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, all while telling a story in the process.
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to take a look back at 10 of the best photos from the 2024-25 season along with commentary from Chiefs’ Director of Photography Steve Sanders.
Here’s what we’ve covered so far:
We’ll continue with No. 5:
“Stealing Gold”
Setting: Week 7 at San Francisco
The Subject: Safety Jaden Hicks celebrates with his teammates following his first-career interception.
Taken By: Mikayla Schlosser
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R3
Focal Length: 400 mm
Exposure Time: 1/1,250
Aperture: f/2.8
Steve Sanders’ Thoughts:
Q: What was going on here, and why did you include this photo in the collection?
Sanders: “This was just a great day. The weather was great, and the team was playing really well. This photograph happened right after Hicks’ first-career interception. He went running all the way down the field, and we had a photographer back there – Mikayla Schlosser – and she was in the perfect spot. We always try to keep a ‘goalie’ back there just in case something like this happens, and she was there,” Sanders said. “It’s such a great image. There’s so much emotion. The guys are jumping in the back, and it all makes a great diamond shape. You can tell how much fun they’re having.”
Q: Following up on that, how much fun is it when you can really capture the emotion of a moment like this?
Sanders: “It’s one of my favorite parts of photography,” Sanders said. “Especially when you’re able to show an image like this to the player afterwards. It’s a great feeling.”
Q: For you and your team, what’s it like to go through your images and realize you all captured such an incredible photograph?
Sanders: “I know she loved this picture. We had it printed out on metal and sat it beside her desk. She had several shots of this – something like 12 frames – and this one was just perfect. The guys are in the gaps, the light was nice, everybody is sharp, and it has a dark background. It just really told the story,” Sanders said. “We have shots of the interception, too, and I loved those images until I saw this. This is amazing.”
Q: You’ve spoken about the magic of “California light” before. What makes it so unique?
Sanders: “It just seems like it comes in at a different angle than anywhere else in the country,” Sanders said. “It’s warm, and it makes for nice pictures.”
