Top Photo: Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers makes a catch against Justin Broiles #25 of the Oklahoma Sooners during the first half at the 2019 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28, in Atlanta. [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 32000, 1/4000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 250)]
When I am hired to shoot a game for a company like Chick-fil-A, I have to look for ways to show the brand.
LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson (2) pulls in a pass before scoring as Oklahoma defensive back Woodi Washington (5) closes in the first half of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between LSU and Oklahoma, Saturday, December 28, 2019, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 22800, 1/4000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 240)]
This photo here works just great. You can see the branding on the patch of the Oklahoma player.
LSU’s Joe Burrow (9), The Heisman Trophy winner, got under center from the three-yard line and bullied his way into the end zone. It’s his eighth touchdown of the day and his first rushing touchdown. [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 11400, 1/4000, ƒ/4, (35mm = 195)]
While this touchdown is a great photo as well, it is less valuable by itself since you cannot see the brand anywhere in the image. The place it does appear is in the caption when the photo is published in news outlets.
K’Lavon Chaisson #18 of the LSU Tigers is given the Most Outstanding Player award by Dan Cathy after beating Oklahoma Sooners in the 2019 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28, in Atlanta. [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 9000, 1/4000, ƒ/2.8, (35mm = 240)]
It also helps when the CEO, Dan Cathy, is in the photo.
Bruce Deel gives the invocation at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 2019. As the founder and CEO of the City of Refuge, Bruce Deel is bold, relentless, and unyielding in the fight against poverty and the consequences it has in Atlanta, GA. [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/2000, ƒ/4, (35mm = 105)]
You are also taking some photos of critical people participating in the brand. Capturing the invocation is essential to the client.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 2019
[NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 560, 1/200, ƒ/4, (35mm = 32)]
You are also taking photos of the company leaders at the event and coving the game itself.
The Sooner Schooner takes the field during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 2019. It is the official mascot of the University of Oklahoma Sooners sports teams. Pulled by two white ponies named Boomer and Sooner, it is a scaled-down replica of the Studebaker Conestoga wagon used by settlers of the Oklahoma Territory around the time of the Land Run of 1889, considered the first mobile home. [NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 11400, 1/4000, ƒ/4, (35mm = 28)]
When an icon intersects with your client’s brand, you know they will use it. Combined with other photos, their brand is associated with cultural icons.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 2019
[NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 7200, 1/4000, ƒ/5.3, (35mm = 92)]
What is the point of this post? It isn’t just about shooting for a brand; it is more essential than that. Know your client and their audience.
