Big Moments

"Safeties Coach Steve Belichick of the New England Patriots holds his daughter Blakely Rose Belichick as he enjoys the Patriots defeat over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 36-17, in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts."

One thing I always try to think about in sports is who the game is important to and why.

It's easy to point the camera toward players after a big win such as the AFC Championship Game. They're the ones on the field exerting energy and crossing the the line to score a touchdown.

In addition, fans are the ones we typically hear. So focusing on their actions comes natural, too.

But those in uniform adorning their name on the back didn't achieve those moments alone. Their coaches drew up the plays and helped coordinate when to use them. And I often think besides the head coach, others aren't typically seen visually.

In other words, coaches are very much apart of the team, too.

With a big team ourselves at Getty Images covering the championship, we each have our own roles. Yet when they end, we're left to search for other moments.

Being a father, and with my wife expecting our second child soon, I was instantly drawn to safeties coach Steve Belichick of the New England Patriots as he held his daughter while enjoying the Patriots defeat over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For him, as a coach, this was a big moment. But being a father is better than any win. I can only imagine that has to be a great feeling to being able to enjoy both at once.

Incoming

"Marcin Gortat #13 of the Washington Wizards and Al-Farouq Aminu #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers battle for a rebound as Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards falls to the court during the first half at Verizon Center on January 16, 2017 in Washington, DC."

One trap sport photography can often fall into is the lack of layers.

While guilty of it every day, a lot of the time great sports images often include only one player. This is something I've talked about before, yet is unavoidable in some sports where players are their own team; such as golf and tennis.

While you cannot take away from a great picture with only one person in it, I find my eye like to dance around a picture with more humans in it.

So with that, I am always trying to incorporate as many players into one picture as possible. Sport is about competition - the more, the better.

The other night as the Portland Trail Blazers played the Washington Wizards I decided to put a remote on the floor under the basket. This is something new and and positive about the Verizon Center.

Alas, this arena isn't great in terms of clean pictures with basketball. There aren't yet LED lights, so it's dark. The stands have distracting elements such as silver railings. And the house lights illuminate the crowd.

These three things make a clean picture a challenge, so to combat that, I try and fill the frame. This picture helps communicate all the aforementioned and draws a viewer in.

Eyeing Up The Year

"Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins walks onto the field prior to a game against the New York Giants at FedExField on January 1, 2017 in Landover, Maryland."

It's always electrifying to 'eye' up the new year.

While a clean slate isn't the best wording, it's more of a fresh breath, a new season. It's cliche, but it's always nice to look back your work the year before on the first of the year.

Those images are a reminder of what went well and what didn't. More importantly, it's also a visual record of what pushed, challenged you as a photographer and how that helped shape your craft and yourself personally.

Away from the rectangles, the year of 2016 was scary, sad and ugly at times. Yet also amazing, memorable and exciting all in the same breath. I'm humbled for the continual stream of opportunities presented by my employer of Getty Images.

As I echo ever year, I'm excited and looking forward to another full-year of health, happiness and shooting in 2017 - and wish each and everyone of you the same.