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CANTON, OHIO – Anticipation and natural light "sent from heaven above" combined to create the right conditions to capture the shot chosen as the best image submitted for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's annual photo contest associated with the 2024 National Football League season.
Bryce Todd, a photographer for the Los Angeles Rams working the team's game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 17, 2024, submitted "Air Puka" in the Hall's 57th annual photo contest, and the panel of judges declared it the winner of the 2024 Dave Boss Award of Excellence as the photograph of the year.
"Air Puka" shows Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua fully airborne and extended to make a touchdown catch near the front corner of the end zone. Sunlight in the stadium, some of it reflecting off stadium windows, created a near-halo effect around Nacua and long shadows.
"It's all about the light," the judges said in summarizing their choice for the Dave Boss Award. "Also, the background is clean for an NFL stadium, and every other player is in the dark. The photographer clearly planned for this play, but everything had to go right – and it did."
Todd acknowledged that his experience with the team provided an assist.
"It's a shot I've prepared for," he said. "By shooting practices and in the offseason, you become knowledgeable of where a play might go. I had a feeling the ball would come to that side. Luckily, Matthew (Stafford) and Puka did what they do."
As Todd positioned himself along the right sideline deep in the end zone prior to the snap, he noticed the specialness of the midafternoon sun.
"The lighting was sent from heaven above. The way the sun was reflecting off the windows at Gillette, I've never seen anything quite like it," he said. "The shooting was my skill, but the lighting was a gift."
A New York native and graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York, Todd completed his second season with the Rams. He earned a business degree at RPI, with photography mainly serving as a hobby until he got more serious about the craft and landed an internship with the New York Yankees. He said he knew when entering the contest that "Air Puka" offered his best chance at placing.
"That was my money shot," he said. "If I retire now, this was my drop-the-mic shot – the best I've ever gotten and maybe ever will get, although I'm going to keep at it."
The Dave Boss Award of Excellence is named for the former vice president of publishing and creative services for the National Football League. The Hall of Fame's prestigious contest is open to professional photographers on assignment to cover NFL games. Photos taken during the 2024 NFL season, from the preseason through Super Bowl LIX, were eligible.
Todd's entry was the first-place winner in the Action category.
