The eardrum-piercing clang of cowbells filled every inch of the stadium like it had physical mass of its own. As the players lined up for the snap the clanging stopped with an eerie abruptness, replaced instead with the thunderous roar of 65,000 obedient, screaming fans hoping their team would stay perfect for one more game; hoping they would be fans of the number one team in the country for at least one more game.
Through the raucous din of maroon-clad madmen and more cowbell, the machine gun firing of dozens of camera shutters could be heard, if you listened hard enough, Saturday night in the biting cold of Davis Wade Stadium as top-ranked Mississippi State took on Arkansas to try to stay atop the college football heap. Photographers from miles around piled onto the sideline, including yours truly, vying for the perfect spot to get the right shot, racing up and down the field trying like football mystics to predict where the next pass would be thrown to or the next big play would be made.
The game was decided with a last minute interception by Mississippi State to keep Arkansas out of the end zone for a 17-10 victory, but that was hardly the only big play to be photographed that night in Starkville.
Photographers work for hours before, during and after the game to bring to the viewer a picture that may be looked at for mere seconds before moving on to the next one. Images are seen everywhere and consumed quickly in this digital age, but the artistry and dedication that goes into them are timeless.
As fans filtered into the stadium before the game, photographers jockeyed for position to get a few pictures of the pregame warm-ups and bundle themselves up before a long night of work. The last rays of sunlight worked their way up the east side of the stadium right before kickoff, and the tension on the field was electric.
A young man walked out to the 50-yard line while the crowd grew silent, patiently waiting for him to begin the National Anthem. As he sang, 65,000 voices could be heard singing in unison with him, and whether by design or simply on a whim, he dropped the microphone to his side, letting those voices overtake him in a moment that was at once beautiful and unifying.
The game began, and play after play we made pictures. Coaches yelled and players celebrated, all part of the theater of sport. As the game wore on some of us younger guys shook hands and met for the first time, asking, “who’re you shooting for?” while the old veterans looked at us wearily, probably unable to remember how many big games they have shot in their lifetimes.
The game ends and players rush to celebrate the hard-fought victory with fans and students. Photographers make a mad dash onto the field, hoping to capture a moment that will forever encapsulate the feeling of that particular win.
Some get that picture and some don’t.
After spending hours on the field riding the highs and lows of the game, it’s a strange, empty feeling when it’s over. You’re left standing there wondering what picture should be made next when you realize there are no more. Your back aches from carrying gear, your feet hurt from standing for five hours and now it’s time to go edit.
The pictures get submitted, and finally it’s time to go home. The stadium is empty and those tens of thousands of fans are gone, off to revel in the fact that for at least another week, their boys are the best team in the country.