Press Pass: Roaming the sidelines

LARAMIE -- Hey fans, DJ here, and I’m back with week 3 of "Press Pass."

Well, it wasn’t a thing of beauty, but in the end, as long as there’s a ‘dubya’ on the board, that’s really all that matters. With a meager 50 yards in the air on four completions, the Pokes once again showed up on the ground, let by Louisville transfer, Trey Smith.

Smith toted the pigskin 17 times for a 152 yards and two trips into the end zone to lead the Wyoming rushing attack. Let’s see what the field had in store for us this week against the Idaho Vandals:

Pistol Pete is on display on these custom made Adidas football gloves. Here, Cowboy linebacker, Ben Wisdorf, flashes P-squared at me showing who really ends up with the ball at the end of the play. I wonder if all the receivers wear these, and if so if Sean Chambers drops back looking for 2-4 little Pistol Pete targets running down field?

If you didn’t get a close up look at Wyoming’s helmets during the game, here’s what you missed. A “BLACK 14” sticker adorned each player’s helmet to highlight the infamous event. By now everyone should know about the event, if not, 50 years ago, 14 African-American football players were kicked off the University of Wyoming football team for seeking to wear black armbands to protest racism, specifically in a game against Brigham Young University. This past weekend, eight of those 14 players returned to War Memorial Stadium to commemorate the anniversary of the event.

Pistol Pete is a man of few words, but still has more game than all! So fellas, if you come to Laramie for a game, you better keep an eye on your lady! Regardless of who you are, what you do, what kind of car you drive, how much money you have, etc ... you’re no match for the man with the ‘stache! I’m sure these two ended up at the Buckhorn or Cowboy Saloon after the game for drinks!

Celebrations are fun … they should be, and why not? Once again we got to see the O-Line raising the wide receiver up in the air after a touchdown, as the whole stadium cheered in approval. Here, offensive tackle, Rudy Stofer, lifts up wide receiver, Raghib Ismail Jr. When I was taking this picture, I immediately was drawn back to a similar photo that I took several years ago when offensive lineman, Ryan Cummings, proudly hoisted wide receiver Tanner Gentry into the air after the Cowboys collected six in the end zone. Cummings lifting Gentry is one of my most memorable photographs, however, Ismail Jr’s full fledged spread eagle may remain in my mind for years to come.

Making his third appearances in this weeks post, our man Pistol Pete. Most of you probably don’t know, but Pete is one of the FBI's most wanted men in America. So much in fact that the bureau sent an agent to War Memorial on Saturday to bring him in. Much to the FBI’s dismay though, Pete remains at large, as their agent (pictured above) reported “…there was no sighting of the outlaw anywhere”.

How do you rush for 152 yards on 17 carries and tack on two touchdowns? You have Raghib Ismail Jr do whatever he’s doing to your feet. I’m not sure exactly what Ismail Jr is doing to Trey Smith’s foot, but I can tell you that it involved scissors, intent direction from Smith and stalwart concentration by Rocket. Whatever it is you did to Smith ... keep up the good work.

These guys have a special place in my heart. Fun fact about myself ... I graduated from the University of Wyoming back in 1995, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant from Detachment 940 as well. Entering the Air Force out of UW, I spent 20 years on active duty, and retired in 2015. I was in space operations for the majority of my career and fiddled around with those high-tech space machines that currently orbit the earth in various ways. I also spent all of 2005 in Afghanistan, trolling the mountains while looking for bad guys. Aim High!

I love watching all parts of a play from beginning to end. Pre-snap, I’m always looking at formations and personnel to try and anticipate where the play is going so I can hopefully capture the moment. During the play, it’s a whirlwind of fine movement with the camera to attempt to follow the play and capture that "big run" or "big hit." Post-play, I try to capture the reactions of the player, based on the how the play went. This is a common look I capture when a play is close to being a first down. Typically both players will finish the play and then immediately look to the sidelines and personally assess whether or not the play went there way. Here, Austin Conway and the a Vandals defender are making their own assessments.

Everyone loves pictures! Post-game, on the field, affords me a great opportunity to snap some candids and capture some special moments on the field. Here, Trey Smith, gives a quick pose after he carried the ball 17 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Oh, and FYI, it’s a lot easier to capture these moments when fans aren’t spilling over the railings and onto the field. Whenever ya’ll charge the field, I’m typically on my way to the sideline looking for safe refuge. Ya’ll some crazies, and we love it!

Alright, this is my selfie for the week. I know, I know, it’s not me. But, it is the other half of what it takes to produce pictures every game. Here is a little insight into what occurs behind the scenes of a photographer. As you can see in the bottom left corner, I carry a full 65-lb roller bag that carries three cameras, four lenses, and a myriad of other photographic paraphernalia. Add a briefcase with a computer, hard drives, and all accessories, you have another 20-lbs of gear. Inside the stadium, and all other stadiums, there is typically a "photographers' workroom," where we set up and edit pictures during the game. You’ll typically see us on the field, shooting pictures, disappear for a while, then reappear. Depending on the organization you’re working for, you may have deadlines to submit pictures, which could be at the end of the first quarter, the half, the game, or within two hours of the final gun. It’s not odd that we remain at the stadium for hours after the final second ticks off the clock, looking for that exact photo that the writer might need to accentuate their story.

Enjoy the week of being undefeated my friends, and I’ll catch up with you next week from the Sooner state, where your Wyoming Cowboys will take on Tulsa.