There is no better way to kick off the 2017 football season than by photographing some NFL preseason action between the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons. It always feels good to step onto the field and soak in all the sights and sounds the Hard Rock Stadium produces. As a sports photographer there is nothing like photographing football especially NFL football. Throwing on that NFL Media vest is such an honor to partake in and I enjoy every second of it.
While this is the first of a few NFL preseason games to be played, I wasn’t expecting the starters to play more than a series. In typical fashion the starters would play sparingly while all the backups and players on the proverbial bubble played the majority of the minutes so the coaches could gauge whether they would make the team.
What I didn’t expect was the humidity. It was brutal out there. Sure, I live in South Florida and it’s tropical, but tonight was unbearable. I was sweating through all the my clothes. The humidity was so thick it felt like it was strangling you.
Game wise, there wasn’t a lot of action. A lot of drop passes or over thrown passes mixed in with a hint of miss tackles, that was what was on the menu for the game. NFL preseason at it’s finest. Granted it’s early in the season and a lot of the kinks will work themselves out.
Hell, I had my own kinks to work out. That is why it’s preseason football. It gives everyone time to work things out so the regular season will be a lot better. It’s just one game and I can’t wait for the rest to start rolling around so my weekends are filled patrolling sidelines looking for that magic photo that makes it all worth while.
