This is What it’s Like to be the NY Jets Photographer on NFL Game Day
The New York Jets have released a video showing what it is like for their photographer Sarah Snyder to cover an all-action NFL game day.
Snyder’s official title is “manager of photography and digital archival services” and the five-minute long video follows her as she captures the players, the plays, and general hullabaloo of an NFL game.
Snyder arrives five hours before the game starts to ensure she gets in well before the players arrive. It gives her time to put together all the camera gear she wants for that day as well as testing out the transmitters placed around the stadium.
“I usually have three or four cameras being built for any given game day,” explains Snyder. “And from our photo team standpoint, we usually have five other photographers that are with us on game day. So it will typically be two or three people shooting the game action from the field level and then all the other photographers are typically up in the stands during the game.”
At the MetLife stadium, there are four ethernet drop points which will wire photos to an editor instantaneously once a photographer connects their camera via an ethernet cord. It means the pictures can be published on social media channels mere moments after they were taken.
“I think the benefit of being an NFL photographer for a team specifically is I get to basically act as a documentary-style photographer throughout an entire game day,” Snyder says.
“I’m not just focused on the peak action that’s happening. I’m focused on the individual players so I get to see them from the minute they walk through the door at MetLife Stadium, through to the end of the game. I get to see all the different aspects of who these players are throughout their entire day.”
“When I’m taking photos of this team, it feels like I’m able to accurately represent their personality and who they are,” she continues. “I think that’s the most rewarding part of what I do is just getting to accuretely depict these guys’ story — and do it justice.”
You can follow Snyder’s work on Instagram.
