The cheerleader’s flag being flown in front of the crowd after an Auburn score at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 26, 2026. (Photo by Rodd Lewis)
AUBURN, Ala. — While beginning my journalism journey, I have covered an array of topics, but none have been as stressful and fun as SEC football.
Auburn University had a home at Jordan-Hare game against Vanderbilt on Sept. 26, where they ended up winning 21-15. According to ESPN, this marked their first SEC game win in 671 days.
In my personal life, I had never been one to watch football, but even I knew the potential importance of this game, hence why I became anxious in covering it for photos.
The day before the game, I was doing research on common regulations while covering an SEC football game. While looking things up, I began to get nervous, worrying that there will be things I didn’t know, and hoping that I didn’t somehow mess with my chances of covering the game. I also worried that the photos I took wouldn’t be good enough to use; leaving me with a pool full of anxiety for the day to come.
On the morning of the game, my nerves were wrecked. I had only just started my position as the photographer of The AUMnibus, but my confidence in my camera skills were shot. To me, this was a brand new territory, something I had never done before, however a chance to test the skills I had honed for the past few months.
Entering the stadium was a bit of a hassle. I had never covered a college football game before, let alone a game in a school like Auburn University, so there was an immediate rush to get where I needed to be. Once I stepped on the field, I was given a media vest, and it was time.
I started taking pictures of the players as they practiced, and I got into my regular routine. Taking pictures of players, adjusting my settings according to the lighting, and making sure I am out of the way; my biggest fear being that I would make a mistake with the boundaries of a photographer on the field.
Everything went smoothly, my photos were looking pretty good, I wasn’t scolded for breaking an unknown rule, and on top of that I was having fun. The more the players played, I had become more invested in getting their best moments on camera, even when I didn’t know exactly what that moment meant. I looked at the photos I took from the point of view of a fan of the game, rather than a journalist. That mindset made taking hundreds of photos even more enjoyable.
At some point, while I was in the zone of taking photos, I had not realized how close both of the battling teams were. I was only reminded of the danger of being on the sidelines when I had taken a picture of Vanderbilt running back, Sedrick Alexander, just missing his catch, resulting in the football flying towards my head. While #28 has a strong track record seasonally, my mistake of standing near him almost cost me my camera, and possibly an injury or two. On the bright side, I was able to photograph the exact moment of my near doom. After the incident, I made it a point to stand at a reasonable distance from the action.
Towards the end of the game, I focused heavily on getting the celebrations of the players and fans, as Auburn had won against Vanderbilt. Little do they know, I too was also celebrating. When others were cheering for the winning team, internally I was cheering for myself. I had officially taken photos of a football game, and liked them.
I was given the opportunity to sit in while Auburn’s head coach Alex Golesh conducted a post game press conference, where I was able to sit in with other journalists while they asked him questions regarding to the sports tactics during the game. While sitting in the conference, I felt a sense of relief and pride. I had officially covered my first SEC game, and successfully (and legally) taken quality pictures of SEC in action.
The end of the game checked a box in my head of things I had never done, and solidified itself as something I knew I enjoyed. I hope to cover more games, so that I learn more about seeing the game from the viewpoint of a fan, and that I can truly be in the zone, without ever holding a ball.
