Battle in Seattle
From a photography standpoint, the Cardinals' Week 7 game in Seattle was great. The gloomy, overcast skies gave me great diffused light to work with, and somehow the rain never made an appearance. I'll take you through the game from my point of view, starting with shots from the blue tunnel the players walk out for pregame:
With divisional opponents, it is easier to predict what kind of photos you can get from each stadium. At Lumen Field, I really like the clean background they have, and I also enjoy the fact that the players walk right outside instead of going through a long indoor tunnel.
The position groups gather in a dramatically-lit area before running out, so I was able to get some nice photos of the defensive backs praying together:
Josh Woods was definitely the most energetic player during pregame, so much so that he ended up giving the huddle speech and almost spitting on me multiple times:
The locker room was a tad small for moving around too much, so I got just a couple frames of guys taking time to zone in and prep for the game ahead:
I mostly try to stay hidden so that I don't interrupt any pregame rituals, but sometimes I get caught trying to take "candid" photos. Kyler Murray spotted me this time:
I got enough of the tunnel photos before warmups, so I waited again by the end zone to get the players running towards me. I liked the separation I was able to get from the background with them being so far down the field:
There were more players kneeling than I had expected, and with them all arriving at different times, I had to focus on a couple guys. I chose Zach Ertz and Trey McBride, I guess to commemorate National Tight End Day:
I've pointed this out from previous away games, but while the home team is doing their introductions, I'm able to wander the bench area for a bit and get some photos that are harder to get at home games:
With Budda Baker returning from injury during this game, he was a new addition to the coin toss captains walk. He was definitely hard to miss out there when he jumped what looked like four feet off the ground:
Coach Jonathan Gannon was sporting a new outfit this week with a gray hoodie and black vest, so it was easy to spot him among the other coaches. I liked a couple of the shots I captured throughout the game of him, even with it being difficult to photograph our own sideline:
While my main focus is the field of play, I occasionally turn to the side to get close-up portraits. I have to be lucky with positioning and press the shutter within a split second because there's always someone walking in front of the shot.
Luck plays a big part in capturing certain plays, like with Joey Blount's forced fumble. The ball just so happened to be forced out on the side I was already on, but once the luck happens, it's up to my skills and knowledge of the game to follow through.
I was using my 400mm lens to follow the ball down and capture Dennis Gardeck's recovery and celebration:
With Joshua Dobbs' rushing touchdown, you almost can't believe that these frames are all from the same sequence. In the first couple, it appears like he is about to be taken down, but then he pushes them off and is completely solo as he strides into the end zone:
I turned my lens towards our sideline to hopefully capture any of the guys celebrating, and James Conner did not disappoint:
Being a team photographer means you always try to capture your team in a positive light. In reality, there are definitely a lot of negative moments that I still have to capture because the core of my job is documenting team history. Photos like the below ones, while not very pro-Cardinals, are still needed to tell the story of the game:
Even after those tough moments, though, you keep photographing the scene and can get shots that represent camaraderie and teamwork:
And sometimes, the halftime show features corgis, so you get a distraction from the chaos of game day for a minute!
OK, back to work.
When the Cardinals defense was down near our end zone, I looked to my right and noticed a ton of players and coaches all gathered in the corner of the sideline. I wanted to capture what it looked like being so close to that scene. It's almost like they're all at the edge of their seat, but you can see how photographers can position themselves around all of that:
When the offense was ready to go again, Joshua Dobbs warmed up right in front of me, so I decided to use my 400mm to get as close in as possible. I loved the reflection in his visor and how you can see everything he is looking at:
After a botched snap when the Cardinals were back on defense, I captured the reaction to the recovery by Kevin Strong Jr. from my spot on the sideline. Garrett Williams was the first one I noticed celebrating:
Once Strong came up with the ball, I could see the other players pointing to the end zone. I knew I had to run over there to capture the posing celebration, and I made it just in time.
I thought they would pick a spot to pose in, but they actually just kept getting closer and closer!
I stayed in that spot to photograph the following offensive drive and caught Trey McBride hurdling the defender, although he also hurdled right out of my frame:
Right back to defense again, I had a clean shot of Starling Thomas V forcing the receiver out of bounds. In his celebration, it's almost like he's looking directly into the camera:
At the end of the game, after all of the handshakes and photo ops, Budda Baker made his way towards the stands to autograph a jersey for a fan whose sign read "Budda I spent my whole paycheck on these seats. Can you please sign my jersey?"
Budda Baker - certified Good Guy.
