I’m pretty excited that I’ve now shot college football on Texas soil. (Apart from last year’s Texas Bowl game…)
Members of the Missouri football team take the field for some pre-game drills at Kyle Field in College Station on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010.
Jeff and I shot Missouri’s game against Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday. It was only my second time on A&M’s campus — my younger brother is a sophomore there — but I was looking forward to witnessing the Aggie spirit.
Also for the first time:
- I used my new full-frame camera.
Texas A&M junior wide receiver Jeff Fuller catches the ball for A&M's first and only touchdown against Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010, at Kyle Field. Note: This photo has been highly sharpened, due to some backfocusing.
- I didn’t have a lens longer than my 70-200/2.8.
- Which meant I shot a lot more features than I have ever before at a football game.
Will Lowe of Houston, right, is reflected on the side of a car as he watches the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets -- the university's student military organization of 2,002 members -- marching to Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010. Texas A&M is one of five U.S. colleges classified as a senior military college and, apart from the service academies, produces the most military officers of all U.S. schools.
- It was a sunny, clear day. (With the exception of a cloudy daytime game, every other football game I’ve shot has been at night and/or indoors.)
Travis Nault, center, stands ready to sing the Aggie War Hymn as Wendell Nault, left of center, and Kevin Kenefic, right of center, remove their hats before the Texas A&M-Missouri football game at Kyle Field in College Station on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010.
Largely because of all of the above, I had a blast photographing the game — but mostly, the game outside of the game.
Members of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band march onto Kyle Field for the halftime show of the Texas A&M-Missouri game in College Station on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010. With about 400 musicians -- all of whom are members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets -- the band is the largest military marching band in the world.
That said, it wasn’t entirely a walk in the park. Jeff and I knew the harsh shadows would present a problem, and my tan lines became just a little more ridiculous. Plus, the thundering yells from the Aggie stands were deafening and made me wonder if the Missouri players would balk in intimidation of the 80,000+ crowd.
But they didn’t. The Tiger defense didn’t allow an Aggie touchdown until the fourth quarter, by which point the Tigers had already won 30 points. Final score? 30-9.
The ball, kicked by Missouri redshirt junior placekicker Grant Ressel, is good for Missouri's last point against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010.
Words and Light 
Gorgeous work! Congrats on the new camera.
[…] goodness and to see the aforementioned all-white clad cadets in their manic glory, check out Chris’s blog. Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert drops back to pass against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Oct. […]
[…] younger brother back to College Station (I’d taken him back home to Houston after I was done shooting the Texas A&M-Missouri game). I accompanied them, largely because of the promise of dinner at Rudy’s. Rudy's of […]