Last year (2013) was the first season I began shooting football. I had the opportunity to cover both the SMU Mustangs and North Texas Mean Green for Central Track.

Although I write recaps of the games I always try to make sure I walk away from the field with photos that can tell the story on their own. The first few games I shot, I struggled with an introductory shot -- a shot to open the photo essay. Unfortunately SMU's fan attendance is extremely low so a crowd shot wouldn't be very sexy and the Mustangs' pre-game tradition is to run through pyrotechnics that keeps photographers at a distance and those shots lack intimacy.

So for the final SMU game I attended that season I decided to get in the tunnel before the team ran through the fire display. What I didn't expect was for the team captains to come out to the field so soon, so without much time to shoot I quickly shot from the hip and was fortunate enough to capture a candid image of the captains led by quarterback Garrett Gilbert.

Settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF28mm f/1.8 USM, Manual exposure, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200