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.

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.