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Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck (45) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Depth Of Field: Week 5 vs. Cincinnati
Exploring the 2023 game against the Bengals through the lens of the Cardinals team photographer
By Caitlyn Epes Oct 10, 2023
Photographs By Caitlyn Epes

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The Arizona Cardinals debuted their all-black uniforms this week against the Cincinnati Bengals, and while they didn't come away with a Week 5 win, there were definitely some moments of which to be proud.

Lucky for all of you, I captured most of them on camera!

Let's start at pre-pregame warmups with Dante Stills letting me get his serious face before flashing the classic peace sign.

Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Dante Stills (55) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Dante Stills (55) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

"Game faces" were popular this week as I got a couple of stare downs during team stretches ...

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck (45) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

... in addition to some shiny teeth from Marquise Brown and bright yellow gloves from Zach Pascal.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (2) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zach Pascal (0) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

One face we apparently aren't allowed to see? James Conner. He opted for the "no cameras, please" pose instead.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Do not fret, dear readers, for I was able to capture the elusive D.J. Humphries huddle speech on camera. (Editor's note: If you couldn't tell, this is sarcasm ... he does this every week).

Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman D.J. Humphries (74) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

In the locker room during pregame, after getting all of the photos I usually get, I waited for something to catch my eye. Kei'Trel Clark gave me something new by sitting in the middle of the room instead of on the side like he usually does.

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Kei'Trel Clark (13) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Kelvin Beachum's chair was faced outward this week, so I was able to capture him getting in the zone. What this photo doesn't show is his burst of laughter after trying to hold the serious face for the camera.

Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (68) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

I also zoomed in on his hands since he was rocking a rare combo of regular tape, glove and wrist wrapping.

Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (68) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Kevin Strong Jr. was in the process of taping his hands and wrists, so I stood by him and captured that process for a while. It's difficult to have the camera focus on the tape when it moves around so quickly.

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Kevin Strong (92) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Kevin Strong (92) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Because this was the first game with the new black uniforms, I wanted to try something completely new for team introductions. I brought my flash into the tunnel area and changed my settings to have a longer shutter speed so that the subjects would drag across the frame and create light trails.

I tested it on the coaches since they came out first.

Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Once I had my settings where I wanted them, I just kept shooting and moving my camera to create the effect. With some editing afterwards, these are the results.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson (20) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck (45) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Coin toss is when things start to get amped up as the game is about to begin. The captains were having a big laugh before they walked out, but once they took their first step, they were locked in.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck (45), Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6), Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7) and Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman D.J. Humphries (74) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman D.J. Humphries (74), Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7), Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) and Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck (45) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

From the time I leave the locker room to when I get set for kickoff, I am running around taking photos and do not have much time to think about anything else. This game, I switched out my 85mm for my 70-200mm right before kickoff. What I didn't do was remember to take the lens cap off of the 70-200mm before trying to shoot with it.

Elijah Wilkinson caught me trying to take this photo with that lens cap on. I heard someone say "I saw that" and looked up to him and Kelvin Beachum laughing before turning around again so I could get my shot.

Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (68) and Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson (65) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

I ended up in the perfect spot for Marquise Brown's touchdown, and an even better spot for his jumping-into-the-crowd celebration.

I was using my 24-70mm lens placed at 50mm for the action shots, and while I don't love how wide they are, with a little bit of crop I think it makes for a cool frame. Especially when you notice Michael Wilson and Zach Ertz cheering Marquise on in the background.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (2) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Because all of his teammates were so far away from him, he decided to leap into the stands close by and the fans were absolutely loving it.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (2) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (2) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

I kept holding down the shutter as Michael Wilson and Zach Pascal finally joined in to help Marquise down. I'm still figuring out a good name for this celebration, the best I could come up with was "Hollywood Hop." Let's see what Cardinals fans can think of.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (2) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14), Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (2) and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zach Pascal (0) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Another time I loved the background of an image during this game was when Zach Pascal came running down after a kickoff and celebrated like he usually does, but this time with a "GET LOUD" in the perfect position in the frame.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zach Pascal (0) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

James Conner's run that got the team into scoring position ended with a flourish as he was flipped into the air. It happened right in front of me, so here's the sequence of events:

  1. I grab my wide lens and pray that the referee moves downfield with James so he's not in my shot.
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

2. James gets tripped up and I'm thinking "Oh my goodness this is crazy."

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

3. My lens slightly loses focus and I freak out as James is literally midair.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

4. James goes completely horizontal and I get a crazy frame out of it.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Finally, after a brief moment of all of us hoping James is alright, he reassures everyone by hyping the crowd up and celebrating.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

That run put the Cardinals into scoring position, which ended in a Zach Ertz touchdown. I was blocked by the defense for Zach's actual catch, so once I saw him on the ground in the end zone I started my sequence.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz (86) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

I got some really animated photos of the celebration, though. I love how isolated I was able to get him with my 400mm lens and some cropping.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz (86) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz (86) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Emari Demercado's touchdown later was unconventional in terms of what photos came out of it, since I've never captured a player being tackled into the end zone through the pylon before.

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (31) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (31) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

I almost got completely blocked by the referee during the celebration, but I kept shooting in hopes I'd get something out of it. I did, although I could go without the zebra stripes.

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (31) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (31) and Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Trystan Colon (63) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

On the defensive side, I liked Zaven Collins' sack because watching it through the viewfinder was very exciting. I was focused on Joe Burrow, and I watched frame by frame as Zaven pulled him down and Dante Stills dove on top.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) and Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Dante Stills (55) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

It's always nice photographically when players run away from the play to celebrate, like Zaven did here. I also like when I can get clear photos of them high-fiving their teammates, so thanks Zaven.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) and Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

The last play I'll show is K'Von Wallace's interception. I was able to capture him going down with the ball and his initial run with the rest of the defense from my position towards the Bengals end zone.

Arizona Cardinals safety K'Von Wallace (22) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
Arizona Cardinals safety K'Von Wallace (22) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

After I shot those, I scrambled to run to the back of the end zone knowing they would run all the way there and celebrate by posing for the camera.

And when I say I scrambled, I mean it.

I was hustling down there while also holding down the shutter in hopes of getting something in focus. Hope did not give me what I wanted.

during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

But the good news is that my instincts were right and they did want to pose in the end zone, so while trying to catch my breath from attempting to run, I was able to capture these.

Arizona Cardinals safety K'Von Wallace (22) during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
The Arizona Cardinals during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.

Throughout the game, I saw coach Jonathan Gannon watching from the sidelines and tried to capture some storytelling photos of it. This one came towards the end of the game when a win was out of his reach, but I think the passion and drive is still there.

Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon during the Week 5 regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.
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