Still Not Enough
After a win in Week 10 at home, the Cardinals were flying high in hopes to continue those efforts in Houston this weekend. Even with Kyler Murray back at QB, the team couldn't pull through.
This was my first time photographing a game at NRG Stadium, so let's take a look at how things went through my lens.
The dark tunnel was a great contrast to the bright white uniforms, so I tried to capture individual guys and groups running out for warmups.
It worked a couple of times, but the security guards in the area were making it quite difficult to get a clean shot.
I wandered around the pregame warmup areas trying to find new things I haven't seen before when I noticed Greg Dortch and Marquise Brown do a fun handshake.
At away games in particular, I like to capture the scene to showcase where we are. It's also not possible to get a photo in this position from in front of the end zone during the game, so I take my chance when I can.
I got lucky again with the offensive and defensive linemen huddle being right above my head. The photo also shows a peek at the roof of NRG Stadium as an added element.
With all the hard work the players do to get ready for games, it's not surprising to see some sweat. Phil Hoskins revealed his dripping face after taking off his helmet for a water break, and after I ran over to capture it, he struck a pose.
Posing for the camera happens often, especially when you build a trusting relationship with players. The photos take only a couple seconds, and I always have to be ready in case someone wants to have a mini photoshoot, like James Conner here.
Someone who rarely poses is Kyler Murray. But, in this photo, you'd think he's in a Gatorade advertisement.
Marquise Brown led the team huddle, and it was very short and to-the-point. I almost wasn't ready for the hands-in at the end.
Since I didn't want to deal with the security members by the tunnel area again, I waited at midfield for the team to run out during introductions.
I like this strategy more because I always end up getting a variety of photos instead of a bunch of each player running at me.
For some reason, the team wasn't allowed to run out on the field until shortly after they were announced, so by the time the players were ready to line up for the national anthem, the giant American flag was already being laid out.
A couple of the guys had to go under the line of flag holders or wait for them to pass, which I thought was a funny scene.
During the national anthem, I always go down the line and take a couple portraits of each player as I pass. Kyler Murray always stands sort of off to the side of everyone else, so I stopped by him this game in particular.
One thing about Kyler Murray, he can't help but smile when he notices the camera sometimes. I could tell he was holding back a laugh in this first photo before looking down.
Something happened during coin toss that I can confidently say has never happened during my time as a photographer.
A butterfly landed on Budda Baker!
I noticed him moving his arms in a weird way and then saw the butterfly on his jersey. He let it sit for a minute before it flew away, and you can even see D.J. Humphries in the background wondering what Budda is looking at.
The Cardinals definitely started the game off on the right foot with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Rondale Moore.
Unfortunately for me, my camera decided to go out of focus on the exact frame he touched the end zone and looked back at the defenders.
I got the before and the after shots, but it's just not the same.
I caught a couple of good celebration moments after the play, but I just had to brush off my missed photo and keep going.
The sidelines were a little bit more crowded than I've been used to recently, so I had to squeeze in a couple of times and shoot through the bench area. You'll notice in these frames that James Conner almost disappears behind someone's sleeve, but I'm able to move on the other side and get the first down celebration.
While I was close to the bench area, I got a bunch of photos of Jonathan Gannon, but a couple in particular had really nice, clean backgrounds which I loved.
It's difficult to photograph coaches sometimes because they're always looking at the field and the same direction I am, so I have to wait until they turn or walk towards me.
Throughout the game, I tried to get some storytelling images with different players interacting. I like this one of Kyler Murray letting his linemen Will Hernandez and Paris Johnson Jr. know of a change.
There were a bunch of splash plays by the defense during this game of which I got some nice photos, starting with Leki Fotu's sack.
My favorite part of this celebration was Dante Stills in the background doing the same thing as Leki. A lot of celebrations this season have been multiple players joining in with their teammates.
I got a couple frames of Jalen Thompson's interception, but my 400mm was a little bit too close to capture the whole thing. I cut off the defender's head in the first one, but even in the second photo where their whole bodies are in it, Jalen's face is blocked. So, not my best work, but a cool moment to keep for JT.
Jalen came out of nowhere with his sack on C.J. Stroud, and I almost didn't catch it because it happened so fast.
Stroud's face definitely shows that he also didn't see it coming.
On the other hand, Dante Stills' "sack" was due to Stroud slipping on the turf, so Stills got up laughing afterwards. Hey, a sack is a sack!
Krys Barnes had some great plays too, starting with this tackle for loss that I was glad I captured because of the intense look on his face.
I had just made the decision to move down to that end of the field right before the interception, and I got a few nice shots of Barnes running with the ball.
I was kicking myself because the team ran all the way to the other end zone to celebrate, which I would have gotten if I had stayed there originally.
But, I would have missed the actual catch and run, so I guess it's a win/lose. I ended up sprinting to the other end zone to attempt any sort of celebration shot, so actually let's go with win/lose/win.
The offensive plays were a tad lackluster after that first touchdown to start the game, and even when Kyler Murray ran in for his score, I missed the peak photo featuring the pylon.
I had him tracked right up until the defense ran in front of my lens and my camera lost him.
I wouldn't label Kyler as an emotional guy, but you can definitely tell when he's frustrated. I don't blame him after that game, but I had to take the "disappointing" photos to illustrate the loss.
I ended up following Stroud after the game since I knew he would be meeting up with Paris Johnson Jr. and Kyler. He walked all the way to the Cardinals bench area where Kyler was sitting to greet him, and Kyler had some words of wisdom for the rookie QB.
After a losing game during a tough losing season, it's hard to see the good around us. On my way back to the team bus, I heard some Texans fans yelling for James Conner to give them autographs. You would think that, for fans of the team that just beat his team, he'd say no or just ignore them.
James walked over and chatted with the fans before signing their credentials, since obviously he wasn't going to sign their Texans jerseys.
It's a nice reminder that no matter what happens on the field, these players, these people, can make someone's day.
