5. Shooting Football

University of Miami running back Duke Johnson is dragged down by a North Carolina State defender.

Poring Over the Picture

I could never have anticipated getting this picture when the Green Bay Packers were attempting an extra point. I don’t always shoot extra points, but it was a pretty day in Tampa and I loved the combination of colors. After grabbing my 70–200mm f/2.8, I shot the field goal showing the center of the line of scrimmage in case the Buccaneers blocked the kick. The extra point wasn’t blocked, but linebacker Geno Hayes, #54, was flipped upside down by Packers’ guard Evan Dietrich-Smith, #62. It was one of my favorite pictures from that year.
Anticipation is a key element in shooting football. But shooting every moment, even the seemingly mundane, is even more important. The extra point meant nothing in the final outcome of the game but ended up being my best photograph.

High school games are usually played in smaller stadiums and are normally easy to gain access to.

Credentialing and space issues aside, the process of covering the games is basically the same. With each step up the food chain, the athletes get faster and stronger, access gets tougher, and the harder it gets to make emotional images.

I’ve covered more than 25 Super Bowls, at least that many big bowl games, and thousands of regular season NFL and NCAA games. But my favorite memories are from small-town high school games (Figure 5.1).

Figure 5.1 This photo was taken at a high school football game in Lyman, Nebraska. This was taken before the digital age took over photography, and was shot on Kodak Tri-X film, pushed three stops. Quiet moments like these are some of my favorite sports photos.

If a team is attempting a game-winning kick, I like to go to the opposite end zone to show the whole scene and capture the reaction of the players (Figure 5.2 and Figure 5.3). Whether the field goal is made, blocked, or missed, there is always a big reaction from the fans and players that a tight shot of just the kicker won’t show. I’ll use the longest lens I have when play is at the end of the field opposite me and use progressively shorter lenses as the action gets closer to me. I always have a camera with a normal (35mm to 50mm) lens hanging around my neck. It is typically referred to as a “chest camera.”

Figure 5.2 In this picture, Auburn kicked a field goal to beat the Florida Gators at Florida Field in the last second of the game.

Figure 5.3 The end zone is a great location to capture images like these. I love how it appears that the running back is coming directly toward me. The fact that he removed a Jaguar helmet in the process just adds to the interest of the photo.

Figure 5.4 Sidelines are a great place to capture receivers in midair, like this Larry Fitzgerald catch.

By positioning myself on the sidelines directly next to the spot of the kick, I was able to capture an aspect of the game that is frequently overlooked (Figure 5.5).

Figure 5.5 This shot is not a high-action photo in the traditional sense. However, it does show a lot of motion.

Sidelines offer great views of quarterbacks throwing and getting hit (Figure 5.6).

Figure 5.6 In this photo, Dan Marino is about to get crunched by Barry Krause of the Indianapolis Colts. If I was shooting from the end zone, I would be blocked from taking this shot by the linemen.

I’ve been photographing Peyton Manning since he was a high school athlete (Figure 5.7). Peyton is credited with having the fastest and most analytical mind among NFL players. My favorite images of Peyton all involve his intensity (Figure 5.8). The only thing you can be sure of is when he is on the field, it’s going to be exciting.

Figure 5.7 Peyton Manning in high school.

Figure 5.8 Peyton Manning and the Colts play against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

I generally pick my field level spot based on the specific assignment I am covering. If I’m at a game to shoot a running back, for example, I’ll position myself in the end zone. If I’m covering an outside linebacker or offensive tackle, I’ll be on the sidelines. If you can’t see the player because he is obscured by other players, you can’t do your job, so you have to have a clean line of sight.

The photo in Figure 5.9 was made as the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs took the field for their homecoming game in 2001. SMU was a football powerhouse until the school was given the “death penalty” in 1987 for paying players. The program has never fully recovered, and the dark, foreboding skies and empty grandstands in the figure help tell that story.

Figure 5.9 The use of a high angle and a wide-angle lens made this picture possible.

Figure 5.10 Because of the dome, I was able to place remote cameras in the catwalks and make a nice, graphic picture of Eli Manning throwing a pass.

In Figure 5.11, Alabama tight end Colin Peek catches a touchdown pass against the Florida Gators in the 2010 SEC Championship Game in the Georgia Dome. The Georgia Dome has three levels of catwalks. For this picture, I positioned myself on the first level because Alabama was driving and I knew that Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy would soon try a down field pass.

