Steve Sanders, the Director of Pictures for the NFL’s Kansas Town Chiefs, was once readily available in New Orleans for Tremendous Bowl LIX. Whilst the Chiefs in the end got here up in need of a historical three-peat, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders captured many wonderful footage of the massive recreation that put a bow on a very good season for the Chiefs.

Being an NFL Group Photographer Is an Unpredictable and Extraordinary Task

Sanders is the Leader’s Director of Pictures, a job he assumed a couple of seasons in the past, however his time with the crew is going again a lot additional. 2025 is Sanders’ thirtieth yr with the historical NFL membership. Over the ones 3 many years, he has captured many moments, giant and small alike, for the Chiefs.

Just like the New York Yankees’ respectable photographer, Ariele Goldman Hecht, Sanders wears many hats, surely greater than a extra conventional press company sports activities photographer. He covers the crew throughout offseason workout routines, NFL draft prep, the preseason, the common season, and for the Chiefs in recent years, the playoffs. Sanders additionally does crew worker footage, participant headshots, award ceremonies, and occasions.

“On any given week, we’re tasked with shooting between 40 to 60 requests in keeping with recreation. Those vary from spouse activations and particular visitors to cheerleading performances and lots of different explicit asks. We all the time intention to show off the ambience, the surroundings, and the avid gamers’ arrivals,” Sanders tells PetaPixel.

On the other hand, whilst Sanders and his crew carry out an eclectic mixture of duties — if it comes to the Kansas Town Chiefs and there are footage to seize, Sanders is there — the beef and potatoes of the gig stays soccer.

The Tremendous Bowl Is a Other Beast

That mentioned, the Tremendous Bowl is greater than only a recreation; it’s a complete tournament spanning every week.

“A Tremendous Bowl, as I’ve discovered, calls for meticulous making plans. Everybody concerned desires to keep reminiscences from all of the week main as much as the sport,” Sanders explains.

“To make sure we duvet the whole thing with out stepping on each and every different’s feet, we assign each and every photographer explicit duties, making sure we’re unfold out around the discipline and shooting distinctive angles and moments with out duplicating efforts,” he continues.

Very good Sports activities Pictures Calls for a Nice Group On and Off the Box

Just like the on-field motion, Sanders works with a crew. He tells PetaPixel that he added a full-time affiliate to his body of workers closing spring, Mikayla Schmidt. She was once at the start a seasonal rent in 2023 and “did an excellent process.”

Sanders and Schmidt headline a full-time body of workers, which Sanders, who admits he could also be biased, calls “the most efficient within the NFL.” They paintings along a recreation day team padded out with freelancers.

“On recreation day, my team is composed of Mikayla and 6 further freelancers, some running upstairs and others at the discipline, with a runner/grip additionally stationed at the discipline. We’re supported by means of a crew of 2 editors in our workroom, making sure the whole thing runs easily,” Sanders explains. It’s a crew effort.

Sanders, Schmidt, and the crew of freelancers aren’t simply top-of-the-line picture groups within the NFL, additionally they paintings for one of the a success groups within the trendy NFL generation. Although the Kansas Town Chiefs didn’t safe their 3rd consecutive Lombardi trophy, they have got gained 4 championships within the Tremendous Bowl generation, together with 3 up to now six seasons (2019, 2022, 2023). The crew has gained 5 AFC championships over that very same length. The purpose is that Sanders has had many lengthy seasons and a large number of profitable to seize in recent years.

“The process has all the time been a dream, and it’s been a real pleasure. The previous seven years had been unbelievable, particularly having the chance to {photograph} Patrick Mahomes every day,” Sanders explains. “It’s made my paintings so a lot more thrilling. The video games are all the time exciting, and the crew’s good fortune regularly pushes me to make stronger and convey my best possible to each and every shot.”

When requested about his favourite second because the Chiefs photographer, Sanders didn’t hesitate.

“That’s a very easy one — the primary Tremendous Bowl in 2019! It was once an unforgettable revel in, and being a part of that historical second is one thing I’ll all the time cherish.”

A Rapid-Paced Sports activities Pictures Workflow

All through Sanders’ time with the Chiefs, the crew has long past via ups and downs — basically ups in recent years — and images itself has modified dramatically. Now not handiest has apparatus developed, however so too have the calls for put on Sanders and his crew.

