Season Finale
The Cardinals ended the 2023 NFL season on a rare cold and dreary day in Arizona. Even though this year didn't fill the win column, there is still a lot to look forward to next season.
I began the day outside photographing player arrivals, and unfortunately I had dressed for the indoor stadium we were working in, not the outdoor weather. Trystan Colon admitted he had the same idea when he packed his outfit the day before.
It was a family affair to start the day with Matt Prater repping his wife all over his t-shirt, and Bobby Price bringing in his wife and son.
Zaven Collins was one of the few players to address the cold weather by donning a poncho over his traditional western look. He made sure to check if I liked the poncho, to which I replied "yes, it's cool."
On my way back inside to the warm(er) air, I noticed a flock of geese in formation way up in the sky, so I thought I'd take a few snaps for this essay.
With this being the last game of the season, the Cardinals like to honor the Red Sea by making it the "Thank You, Fans" game. I made sure to capture some of the players interacting with fans and signing autographs.
That second photo shows the angle I was perched in to photograph the players running out of the tunnel, but I ended up scaring a few guys with my hiding spot.
To quote Dennis, "that was terrifying."
I think it was worth it though to get photos like these.
Zach Pascal played catch with some of the on-field fans during pregame, and it is incredibly difficult to photograph something like that because of how far apart both subjects are. So, I settled for the ending high-five instead.
With D.J. Humphries being moved to Injured Reserve, someone else had to take on the role of huddle leader.
Zaven Collins stepped in for the linemen/linebackers group, and James Conner held down the fort in the all-team circle.
I cherished my time in the pregame locker room as it is one of the rarest parts of my job to be able to capture, and with it being the last game, I won't get an opportunity like this until next season.
I focused on detail shots like jerseys and uniform adjustments.
Then, Kei'Trel Clark saw me and pretended to be really focused on getting his mind right, until breaking into laughter and actually doing it.
I went back out to the tunnel, and I knew that we were announcing the whole team all together instead of individual introductions.
Team introductions are not really the best for the angles I had previously gotten, so I stayed behind and just captured the inside of the tunnel using my flash.
The last part of pregame that I photograph at home games are portraits during the national anthem.
Some guys tend to look down...
Some guys look up...
And some guys get emotional, for reasons known only to themselves.
It's important to note that, while taking these photos, I am still in tune to what each of these players are feeling in the moment.
I was going down the line capturing everyone's face, and when I noticed that Qwuantrezz Knight had tears in his eyes, I slowly got closer and focused in on them. All while maintaining a level of respect and a boundary so that he can still have that moment to himself.