Figure 5.11 Being almost directly overhead, I was able to capture the players’ faces as the play happened. Sports Illustrated used this photo as the cover the week after the game.

A one o’clock game in Miami will have drastically different settings from an eight o’clock game in Green Bay. As discussed in Chapter 4, keep in mind that light is extremely important and managing it has to be one of your principal concerns.

I never shoot football with a shutter speed less than 1/1000 of a second if I can possibly help it. Freezing action is extremely important in football, and it is a rare occasion that I would employ a pan or blur. Pans and blurs work best in sports where you can predict the action, such as track and field or horse racing. You can predict those sports because they run, for the most part, in straight lines and do not vary their paths.

Football isn’t all about peak action, either. There are opportunities to make truly stunning photos of candid portraits of the participants when the light is right. Don’t forget the fans either (Figure 5.12)!

Figure 5.12 Big hits and touchdowns aren’t the only great pictures you can make at a football game. Always be on the lookout for wacky fans, like this image taken at TCU.

Figure 5.13 shows the Cardinals kicking a field goal to beat the 49ers in overtime. The moment was important, but the way the light shaped the field and captured the action within it gave it a powerful dynamic tension. I exposed for the bright sunlight, which let the shadows go very dark. This is an example of where the camera would have picked a different, flatter exposure to try to bring the shadows into the light.

Figure 5.13 Because I had my camera set to manual, I was able to stop down, underexpose, and make a different and beautiful image.

Figure 5.14 shows an action shot, but it isn’t really about the action. What makes this image work are the tattoos on #81 Aaron Hernandez’s arm compared to the tomahawks on the defender’s helmet, the angle at which Hernandez’s elbow is positioned, and the look on the defender’s face.

Figure 5.14 Although this is an action shot, the graphics of the image are what make it great.

Having control over your camera is also hugely important when you’re covering football. You need to be one with your equipment. The camera has to be an extension of your mind, or you won’t be able to react quickly enough.

The game, for the most part, is played outside, which makes for changing conditions. Bright sunshine that changes to cloud cover can make for up to six or seven stops’ difference in exposure. Correcting for that quickly can be the difference between a great image and an unusable one.

Figure 5.15 This image was taken during the post game celebration after a National Championship.

Figure 5.16 on the next page shows the University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow high-fiving fans after his last game in The Swamp. The outcome of the game didn’t matter, but this moment did.

Figure 5.16 This photograph speaks to Tebow’s personality and how widely popular he was at the University of Florida.

Figure 5.17 The Jacksonville Jaguars celebrate after sacking Texans quarterback Rex Grossman. If I had stopped shooting when Grossman went down, I would have missed this moment.

Never give up on the action. Running backs can bust through a pack of defenders, players can celebrate a big play, or things that seem ordinary can end up resulting in surprising photos.

Figure out what the offensive and defensive tendencies are for each team. Anticipate what they will do instead of just trying to react quickly after the play starts. Football is a game of carefully calculated and choreographed movements. Luck favors the prepared.

Remember that the teams won’t stop a football game for inclement weather, so come prepared for the elements. Dress accordingly, and protect your cameras from the cold and wet. Many companies make gear to protect your cameras and lenses; be sure to check them out.

Until the teams head to the huddle, keep your eyes on the field. You not only want to be sure you don’t miss any images, you also have to protect yourself. If you are watching only the ball, you may miss a player coming at you full speed, and trust me, they are bigger, stronger, and faster than you. Add to that the fact that they are wearing pads and like to hit, and you can be sure that almost no collision will come out in your favor.

One funny exception to this, however, occurred while I was covering a University of Miami vs. Notre Dame game in South Bend. The teams didn’t like each other, and there was a lot of pushing, shoving, and yelling going on as they took the field. I was where I was supposed to be, covering the conflict. One of the Notre Dame defensive backs was looking back shouting at the Miami players, and ran right into me. I saw him coming and tried to move, but there was nowhere for me to go. My back was literally against the wall. He hit me, but I got my hands up in time to steer him away. He went to the ground. To his great chagrin, the other players saw what happened and he got a serious ribbing as they laughed and yelled, “You just got knocked down by a photographer.” It was funny. And in all fairness, at 6′5″ and 220 pounds, I was bigger than he was.

But it almost never turns out that way. Every year several photographers and TV camera operators get badly injured because they aren’t paying attention. Don’t let that be you.

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