Sunday, February 26, 2017

Stick Versus Hand

"Luke Glendening #41 of the Detroit Red Wings pulls in a loose puck with his hand as he is defended by Andre Burakovsky #65 of the Washington Capitals during the first period at Verizon Center on February 9, 2017 in Washington, DC."

I love taking risks shooting sports and hockey is a classic sport for that.

With limited number of on ice positions for photographers, some of those spots mean only seeing a small percentage of the ice.

As the game goes into the final period, many photographers will leave their holes for a higher vantage so that the can document every play on the ice without missing a single play.

I've always stuck to my original game plan and stayed ice level. It's exciting to know that you'll either have the decisive moment no one else has or be burned. So in all the years documenting ice hockey, I've only shot handheld from an elevated position a few times.

However, the other night I thought I'd start from the 100 level instead of finishing there for a fresh vantage and something different than the competition.

Thankfully there was a lot of scoring and action which helped break me from my normal routine at a game.

Looking forward as the regular season begins to wind down and playoffs rev up.

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Super Brady

"Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots takes the field prior to Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas."

There is no bigger game than the Super Bowl when in comes to football. And there is no bigger name than Tom Brady.

Each year, thousands travel to the host city to watch and millions tune in each year to see who will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Much like the organizers of the actual game, we at Getty Images cannot cover the game alone. More than 30 of our staff - from editors, technicians, runners, and photographers themselves - work together to make the week leading up to, and the actual game, operate with zero hiccups.

And as the teams do, we load the field with our talent.

As sports photography goes, one can do their homework, be hungry, motivated, and prepared, yet as the saying goes, sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way.

I played our team's part on the opposite end of most of the action this year. For those big moments that did happen in my view, at the end of the day, they ended up not being the storytelling moments because of the historic comeback by the New England Patriots.

But that's what makes the big game thrilling and I am perfectly content with that. Being a part of the team is what's important.

Knowing that I can put my faith in my teammates to visually document their areas of the field, just as they trust us to do it on our end, feels good. The end result, and our entire take, is what shows and I'm always grateful to be included on the squad.

And if this game teaches anyone anything, it's to never give up, even if things don't go smoothly at first.