“On recreation day, the instant use of our footage is for the social and inventive groups. We even have editors readily available to create real-time picture galleries and bring completed edits, which can be shared in our archive and with the avid gamers,” Sanders says. “Our function is modest: we attempt to hide each and every side of the day, making sure that not anything essential is going uncaptured.”

As soon as the sport kicks off and the groups cross to fight at the gridiron, Sanders faces many demanding situations. The toughest a part of photographing an NFL recreation is being in the precise position on the proper time.

“Probably the most difficult side of photographing soccer isn’t simply chasing the very best shot — it’s trusting your instincts to be in the precise position on the proper time, and having your digital camera set as much as seize the motion successfully,” the photographer says.

Within the Tremendous Bowl, being in the precise position turns into a lot more tough than an ordinary season and even different playoff video games.

“The trouble will increase with the added layers of regulations and get right of entry to restrictions,” he laments.

Now not that this slows him down any, although. “You must be ready to shoot at any second, regardless of the limitation.”

Flagship Cameras and Rapid Glass

Sanders remarks that the most recent Canon digital camera and lens developments surely lend a hand.

“I imagine the enhancements in cameras and lenses have unfolded new chances for creativity. The point of interest is quicker, the colours are extra colourful, and general, the standard has reached new heights,” he says.

Since Sanders works solely with the Chiefs and produces paintings over all of the season, colour is a huge a part of his process. He goals to have a constant visible language right through the season, from coaching camp during the ultimate recreation.

“I’m a traditionalist in the case of my taste,” he admits, “and I attempt to cross that alongside to my team. My greatest center of attention is on colour tone; we all the time shoot at a selected Kelvin temperature relying on the place we’re taking pictures and the prerequisites. On the finish of each and every season, we intention to position in combination galleries and once in a while even a show album, so keeping up a constant tone and magnificence right through the photographs is the most important.”

As an example, Tremendous Bowl LIX was once performed at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, an out of doors venue. In comparison to the Chiefs’ house discipline, the out of doors Arrowhead Stadium, Sanders says it’s somewhat simple to shoot indoors.

“The lights stays constant, and the colour temperature remains the similar right through the development, which simplifies a large number of the demanding situations we are facing,” Sanders explains. He and Schmidt outfit all their photographers with the precise cameras and lenses, the suitable colour steadiness, and allow them to cross to paintings.

The crew’s workflow has modified so much in recent times, no longer handiest as a result of new and quicker digital camera apparatus.

“The most important game-changer for our workflow has been the facility to switch recordsdata without delay from the digital camera at the sort of fast and dependable fee. Long gone are the times of operating digital camera playing cards backward and forward — this has streamlined the whole thing and made our procedure so a lot more environment friendly.”

Talking of the most recent equipment, although, Sanders shot the Tremendous Bowl with the Canon EOS R1.

“My favourite new characteristic of the EOS R1 is its skill to seize frames,” Sanders says. “This permits me to get the digital camera rolling ahead of even hitting the shutter. If I’m a bit of overdue to the motion, the digital camera is helping me out, and mixed with the multi-directional center of attention, my photographs are sharper and captured extra temporarily.”

On any given gameday, Sanders most often depends upon 3 lenses: Canon’s RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L Z, the RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L, and the RF 600mm f/4 L.

He every now and then mixes in an RF 10-20mm f/4 L for wide-angle photographs and an RF 50mm f/1.2 top for pregame paintings.

“The 100-300mm has actually modified the best way I will be able to stand up with reference to the motion with out intruding at the avid gamers’ private house. It permits me to seize extra intimate, detailed photographs whilst keeping up a deferential distance,” Sanders says.

Shooting the Narrative of an NFL Season

Whilst keeping up a deferential distance is very important to Sanders and his crew, he says spending such a lot time across the crew and its avid gamers makes his process more straightforward.

“The simpler you already know your matter, the easier your photographs will likely be,” the photographer explains. “Whilst you’re in a position to have common conversations with the avid gamers and talk about issues outdoor of soccer, it is helping construct agree with. This permits them to let their guard down, which in flip results in extra authentic and original photographs.”

“I all the time intention to be a storyteller with my images, making a number of photographs that paintings in combination to seize the narrative, whether or not it’s a win or a loss,” Sanders concludes.

Symbol credit: Pictures by means of Steve Sanders. In the back of-the-scenes photographs equipped by means of the Kansas Town Chiefs.