A Season of Numbers (and a very long blog post)

13,000+ photos taken. 5,000 miles driven. The 143rd team. 9 games. 3 new pieces of equipment. 1 Zoey.

Even though I’m not a numbers person (don’t look at my nearly-failed Stats 250 grade, please), it’s fun to measure and track growth.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely a Michigan Football fan. Or you’re one of my family members/friends that I’ve dragged along this crazy photo journey with me. Thank you for being here.

This season, I had the privilege once again to cover Michigan Football — the chance to cover a lot of Michigan Football. 

Photo creds: Marc-Grégor Campredon

I started covering the team for Maize and Blue Nation in 2019 when I was still living in Buffalo. After covering a few games I had a burst of renewed interest in photography with a small taste of what it was like to be photographing sports again when, well, we all know what happened. 

From that point on, I told myself I’d take as many opportunities as I could to cover the team with MBN; you never know when a global catastrophe could put one of your passions on pause. 

Michigan in their home opener against Colorado State, September 2023.

This year, I really held true to that promise I made myself. But being a mid/late 20-something, I also had a lot of other life events competing with football season this year — weddings, bachelorette parties, a new full-time job — to name a few. From August to December, if it wasn’t immediately added to my Google Calendar it wasn’t really happening. 

Me, looking at everything I committed to from August-December last year.

And while I’d like to say I handled it all with grace and ease, there were certainly days where I didn’t. But as soon as I stepped onto the field, the stress of whatever I was worrying about five minutes before seemed to dissipate. Sometimes it takes being around 100,000+ humans to make you forget about things you really shouldn’t be stressing about. 

Next fall I will be contacting Starbucks’ corporate offices to try and get a four-month supply of unlimited cold brew to keep me awake on I-94. 

Amidst the craziness of my schedule, lack of sleep and overload of caffeine, I found consistency, improvement and pride in my work. Confidence isn’t something I often say I wear on my sleeve, but walking onto turf where I knew I belonged felt pretty special. Continuing to build an audience for my work and foster deeper connections with players and colleagues on the field brings me joy I can’t really put into words. 

Capturing players like Ronnie Bell during their last games on the college stage, snapping Polaroids on an NFL field, and finding moments of art in a sometimes grueling game have given me a strong sense of purpose and direction that I’ve spent a lot of my life looking for. 

What was I most thankful for during last season? That the B10 Championship is played in a dome.

Running the risk of being a total cheese-ball, this season really meant the world to me. When I drove through the streets of Columbus at 7am before The Game, as the sun was peeking over the stadium and tailgaters were starting to gather, I may or may not have shed a tear or two. Having the ability to share stories of all types of players, from ones I’ve covered for three years or those I got to know through my camera this season, is something I’ll never forget.


But enough of my mushy thoughts – here are of some my favorite frames this season, from Ann Arbor, Iowa City, Columbus and Indianapolis, this team certainly played their hearts out for us.


My favorite photo from this season:

Alright… it’s tied between three.

Alex Orji gracefully enters the endzone. Michigan vs. UCONN, September 17, 2022, Ann Arbor.

A “You can’t do that!” chant immediately followed this. Michigan vs. Ohio State, November 26, 2022 in Columbus.

I couldn’t not have a black and white photo in here… Michigan vs. Purdue in the B10 Championship, December 3, 2022, Indianapolis.


Favorite Non-Action Moments

Repeating narratives

Now that I’ve been covering football for a minute, it’s fun to see patterns or continued stories in my work.

Oh what a difference a year can make! JJ on the left in ‘22 against Iowa, and Cade in ‘21 against Northwestern. I’ve always liked including the camera in some of my shots – I think it helps to tell the story of the immense pressures these guys face on the field, not only with the competition in front of them but the screaming fans, national TV coverage… the list goes on.

Ronnie Bell in ‘22 (left) and ‘19 (right).

I’m a sucker for a cool helmet shot

I also am a sucker for pregame shots… an unpopular opinion

One of my goals for this season was to get better at celebration shots. I got a few!


Favorite Action Shots


Until we meet again, Michigan Football!

Michigan Women's Basketball – Coming full circle

Nearly six years ago (wow… I feel old), I photographed my first Michigan sporting event – Women’s Basketball. While I can’t remember many details from that day (who the team played, what the outcome was), I know it laid a steady foundation for my love for sports photography.

