A photograph can be powerful. It possesses the ability to capture the raw emotion of a singular moment and preserve an otherwise fleeting snippet of time, telling a story in the process.
Over the next few days, we're taking a look back at 10 of the best photos from the 2023-24 season along with commentary from Chiefs' Director of Photography Steve Sanders. Unlike in previous years, this isn't a countdown of Sanders' top images, but rather the chronological story of the Chiefs' championship season told through some of his favorite photos.
Here's a look at what we've covered so far:
We'll continue with No. 2:
"The Splash"
Game: Super Bowl LVIII
The Subject: Head Coach Andy Reid is doused in Gatorade following the Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl LVIII.
Taken By: Steve Sanders
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R3
Focal Length: 20 mm
Exposure Time: 1/1,250
Aperture: f/5
Steve Sanders' Thoughts:
Q: I'm not sure people realize just how difficult it is to capture a moment like this. How did you stick with Coach Reid amongst all the pandemonium on the field?
Sanders: "Well, a lot of times at games you'll see the Gatorade splash happen right on the bench, maybe even before the clock hits zero, but with the way that our game finished, it wasn't able to happen at that point, and we had prepared for that," Sanders said. "I had the lens on that I wanted because last year, I missed focus just a little bit on the Gatorade splash. I really wanted to have a great photo of the Gatorade coming over the top this year, and as he was walking toward the stage, I caught the cooler coming up through the crowd out of the corner of my eye. So, I got right in front of him, and I knew that if I got this picture, I was also going to be in the Gatorade splash with him."
Q: Did the camera get drenched in Gatorade, too?
Sanders: "It did – it was really sticky. I sent it back into Cannon for repairs, and they told me it smelled like grapes," Sanders said. "This particular frame was right before the Gatorade hit the camera. You can see it in the next few frames, and there's one where a spot of Gatorade takes up about 75 percent of the shot, so this all happened really quickly. At the time, I didn't even know if I had a clean picture. I didn't have time to look in the moment, but soon after, I looked down and was super happy that I got one."
