Twelve years ago on January 28th 2001, the Baltimore Ravens became the 3rd Wild Card team to win the Superbowl. The game was memorable only for the fact that the Giants were surprisingly outplayed and that a defensive player – Ray Lewis – became only the 2nd linebacker in 35 years to win the coveted MVP award and proclaim his trip to Disney.
I was fortunate enough to be in Raymond James Stadium that day for my only Superbowl experience. I was hired by NFL Europe to cover the events in the lead up to the World Bowl to be held in my home town of Glasgow, Scotland. I was shooting with the state of the art sports and photojournalist camera of 12 years ago the Kodak Canon DCS 520. With a 1.6 crop factor and the finest 2MP available, it rocked a pedestrian 2.5 fps at best and had an unbelievably long shutter lag. Coupled with my 400mm EF 2.8 and the 1.4 Extender, I was in prime position to catch the key moment of the game. It certainly was not my best image ever, but it was the defining moment of the day. The third touchdown in three consecutive plays and the first time that back-to-back kick offs had been returned for touchdowns in a Superbowl as Jermaine Lewis avoided tacklers to run down the sideline to deal the fatal blow to the NY Giants hopes.
Later today, the best sports photographers in the world will be on the sidelines at the Superdome in New Orleans hoping to capture the moment of the day. The main difference will be the equipment they will be using and that Ray Lewis will be making his last appearance on the football field. During the course of #52’s career, we have seen some amazing advances in digital imaging. In January of 2001 there was still a very valid argument for film being better than digital. This argument is long gone now. Resolutions we thought of as being pipedreams are a reality. Stills cameras producing HD video turned the motion-shooting world on its head. New lens designs are giving us a clarity and detail we never thought we would see. So what’s in store for in the next 12 years? Truthfully? I’m not sure. But what I am sure of is that Capture Integration be there at the leading edge helping to sort the good from the bad and helping photographers find the right solution for their imaging needs.
So who will be the hero today? Will it be the perfect swansong for the retiring Ray Lewis, or is it time for the new young gun in Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers? Good luck to all the talented photographers that have assignments in NOLA today – I sincerely hope that the key moment happens in front of your camera lens.