On the Sidelines at Qwest
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
This past weekend I was lucky enough to spend my Saturday as a card runner on the sidelines of Qwest Field for the NFC Wild Card game between the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. As a Seahawk fan this was a dream come true, as a Getty Images employee I was in for one of the biggest learning experiences in my career.
My job for the day was to be available on the field for the photographers. When they captured major action in the game, or about one quarter’s worth of shots (depending which came first) I would take their cards and bring them to Maxx who would be waiting in the media room. Maxx would then download the images from the cards, choose the stand out images, caption them and then upload them to our site.
We arrived at the stadium about three hours before the game. Plenty of time for the photographers to put together their gear and for Maxx, our photo editor genius, to set up. The weather was threatening rain and high winds and our photographers needed plenty of time to protect their equipment before heading out in such conditions.
Photographer Otto Greule Jr. wraps his gear in protective plastic wrap.
Arriving early also gave us an opportunity to check out the stadium, review our plan of action and of course, enjoy our lunch.
The view from the Seahawk tunnel about two hours before the game. Maxx and Otto discuss who will be shooting where.
The first of three meals served to the media room.
For those of you who watched the game, you would understand why the first half was a great learning opportunity. I had plenty of time to check out the field, watch our photographers in action and learn the ropes.
Getty Images photographer Jed Jacobsohn in action during warm ups.
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images - Typical Seattle weather. Once we prepared for storms, the sun came out.
The third and fourth quarters were another story. As the action picked up on the field, the photographers were busier than ever. The shot below was taken while I was standing right next to Otto. I was stunned at how quickly the action moves, but even more so by how quickly the photographers were able to react. One minute Otto would be giving me cards that he had filled, the next second he was on his knee capturing the shot.
Otto Greule Jr. /Getty Images
The day was exhausting, I can’t imagine how the photographers do it every weekend, carrying all of their equipment as they run around the field. The experience certainly opened my eyes. Here’s a few things I learned along the way:
-I was amazed at the camaraderie among all of the photographers in the media room, especially considering they are each other’s competition. I watched in awe as they discussed settings on their cameras, congratulated each other about shots from previous games and even loaned one another equipment.
-Out of 4,000 images taken between our two photographers on Saturday, 73 made it up to www.gettyimages.com before the game had ended.
-Thanks to the uploading speed of editor Maxx Wolfsson, our images appeared on four major sport websites minutes after the game ended.
-Shooting a game is a sport in itself, it takes speed, endurance, agility and patience. One glance off the field and you could miss “the shot” of the game.
-While we all work for the same boss, who happens to be in the third picture below, our experiences at Getty Images could not be more different. It was an honor to escape my cubicle and be part of a team that was much closer to our customers.
Maxx edits the final images of the game.
Jed and Otto check out ESPN.com and MSNBC.com to find their images on the front page.
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images - Getty Images Co-founder and CEO Jonathan Klein watches the Seahawks defeat the Washington Red Skins.
After the game, while relaxing with Maxx, Jed and Otto, Maxx asked when I would be posting this blog. “Monday morning,” I said without hesitation. Maxx gave me a hard time about turning it around more quickly, “you have it get it up before the excitement wears off,” he said.
Trust me Maxx, it’s going to take a lot more than two days for this excitement to burn off. In fact, my ears are still ringing.
