Unknown.

 

“I've been through the desert

On a horse with no name

It felt good to be out of the rain

In the desert, you can remember your name

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.”

By the looks of today’s “Snap. Shot.” you would assume it’s about a horse. It’s not. 

When I am on the football sidelines, I watch the game through my lens. I see a lot of hands, jerseys, and of course feet in motion. I will often be asked if “I took pictures of Jimmy, Johnny, or Joey so and so during the game?” My response…”What number?”

This can be at the beginning, middle or end of the season…I never really know the names of the players, but I do know numbers. Of course I do recognize players over time, but the one thing I have noticed is…they are really big with their pads on, but without them, they are human again. However, there are some who are just plain big—-not saying “fat,” I am saying large.

It seems every couple of years, player number 7 might change from a very tall quarterback to a small lean safety. I notice this when I am asked if I have pictures from previous years. I have sent the wrong photos before and when I see the player who they are referring to, and the player wearing the uniform, I know I am shooting high school football and not Tom Brady. (He’s number 12 by the way!)

There is something kind of fun about being anonymous on the field; from both the player point of view and as a photographer. Most people have no idea who I am, but they still say hello to me. I am known by the following—-“Hey photographer”—-and I am not even  sure they are talking to me, so I normally just keep on shooting. Every once in a while, when I am in the end zone, some of the boys will say, “Wow, that’s a giant lens.” I’ll look at one of them and say, “You think so, want to try it?” The look on their face is one of being stunned. But, I let them do it—I always have to ask for it back after they have pushed on the trigger button and shot 10 photos instantly. 

I have truly missed football this year. I did photograph a hockey game a few weeks ago—-I knew one player on the team, because his Dad gave me a ride to the game. I learned later coming home that the goalie is someone who our family has known for probably 15 years—all I can say is, he had top quality equipment but a really tough game.

The photo above was taken several years ago. He was the horse of a friend and his name was Billie. I took this photo and within a week or two, Billie had passed away. I felt very sorry for our friend, but at least in this situation, I did know the horse’s name.

Thanks for stopping by.