This month, I covered the team’s trip to Evanston for the University. Though Michigan had a tough loss after double overtime, it was an incredible opportunity to help document the historical run this team is on this year.

Georgia on My Mind

Last Saturday still feels like a dream.

I’ve photographed a few Big Ten tournaments in the past, but none of them have ever felt this special. (Michigan also never won any of those tournaments, so a win was helpful.)

This season I was to be able to cover a ton of Michigan Football — this game in Indianapolis marked the sixth game I photographed in 2021. While there wasn’t much sleep had on those weekends, I’m so absurdly grateful to get to know this team and keep improving my frames. And shoot a game in an NFL stadium!

I remember sitting in the media room for the first game back in the Big House against Western Michigan, just elated to be taking photos again. This was probably one of the happiest days of my life, certainly the happiest over the last few years.

If you told me then that I’d be shooting Michigan winning the Big Ten Championship just three months later, I probably would’ve laughed.

I learned a lot this season — some of my biggest strengths, weaknesses, and things I could keep improving in my photos. I needed to do a much better job of cropping (sometimes I love the wide angle a little too much) and getting more celebrations after big plays. I also try and walk away with two photos I absolutely love during each game, one action and one moment outside the action.

I realize having the platform to share this team’s story is an absolute privilege, especially in a time when media credentials are limited because of pandemic restrictions. Being able to keep telling stories of these guys has been one of the most meaningful “seasons” of my life.

Enjoy photos from Michigan’s big win over Iowa!

Michigan honored the late victims of the Oxford High School shooting with special patches. And ended up scoring 42 points in the game.

I got some photos of the actual game, too!

And of course, plenty of celly photos.

25 photos from my 25th year

From the beautiful mountains in Utah, road trips with friends, proposals, and Michigan Football, I got a lot of practice and experience growing my portfolio and finding my voice this past year.

Thanks Dan Mannes for the photo

Here are 25 of my favorite photos I took from last November to now, in no particular order (I couldn’t pick a true favorite, of course). Enjoy!


1. Lensball in Salt Lake

Shannon burnt her hand (thanks, Sun) but we got a cool photo!

2. Michigan & Northwestern

Sometimes the universe works in your favor and you get a great action shot.

3. Blake Corum in B&W

I liked this one in color but I liked it better in black and white.

4. Sunset in the Mountains

I’ve always wanted a photo that could be a background on a new Mac. Thanks, Utah.

5. Summertime in Northern Michigan

Charlie made sure we were safe in Lake Michigan.

6. Blue Angels in Chi

Seen from my roof.

7. 85mm in the Big House

Might start a GoFundMe to help buy this lens.

8. Get Yourself Some Model Friends

Shannon + Owen are the best candid models.

9. The Only Reason My Rent Increase is Worth it

Downtown views from Lakeview.

10. Memes & Friends

This meme was still accurate in 2021.

11. Close-Up

My second favorite part of this photo is Hassan.

12. Proposal

The moment before their lives changed forever. So thankful to be involved in capturing this day.

13. Missed Photo -> Good Photo?

The crowd wanted to be more in focus than Hassan did.

14. More Planes!

Another photo sponsored by the roof of my apartment.

15. I Had to Throw a Dog Photo in Here

Thanks for being photogenic, Ozzy!

16. Back in the Big House

Ronnie and Jim and Aidan and friends in the same photo!

17. Home Sweet Home

25 was the year I finally embraced the idea of loving myself.

18. One of Hassan’s Million Touchdowns in 2021

:)

19. One of My Coworkers Got Engaged!

I really tried to get better with portrait sessions this year. This photo helped.

20. Go Blue Go Band

Finding small moments in the Big House.

21. C.C. the Model

Thanks, Jane, for buying a horse model!

22. I Went on a Plane Again!

I’m so glad I got to get back on a plane again this year. And see the beautiful Chicago skyline.

23. A Trip to the Zoo

This year I tried to be better about taking my camera with me to various places. This was one of my favorites from the Lincoln Park Zoo!

24. Prayer Photo Pt. II

I wanted at least one new version of a prayer photo this season, and thankfully I found the opportunity during Michigan’s first game against Western Michigan.

25. 1024 Reunion

Ok I guess this was taken with a self-timer, but I wanted to celebrate seeing some of my closest friends again. This was the first time since graduation that we were all reunited, and it felt so sweet to be reunited.