Team photographer Eric Lars Bakke has been working with the Broncos for 26 years. His photography blog will serve as a unique look from the perspective of an NFL photographer, periodically updating the site with tales from the sidelines, some of his favorite photos and the stories behind them.
Each week I look forward to a new game and the photographic challenges that present themselves on the field.
By this point of the season I have fulfilled many of the requests for certain games, players and on-field events needed by the various departments for which I report.
Still there is always a need for more and better photographs.
I try to document the game as best I can by keeping track of key plays, tendencies of the offense or defense as well a individual players that are making an impact.
The most frustrating time during a game is when you think you have anticipated a play or possibly the direction or area of a play and then come up empty-handed.
We have all seen the occasional play on TV when the cameraman hasn’t quite picked up on a play or the camera being called upon by the director or producer appears to be out of position.
The other tricky aspect is learning the tendencies of individual players. Some running backs stay erect when they run and others tend to hunch over more. Some receivers, because of their routes, tend to extend their bodies more or bob their heads or shift their shoulders.
The more you learn about players, the easier it is to cover them photographically.
The other frustrating part of covering a game is when a terrific play has developed and you are locked in and dead on the action only to be slightly out of focus or in many more instances blocked on the play by another player or an official.
It’s a sport of many consistencies and inconsistencies. You have to anticipate be alert to all zones of the field and use your hand-eye coordination, but even then you can get beat on a play.
The last three elements that often work their way into a potentially great photograph as a spoiler are yellow flags, fumbles and incompletes. They happen every game all around the NFL.
You never know when they are going to happen, so one covers the game like the next play is going to be the great one, the one instance that will make the best image of the day.
Let’s take the fourth quarter from last Sunday’s game as an example. During the Broncos impressive comeback, league-leader Brandon Lloyd (58 receptions for 1,122 yards and 9 touchdowns for the season) was continuing his “pants on fire” performance.
He had five balls thrown his way. Three were incompletes ,one of which I will describe momentarily, and the other two were caught for touchdowns. That’s impressive!
Like the players, when photographing, you don’t give up on a play. That one incomplete to Brandon I mentioned came at 3:58 remaining in the game.
He had the secondary beat. It was a deep ball from Kyle Orton. Lloyd began to dive. I locked in on him and the ball anticipating a phenomenal catch.
It was, however, with the speed and the all out effort he gave, it exposed him painfully to the turf.
He had the grasp of the ball as clumps of grass and dirt exploded. The impact robbed him of all but probably a single breath of air and squeezed the life out of his grab.
Five plays later Brandon broke in front of a defender on the goal line and snagged a five-yard touchdown pass.
He never gave up on the ball. And I never gave up following him.
-Eric Lars Bakke, Team Photagrapher
Tags: 2010, Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos, Eric Lars Bakke, St. Louis Rams
Awesome pic of SPIDERMAN.
Working with the Bronco`s for 26 years. Eric, I see you take your job very serious. What you do is a very intracate job and to catch those precise seconds onto film is awesome. What a fun job that would be. Keep up the awesome job.
Eric,You are the man!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You do your job as good as it can be done,cudos to you!!!!
Eric, that is simply amazing! Big props to you my friend on an exceptional job! Not only the pictures but your thoughts on how you approach your craft. Studying players? Knowing the tendencies of certain players and their routes or running styles??? Seriously??? Dude that’s just sick! LOL!
Great job Eric best wishes and continued succuess my friend!
GO GET EM’ BOYS!
….wait a minute!!!
LOL! I can see it now:
** Conversation at Dove Valley **
Xanders: Pat did you see what they are saying on the website?
Pat: X…what do you want me to do about it? I already made my statement
Xanders: Yeah Pat but I getting slammed out there! Heck, this Baylinorcrush guy wants me gone and I mean now! Another blogger even asked for me and Josh to be terminated and followed it up with Happy Holidays! Seriously Pat I need your help
Pat: X…That’s what you get for not playing nicely with others. I stick to my statement, I’ll evaluate this over the next 5 weeks. Now take your happy meal and get out of my office!
Xanders: Ellis, hey have you seen the blogs yet? It’s brutal. Dude me and Josh are getting dunked HARD on there. I need you to do me a favor. Mike Rice has already posted an article. I need you to call Eric and have him put one up RIGHT NOW! Have him talk about Loyd or something. He’s gotta have some pictures or something.
Ellis: O.k.
Xanders: ….Ellis..keep em’ coming! don’t let there be an article more than 10 minutes old. It’ll be harder on them to keep up. Call me when this has been done. If you need anything, I’ll be in Josh’s office. We’re eating our happy meals together!
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahhahahahhaha
lmao.
I like the post from Mr. Bakke as it details an often over looked profession. When fans look at game day photos, the absolute skill and great artistic value gets over shadowed, mainly I believe due to the current generation of falling in love with cheap photography the likes of the paparazzi. It is refreshing to get an insight to those who are true to artistic value and are able to see the detail in what most of us pass on.
I’m sorry about the laughs. I don’t want to disrespect Mr. Bakke. I’m a photographer myself and I think his job photographing this team is absolutely wonderful.
I blame it on Broncfalls
Broncfalls, kudos for putting to words what we all know is going on, and by doing it with a great sense of humor you’ll probably get away with it, LOL.
For all who may be concerned!!! Mc Daniels job is safe for now!! If he were to be fired though next year or not brung back. The whiper is in Broncos Country from upper management. That they will hard for who you may ask???? Not Gruden, Cowher, or a who you may be thinking. It will be Urban Meyer!!! Yes URBAN MEYER you heard it here first!!!
Well, that would send us back quite some time, like all the way to 1984 when Dan Reeves first hired University of Florida assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, small world… Could be good omen, and Meyer was a defensive back as a player, so even so he is a great O coach he would pay attention to D, and of course he would be back with his boy Tebow, that would be the real reason for all of thisI would think if there is any truth to it. Thanks for the info.
VERY INTERESTING!! HMMMMMMM…………
Broncfalls – do you do stand up? Can I get tickets?
Thanks for bringing in a lighter side to our purgatory.
I agree with the main man Mr.B!! He is no crypt keeper like Al Davis. Give his choice of a coach in McD the remainder of the season to see what happens. (Give him the rope to hang himself) Then make a change if he thinks one should be made. I myself think something between John Elway and the team could happen!! Change is coming!! In the mean time as true Bronco Fans let’s not stop supporting our TEAM. I read some posts here and it reminds me like off season posts. Already choosing a replacement Coach shame on us!! I have hated McD from the start but remember –It is what it is. I support the team and what they represent and will always be first to cheer god or bad on any given Sunday!! Just saying.
ILMSDB
FTR
mmmmmmm……. Happymeals!
Im not fat!
Whether we like McD or dislike him, it looks like Josh might be be our head coach next year.
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b7jLm
I don’t know how credible this is, but, it looks like the editor isn’t a big fan either. I may have to bite my lip until it bleeds, but I will always be rooting for OUR Broncos!
I think I jinxed us when I put my Fathead up a while back.
Go Broncos!
Camharland, how about a IN N OUT BURGER!