From Taylor Swift Reaction Shots to Dodging Oncoming Players, Here’s How Photographers Will Be Capturing the Super Bowl Sunday

With the Super Bowl just days away, we know that coaches, athletes and trainers work all week to prepare for the biggest sporting event of the year. But there’s also an army of people working overtime to bring the game to fans at home, including sideline reporters, event producers and some of the hardest working photographers in the business. Right after Sunday’s kickoff, you’ll see the Internet completely flooded with all things Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Get ready for trending hashtags, live articles updated throughout the evening and all those amazing action shots that will grace the front pages of newspapers across the country on Monday morning. But do you ever stop and think about the people behind those photos?

There’s a lot that goes into capturing the game’s most compelling moments — like the viral photo of Patrick Mahomes’ cracked helmet during a frigid Kansas City game earlier this year. From getting to the game early to walk the field to dodging players who almost crash into them, here’s what two photo pros will be doing on Super Bowl Sunday.

Emily Curiel photographs the Chiefs vs. Broncos game.

Nick Tre. Smith/AP

Game day preparation

Emily Curiel, the Kansas City Star photographer who took the photo of the helmet crack seen around the world, is heading to Las Vegas this week. She will travel with her three camera bodies, card reader, memory cards and lenses.

It’s her first Super Bowl and she’s doing her best not to get nervous. “I go in with the mindset: It’s just another game. But obviously a little more amped up,” she tells PEOPLE.

On any other match day, Curiel goes onto the field before the game to oversee it. She plans to head to Allegiant Stadium around 11:30 a.m. and will settle into her seat while she and her fellow photographers take their seats, either in a designated media area or on the field. Filming in Kansas City has been cold lately (see photo above), so Curiel can’t wait to trade out her five layers of clothing for leggings and a T-shirt for the 65° weather expected on Super Bowl Sunday. Also on site at Allegiant will be Heather Krut, a Canon technical specialist, who will be handing out equipment on loan from Canon’s professional services room to people including photographers from Getty, the NFL Network and 49ers official photographer Terrell Lloyd and his team.

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Heather Krut leads a photography walk. She will be on site at the Super Bowl assisting photographers.

Rob Sylvan

“I’ll be in a room where people can come in and clean the cameras, grab a lens or camera for the day, and handle the tech,” says Krut. She and her team arrive in Vegas on Wednesday and will be on site Thursday through Sunday, preparing for the Sports Photographers’ Super Bowl — the real Super Bowl. It will be just as tiring a day for them as it is for the athletes.

“11. we’ll be there all day, from start to finish. Loading is around 2 am. If we board by 3 am, that’s a good day,” she says.

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How it is on the field

Capturing the perfect shot can be a sport unto itself.

And it’s not just trying to dodge the oncoming ball, says Curiel; players bumped into her (Marquez Valdes-Scantling memorably bumped into her and said, “Oh, sorry babe!” she recalls.) Tommy Townsend once apologized to her for walking into her game with a frame and she had on-field equipment failure, such as her camera battery dying in cold-weather matches.

Before the game, she films the arrivals of players and celebrities on the field, and after the game she’ll be there for the big celebration (for the winner, that is).

However, while the game is in play, Curiel crouches down, jumps out of the way of other photographers and sets the timers on his camera. Then, after the shot is taken, she quickly makes her way to the booth where she has a few minutes between plays to send her photos of the moment to her editors.

Photographers using Canon lenses at the last Super Bowl.

Fernando Echeverria, manager of Event Sport & Loan Management

Krut saw videos of colleagues falling over, balls hitting cameras, lenses breaking. “Our equipment is extremely durable, but when you have a lot of weight coming at you very quickly, in the right way at the right time, things like that can happen,” she explains.

That’s why it’s critical to have the right equipment on the field — “and knowing that the equipment is going to come down to how fast you can turn in real time. Because if the ball comes to you, you have to maneuver that equipment out of the way,” says Krut.

All that heavy gear (like this year’s popular recently released RF100-300mm F2.8) is worth it, Krut says, because “at the end of the day, it’s about getting the shot. That’s the most important thing,” she adds.

One note that will make photographers’ lives easier this year: Allegiant Stadium is a domed stadium, so when photographers get their setups right, they won’t have to deal with as much light variation and quick setup changes.

Emily Curiel takes a photo of Tommy Townsend.

Nick Wagner

Representing girls

Curiel, who is only two years out of college and working her dream job, says the industry is still very much driven by men. At 4ft 11in, she is often teased by male photographers who joke “that camera is bigger than you”.

But Curiel holds his own. “I usually say, ‘I know, right?’ or not. This camera is maybe only two meters. I’m four feet!” she says.

Being able to show the world that “girls can love sports too,” she says, is a dream – and she’s grateful to be able to represent her as one of the few Latinas behind the lens.

“When I was growing up, I would watch sports games with my mom and tell her, ‘Mom, one day I’m going to be on the field. I wish there was someone I could look up to because men dominate here,’ she tells PEOPLE. “So I hope to be an inspiration to women and Latinos everywhere.” And when it comes to the background – action scenes, Krut is pleased to say that he sees more and more women making progress. “When I started working in the industry about 10, 11 years ago, there were very few women. And now I know more women in tech than I ever did before,” she says. As she arranged for this year’s gear orders, she was happy to see the women on the roster, filming for the NFL Network and beyond.

Heather Krut works on set.

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Famous fans in the stands

You can’t Google “Taylor Swift” these days without seeing her decked out head-to-toe in Chiefs gear to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce. And as much as we love looking at those photos of her celebrating in the apartment, photographers love the challenge of capturing them.

“That’s definitely one of our jobs, to get her reaction during games, especially if it’s 87,” Curiel says, referring to Kelce’s jersey number. During games in Kansas City, she looked on TikTok to see if Swift was in the house, then used a telephoto lens to capture her reactions. She’s especially proud of snapping one with Taylor’s tongue cheering for Brittany Mahomes.

“It reminded me of my best friend and how we get excited about things sometimes. It was really sweet like, oh, she’s like us; just because she’s a superstar doesn’t mean she’s not allowed to be who she is,” says Curiel.

Sunday’s million dollar question is: Will Swift be in the house? If so, Curiel will be ready behind the lens.

Krut can’t wait to sneak out of his seat and take photos from the side. “I’m a concert photographer, so I’d like to do a halftime show,” she says. And yes, she wants to catch a picture of T-Swift herself. In fact, a lot of people carry their long lenses, she says … “just in case!”

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Source: HIS Education