and the return of weekly photo essays.
This season has already given me a lot of new things to work around and learn, from a new coaching staff to different players and ways of warming up. This week's game allowed me to get back into the swing of things while also juggling some slight learning curves along the way.
Pregame warmups were when the sprinkle of rain began. I had left my rain jacket in the tunnel in hopes that would keep the storms at bay, but I guess my luck only stretched so far.
I was using my photo vest to wipe the droplets off of my camera, and I noticed a lot of players wearing visors probably had trouble seeing. They ended up asking the equipment managers to remove the visors after warmups.
The locker room was awkwardly spaced out and pretty tight, so I only got a couple of shots that I liked. This is the time when I can get really cool detail shots like this:
On my way into the locker room area, I noticed that FedEx Field has a long hallway through which the players walk out, so I hung out in there to photograph the guys coming out instead of getting them running onto the field.
Moments like these are when I wish I could be in two places at once, because while I love these shots, I wonder what I could have gotten outside too.
I'm sure some fans have also noticed that certain players run all the way out to the opposite end zone to kneel down in prayer before the game. While I also wish I could run down there from the tunnel for that moment, I think I'd need some intense cardio training to make that happen.
Luckily, Kei'Trel Clark took a moment to himself right at the 50 yard line where I already was, so thanks Kei'Trel!
Jesse Luketa is always serving intense looks, and before players got lined up for the national anthem, he stared right through my lens and into my soul.
The combination of the humidity and rain caused every guy to be soaked in droplets, and it's anyone's guess whether they were made of rainwater or sweat. They made for some great photos though, and I'm just glad no one captured what I looked like out there.
A special addition for Week 1 was this patch on every rookie starter's jersey. It'll definitely be an awesome keepsake for them.
The overcast lighting in the beginning of the game made it easier for me to focus on composition instead of exposure, which also allowed me to follow plays more intentionally since I knew the light would stay the same.
There was definitely a lot of emotion during this game, from heated exchanges to good old-fashioned fun.
Speaking of emotions, these next few plays literally made me smile behind the camera! It was so fun to see the players making big plays and performing even bigger celebrations.
Zaven Collins' interception was pretty far down the field from me, but the entire defense came rushing to my spot in the end zone in order to taunt some of the aggressive Commanders fans.
Dennis Gardeck led his squad in his traditional celebratory dance after his first sack of the day. I honestly might look at these photos if I ever need a pick-me-up.
The biggest "oh my GOD" moment of the day for me was the Gardeck sack-turned Cameron Thomas scoop-and-score. I love the photos I got of the sack:
And while I didn't nail Thomas diving into the end zone, his celebration with the rest of the team makes up for it ... kind of.
Even though the offense didn't score any touchdowns, there were a couple of crazy catches throughout the day. Rookie Michael Wilson came down with this one seemingly with the help of his helmet:
Marquise Brown even had the ability to celebrate the first down after looking like he was made of Jell-O during his catch:
I can't remember at what point in the game the rain started to really downpour. What started as a cool photographic element and a light drizzle ...
... quickly turned into me not being able to see anything and hoping I'm capturing some sort of football-esque photos through it all:
I was close to the bench at one point and noticed some of the defense relishing in the rain, probably because it was cooling them off.
Dennis Gardeck definitely wins "hardest uniform to clean" of the day:
I definitely want to shout-out the equipment staff for this game, I can't imagine what it was like dealing with the rain and all the dirt and grass that got stuck everywhere.
Victor Dimukeje lost a shoe at one point, and Jalen Thompson had to get help from his teammates to clear the grass out of his helmet.
The sun came out finally at the end of the game, and it really illuminated the aftermath of that downpour.
Now, our focus shifts to our home opener in Week 2. Stay tuned.
