I’ve never had an emotional attachment to my work like I do to this piece. It’s not beautifully lit with complex camera movements and metaphoric or reflexive shots. It’s also not exactly what one would call video journalism.... There’s no dry voiceover. It’s not a human interest piece. There’s not really a story. It’s just a bunch of guys celebrating a win. There has to be a reason why I feel this way about it and why it has over four times the number of views as the highlight reel that I put up just a few hours before it.

It’s perspective.

You don’t have to be a Miami fan to realize that the emotion and stock that these kids put into this game is palpable. There’s this saying at The U that goes, “It’s a ‘Canes thing. You wouldn’t understand.” There are certainly elements that non-‘Canes wouldn’t pick up on like the exchange between alumni Calais Cambell and his younger brother Jared, the formerly-injured-and-not-fit-to-play Adawale Ojomo declaring, “It’s our time to shine,” and basketball player turned tight end Jimmy Graham proclaiming, “This is how it’s supposed to be!” The Hurricanes have had it rough since their last attempt at a national championship. The win over Oklahoma was the first sign since then that Miami was back and meant business.

I love this piece because anybody can see that something special was unfolding... I was just lucky enough to be there to capture it.

Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.  -Henri Cartier-Bresson

Go ‘Canes!

Tags: Miami, Miami Hurricanes, Panasonic, HMC 150, Oklahoma Sooners, College Football, The Miami Hurricane, University of Miami, The U, 'Canes