First and Lines

"Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens takes a snap against the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 8, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland."

Sport photographers dream of snowy, rainy and down right terrible weather conditions.

What otherwise is another game turns into a unique circumstance for both the athletes and photographers. Even a little bit of snow can impact the field and actions on it.

The problem with shooting in the snow for photographers is that while incredible to date, the auto-focus technology doesn't play nice with big, white snowflakes. It's a continual battle to say the least.

While everyone on the sideline was challenged in the first half of the Vikings versus the Ravens game, including myself, I decided to break away from the pack and shoot from an elevated position. I knew the field would have a different feel from above, especially with the yard markers being shoveled continually.

Much like the field level, snow made documenting the action difficult, even more so from above with the strong winds and at one point basically a whiteout.

In the end, this was one of my favorite images from the game. Not only was it different from the rest of the photographers, but it helped show sense of place.