Week 12 - I love the Canon RF 85mm 1.2, and you should too
*Taps mic “Is this thing on” …Alright because we have a lot to unpack. It’s been 3 weeks since our last home game with the team in Germany and our bye week which has provided me with a much needed reprieve and the ability to explore some new creative opportunities. I covered the NWSL playoffs for NWSL and the Washington Spirit, being able to cover something different than football is a great change of pace and I could take the inspiration from those games and bring it back to the Giants.
Another aspect of my photography workflow that I want to highlight this week is my creative mood boards prior to our games. For this game I operated as the lead photographer for the team and wanted to provide a comprehensive view on my mindset for every photo. Many creatives are familiar with @ArtButMakeItSports who I would reccommend to everyone. This week’s photo essay will follow a similar vein of comparison.
Gameday started off with player arrivals before our players headed into the locker room. With our other photographer on the “Big Blue Carpet” I decided to stay inside and give variety for our guys as they love to post their outfits on social media following the game. The outfits serve as an expression of their personalities and it’s also great to share that personality with the fans!
I began warmups with my 85mm 1.2 attached to my hip, we’ve had it in the office for sometime but I really wanted to utilize it this game. At F4 the quality on this lens is amazing. I don’t even have words for how crisp these photos came out. Capturing the still emotions and intensity as our guys prepared was a breeze with this lens. Canon if you need an influencer I’m available!
It was Kayvon’s first game back from IR. Knowing his importance to the team and wanting to highlight his recovery from injury I spotlighted him during warmups.
As more players came out, I noticed Malik Nabers was rocking a new chain. Detail shots are always a must for me and this was no exception. I decided to isolate him for a few minutes as I got my shot and I’m more than happy with how this photo came out!
I captured our safety Jason Pinnock in the locker room getting ready as he applied eye black, I love those quiet moments that fans don’t get a chance to see. I want to bring them into the players world for further immersion into our gameday. Our receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette prays before every warmup, having this information in mind I wanted to capture it in a different perspective so utilizing my 85mm I photographed him with the field providing a clean background.
It was our Salute to Service game so highlighting our members of the military was a must!
As I write this article following this game, I’ve had many fans express how much they love this photo. Being able to showcase our players’ emotions and flair adds to the gameday experience and I have to admit it’s a favorite shot of mine as well!
The inspiration for the previous shot came from the film ATL. I love grillz, I even own a few pairs of myself and culturally I love what they represent. A lot of my inspiration comes from film and I love being able to apply it to my work
Our running back room getting hyped for the game!
Rakeem and Dex firing up the team in our pregame huddle as well!
After the pregame huddle I captured this moment between Dexter Lawrence and Defensive Line Coach Andre Patterson as he provided a pep talk for our DPOY candidate.
Keeping my head on a swivel I noticed that the players went to meet their wives and girlfriends prior to heading back into the locker room. Reiterating what seems to be the subject of this article, I love capturing the intimate details of our gameday. Everything isn’t about the game action on the field but rather all of the intricate details that go into Sundays.
With it being Tommy Devito’s first start of the season I made sure to key in on him during the national anthem and flyover to signify the moment.
Unfortunately it wasn’t the most action filled game on our end but I made sure to capture shots of our defense…
…and our offense for use on social media and our website galleries!
With a slow action game I decided to shift my perspective, to (sue me if I sound like a broken record) the details of the game. In this photo the Buccaneers fumbled the ball in the redzone and personally I love the abstractionism of the photo. You don’t always need a face for a great shot!
Late in the 4th Quarter Devin Singletary found his way into the endzone!
I made sure to sprint onto the field following the game to capture the postgame handshake between Tommy Devito and Baker Mayfield. One of my favorite parts of the game honestly to show off my track speed as all of the photographers rush to the middle of the field!
It was also Sterling Sheppard’s first game back at Metlife and all of the guys were happy to see him as they swapped jerseys!
Next up Cowboys on Thanksgiving!
