O-H N-O
The Cardinals were missing the Arizona warmth after a chilly Sunday in Ohio with an offense that never got a hot start.
I'm being dramatic, it was only 53 degrees.
Nevertheless, there were a handful of photos and moments during the game that I knew would turn out well for this photo essay, so let's get started.
Jonathan Ledbetter's family got my attention during pregame, and I absolutely loved that they surprised him and Leki Fotu with giant posters of their heads.
When Jonathan came out onto the field before warmups, I captured this sweet family moment of them praying together:
I'm not sure if Daylight Savings Time had that much effect on the pregame lighting, but it was almost a night and day comparison.
Facing the offense, it was backlit and dark on the front side of the players.
Turning around to face the defense, the sun was blasting them and making everything bright.
I was having to constantly scroll the shutter wheel to change my settings when the players were running around and internally panicking if they posed while my settings weren't right.
Luckily that never happened, and I got some fun smiles to start off the day:
With this being rookie QB Clayton Tune's first start, I tried following him slightly more than I would the other players in pregame.
I have photographed the pregame team periods many times before, but this time I used my 85mm and was able to get a little bit closer to almost give a running back's perspective:
A new addition to D.J. Humphries' huddle speech was the Goodyear Blimp flying high above the stadium.
Before heading into the locker room, I noticed a couple players kneeling down in prayer. I usually only see guys do this after introductions, so it quite literally stopped me in my tracks as I snapped a couple of frames:
A cool moment in the locker room was when Paris Johnson Jr. was getting advice from the veteran offensive linemen:
I always look for things happening in the locker room that aren't just players sitting at their lockers. While those photos are still needed, I prefer these ones of Marquise Brown riding the bike with his headphones on. It illustrates the physical preparation that goes on before the game:
After the physical prep work is done, the players get into the right headspace. I caught a couple of these silent moments before the national anthem:
I enjoy photographing the coin toss at away games because it gives me another chance to give context the scene by using the opposing team's stadium. This week's photo isn't my favorite because there's a lot going on in the frame, but it still does showcase where we were for the game:
During games like these that aren't so action-packed, I fill the time by capturing photos of every single player on the field and trying to get them all at least one full-body, isolated photo. Images like these can be used for anything from social media graphics to in-stadium marketing materials:
I also paid more attention to the bench area during timeouts since I noticed more of the position group coaches talking with their players. I always get a bunch of photos of the head coach and coordinators since they're usually the front-facing ones on game day, so I tried to get more of a variety this time:
While I hate cold weather games because of how chilly my hands get, the worst part about them is the bench heaters that ruin perfectly good photographs.
When I'm shooting across them, the camera thinks it is focused on the subject I want, and on the little LCD screen of my camera, it does look focused. It's not until I go back to edit that I realize the photos are completely blurry.
This first photo from across the field is focused on Clayton Tune, and that split second was able to cut through the heaters perfectly fine.
The second one, from the same angle, looks like it was painted in watercolor.
The lighting issues I was having during pregame got even worse as the game went on. I enjoyed the lighting during the first and third quarters when our team was facing the sun, but when the Cardinals switched sides at the second and fourth quarters, they were backlit and in shadows.
The Browns fans in the background of the photos made everything look very fall-color-esque, but I noticed during one of the field goals that I completely lost where the ball was because it blended in so much. It takes me way too long to find the ball in these photos, let's see if I'm the only one:
Telling the story of this game proved difficult not because of the score, but because I had trouble perfectly capturing the moments that made it good or bad. On Clayton Tune's first interception, I got a good sequence of him throwing, Marquise Brown going up, and then it going over his head.
But I wish the third photo showed Marquise's eyes, since without that piece it just looks like a blocked shot.
One sequence I did catch was Garrett Williams' pass breakup, and I honestly thought the heaters were going to ruin it for me. I was very relieved to see that I nailed the focus, and it's wild to see the first frame and believe that this play wasn't a complete pass:
After working games that do not end in the Cardinals' favor, it is important to know the context behind every photo taken. Sometimes, I'll capture frames that, to a random person, could look pro-Cardinals or celebratory, when in reality, the plays ended badly and the emotions were actually expletives.
This first photo of Marquise Brown was actually an overthrown pass, and the second of Budda Baker was after a Browns touchdown:
Towards the end of the game, I stayed down by the Cardinals end zone to capture the defense. This position is difficult because I'm either behind the players or perpendicular to them, so I have to wait for the perfect moment.
I really liked these photos of Antonio Hamilton's tackle and Roy Lopez ready to go after the snap:
I waited to return down the field until after the kick return, and I'm glad I did because I captured what looks like Brownie the Elf giving Greg Dortch a helping hand:
One of the moments that I thought illustrated the light well was this sequence of Rondale Moore running into the shadows. I had my camera set to auto white balance, which made the shadows look really blue. In my editing process, I changed the white balance to reflect a more accurate color:
Once the final whistle is blown, I run out onto the field to try and capture the two big moments of postgame: both quarterbacks and both head coaches.
It is almost impossible sometimes to get both in the same game, but luckily I was quick enough to get to Jonathan Gannon while Clayton Tune was busy trying to find Deshaun Watson:
After all of that, I leave you once again with a shadow selfie from the sidelines of Cleveland Browns Stadium:
