After the season’s first three-plus weeks, there’s a huge dropoff after the top four teams in the Power Poll.

Huskies: Joy, Then Pain
Washington’s game against visiting Arizona last Saturday was supposed to be different. The Huskies, losers of five in a row, were favored to win. Yes, Washington has the toughest schedule in the nation. Yes, they start a freshman at quarterback. Yes, Arizona has struggled all season, and yes, their coach is on the proverbial hot seat. Yes, it was all set up in Washington’s favor. No, they didn’t win. But for much of the game, it looked like they might. Knowing all of the above as I shot the game, I wanted to be hyper-aware of the emotion in the stadium. The Huskies desperately needed a win, and a victory over Arizona would prove to doubters that their earlier losses to tough opponents was not a signal that they couldn’t beat lesser ones. In other words, they were facing a beatable opponent, and there would be no excuses if they lost. It started out fine for Washington. Quarterback Jake Locker scored on a 14-yard scamper and I manage a shot of Locker and teammate Corey Williams together in the end zone: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 200mm, ISO 400, 1/1000, f3.2) Tied at 7-7, Jake Locker connected with Marcel Reese on a 98-yard touchdown that goes into the record books as the Huskies’ longest play from scrimmage. As fellow photographer Mark Harrison and I were splitting the field, I was fortunate enough to be in the right place for the play. It’s weird to be shooting the start of a play from 98-yards away, but this time it paid off. Reece takes off over the middle after catching the ball: (Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/1000, f4.0) Switching to a body with a shorter lens, I am able to show the distance between Reece and his pursuers: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 100mm, ISO 400, 1/1000, f2.8) Finally, the celebration occurs right in front of me, and I’m able to use a wide-angle lens that puts the players in the foreground and nice shot of the stadium behind them: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 19mm, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec.,f2.8) Some in the photo work area thought that one a little “awkward”, so I also moved this more conventional frame: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 70mm, ISO 400, 1/800 sec.,f2.8) If you’re a follower of Husky football, you know what happened in the fourth quarter. Washington’s porous defense and suddenly stilted offense blows a 41-26 lead in the fourth quarter. Wildcats receiver Mike Thomas (10), does much of the damage, and finishes with 10 catches and three touchdowns, here celebrating with teammate Delashaun Dean: (Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/1000, f4.0) As it became clear that Washington was going to lose, and lose in a spectacular fashion (blowing a two-touchdown lead to a bad team at home? Really?) I began trying to find a picture that would sum up the day. I shot into the stands. These pumpkin-headed people managed to be spirited and dispirited all at the same time: (Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/1000, f5.6) Fans in the east end zone react after Arizona takes the lead: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 70mm, ISO 400, 1/800 sec.,f2.8) As the clock wound down, I found senior Marcel Reece, the same player who had scored the 98-yard touchdown earlier, sitting dejectedly on the bench after his teammates had gone onto the field after the game. The posture of the men in the background helps the composition: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 21mm, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec.,f4.0) Leaving the field, I saw this man leaning over the rail in the end zone near the big scoreboard. At first I shot him with a longer lens: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/800 sec.,f2.8) But taking the camera away from my eye, I saw another possibility. Moving closer with a wide-angle lens, everything came together — the sadness, the loneliness, and the undeniable truth of the final score up in lights: (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 21mm, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec.,f4.0) Even though I’d gotten the shot I wanted, I lastly made a frame of this guy leaving the stadium, who was sad and also more than a little bizarre at the same time (perhaps a little TOO bizarre): (Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 115mm, ISO 400, 1/00 sec.,f2.8) I applaud our photo editors and designers for taking a risk and putting a “non-action” photo on our Sunday sports cover:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 at 8:17 pm and is filed under Northwest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.