Taking their best shot at big game

Behind-the-lens look at Times photographers’ favorite images

Gina Ferazzi

My favorite shot was when Aaron Donald tackled the Bengals quarterback with just moments left in the game. I saw the Bengals quarterback scampering out of the pocket and Donald chasing.

I was hoping to catch the emotion of the moment.

The expression on the Bengals quarterback face says it all. He throws the ball in desperation. I followed the ball to see if it would get intercepted, but it was not. But that didn’t matter.

The game was over on that play.

Robert Gauthier

Every photographer who shoots professional and amateur sports dreams about capturing the gamewinning play. Joe Montana to Dwight Clark is always in the back of my mind when I’m working a football game that is still undecided and coming down to the last seconds.

At Super Bowl LVI, everything lined up nicely to photograph the game-winning catch by Cooper Kupp and the game-sealing play by Aaron Donald. Both, equally exciting to witness and satisfying to capture.

Allen J. Schaben

After photographing an amazing Rams NFC championship game over the 49ers with Times photographer Wally Skalij on the field at SoFi Stadium recently, I got one of the greatest opportunities of my career; to cover my first Super Bowl game.

This time, my position was from an upper level at SoFi Stadium. It demanded that I use the longest lens available in our checkout pool: a Canon 600mm F4 lens. I used it occasionally with the 1.4 converter to get even closer to the action.

I joined fellow Times photographer Gina Ferazzi, who was also shooting from the upper-level. Our images provided different points of view than our two field photographers, Wally and Robert Gauthier, who were on opposite sides of the field.

A high angle allowed a different perspective that works really well when players’ faces are faced upward and provides a clean background without distractions. The beauty — and sometimes beast — of sports photography is that the best plays are unpredictable and can happen anywhere at any time and often not facing you or your view being blocked by the back of a referee. Thankfully the two major plays of the game happened to be facing my direction: No. 1, Rams receiver Cooper Kupp leaps to make a touchdown catch over Bengals cornerback Eli Apple for the game-winning points in the final minutes. No. 2, Rams defensive end Aaron Donald celebrated his tackle of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the final moments.

Our photo editors and page designers did a great job editing and laying out the page to showcase that play that told the story of the game. Thankfully my photo worked well as a large vertical Super Bowl section cover.

Seasoned pros have always told me that anytime you can show action and reaction; victory and defeat in the same photo, you’ve got one that tells the story of the game. I’m thankful that my photos were a small part of the amazing staff coverage of a great game.

Wally Skalij

After covering major sports events including Super Bowls, World Series and NBA Finals, I find myself looking for the moment away from the hoopla.

The one moment where an athlete takes time to reflect or to cherish time spent with family.

Athletes are superstars, idolized and analyzed, but at the end of the day, they are people. They are husbands, fathers, sons.

After the cameras turn off and the crowd leaves the stadium is when I see the most personable moments happen.

After celebrating the win with teammates and the MVP of the Super Bowl and numerous television interviews, Cooper Kupp sought out his wife and two boys to spend quiet time and play with confetti strewn on the field at Sofi Stadium.

Soaking in the glory of the day’s events together. It’s these moments that humanized the athletes.

Brian van der Brug

As the Rams’ Super Bowl victory festivities were winding down, most players were heading for the locker room and fans for the exits.

I had been shooting features of fans in the stands. I looked down to the field and I noticed several little girls wearing black team “STAFFORD” Tshirts tossing piles of confetti. I assumed they were Matthew Stafford’s kids and kept my lens on them for a minute or two.

Matthew and wife Kelly came out from behind the victory podium, out of the view of much of the stadium and had a confetti fight with their kids. I was struck by the simple moment of a dad just enjoying his family, not a quarterback who just reached the pinnacle of his career.

Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times THE FINAL MOMENTS of the Rams’ triumph over the Bengals captured from the upper level by Allen J. Schaben, who was covering his first Super Bowl.

Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times DONALD FACED the right direction to celebrate the play in what Schaben calls “victory and defeat in the same photo ... the one that tells the story of the game.”

Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times AARON DONALD’S game-sealing tackle of Joe Burrow was Gina Ferazzi’s favorite photo. The “expression on [Burrow’s] face says it all,” Ferazzi writes.