Jacksonville Jaguars
Role Player
Exclusive: A Day in the Life of NFL Award-Winning Photographer Logan Bowles
Source: https://www.bigcatcountry.com/gener...-fame-award-winning-photographer-logan-bowles
Logan Bowles with rookie Travis Hunter at the Jaguars’ Media Day
Logan Bowles did not have aspirations of becoming a professional photographer when he was younger. With a photography career spanning over a decade, he has created an impressive portfolio, featuring multiple pictures in the NFL Hall of Fame and international publications. Bowles strives to create something bigger than himself and the subject matter of his art, weaving together unspoken stories through his camera lens. The Jacksonville native and lifelong Jaguars fan gave me a glimpse into his world by allowing me to shadow him at the Jaguars’ Media Day, where he discussed his career and fandom.
With players set to arrive around 8:30, it was an early start to the day at EverBank Stadium. After checking in and making our way upstairs, Logan began to work. With over 20 media days under his belt, this is like second nature to him. Due to start times that run from 6 am to 11 am, preparation begins weeks in advance. The league sends a template of poses and the necessary shots to various outlets, including Fox, CBS, and NBC, to create graphics, ads, and social media posts. The template includes a style guide and technical specs. The list and research required for the non-Jacksonville teams is shorter, as Bowles aids in capturing every Jaguars player.
Since it is rare for a media day to go smoothly, he ensures that his cameras, camera batteries, and lenses are ready to go. After camera prep, testing lights and flashes, taping cords down, checking the laptop setup, and syncing both stations, we are prepared for the players to arrive. When center Robert Hainsey steps in front of the camera, the room comes alive. Despite a DJ and players screaming while recording hype videos behind the curtain, Bowles controls his station with prompts such as “smile, cross your arms, uncross your arms.” His research comes in handy when speaking to players who appear uncomfortable in front of the camera.
Asking questions about where they went to school, their families, and tattoos, the ease with which he creates rapport with players is that of a consummate professional. When talking with Logan, he stressed the importance of treating players like normal people and being personable so he can make them look as good as possible. As the day progresses, Bowles has captured pictures of 46 Jaguars, including Trevor Lawrence, Travis Hunter, Foye Oluokun, Josh Hines-Allen, Logan Cooke, and Brian Thomas Jr. Once the players are done, the shots are sorted into specific folders, containing both JPEG and raw images, for the teams and league to edit.
After experiencing his tenth Jaguars Media Day, Logan opened up about the man behind the camera. Despite wanting to be in the stands to offer support, he discovered a love for documenting and telling stories. Drawing inspiration from Duval County, Bowles has photographed nearly every sport imaginable, including football, soccer, basketball, skateboarding, surfing, softball, baseball, and a Call of Duty tournament at Disney. His diverse experience, the importance of continually learning, never settling, and ensuring that the following image is better than the last, along with the knowledge that there is always someone better behind him, prevents him from becoming complacent and pushes the constant evolution of his craft.
While the research and shots requested by the NFL for media day are similar to game day, there are some slight differences. Photographers arrive at the stadium a minimum of three hours early, except for bigger games like Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl, they arrive seven to eight hours early. When asked, the importance of staying locked in, knowing his medium, and making educated guesses was noted. The prep work, consisting of checking in and connecting, is more intense because a picture is transmitted from the camera to the desk in roughly 15 seconds, edited, and then posted within one minute. Images have to be chosen quickly, and the atmosphere can be chaotic. To personally prepare for the potential chaos, Bowles takes a quiet moment for himself, texts his mom, and refrains from eating beforehand.
Bowles never wants to let down the people who took a chance on him. While on the sidelines, Logan remains neutral and does not get emotionally invested. He’s there to capture moments and do a job. He stated that it is not hard to focus, that he was told early on by Paul Figura to disconnect and treat people with respect. It would be disrespectful not to treat his position as a job because it is his career, not a hobby. I asked if there were any misconceptions that he would like to address to those who consider professional photographers hobbyists, and he reiterated that it is a business. The NFL is a billion-dollar business that contracts him to shoot images. No matter the scale of recognition, from airports to trading cards, Logan Bowles thinks it is “always cool” to stumble across his work in the wild.
Atlanta holds a special place for Bowles. His first NFL picture was taken there; he has shot a Super Bowl, a National Championship, an SEC Championship, and the Chick-fil-A Bowl in the stadium. Part of his family lived in the city, and his two Hall of Fame pictures were captured in Atlanta. Logan was at home when he received a phone call from Canton, Ohio, informing him that his picture, “Take Off for Six”, had won the Action Category during the 50th Annual NFL Hall of Fame. To set himself up to catch Julio Jones diving, Bowles kneeled between two people by the pylon. His second Hall of Fame win, “Together As One” from the 2023 season, took home first place in the Feature Category. Like with the first win, he was confident that it was worth waiting to capture that moment because you can tell when something is good.
With the diversity of his craft, Bowles finds himself on the road often. This upcoming football season alone, he is scheduled to shoot roughly 50 games. One week requires him to travel to Baltimore on Thursday, Charlotte on Friday, and Jacksonville on Saturday. How does someone with that schedule manage to relax and achieve a work-life balance? When asked, Logan admitted that while he needs to be better at making that balance, he finds solace in watching sports, the movie Friday, and laughing with his friends. He noted that his favorite off-field moment was a road trip with his friend Travis for the Jaguars’ Divisional Round Playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023.
While he has photographed every Jaguars draft pick since 2016, Bowles was with Trevor Lawrence the night he was drafted, and flew back to Jacksonville with him on a private jet. Logan mentioned the character that Lawrence displayed and how humble he was. Bowles also had an encounter with Jags legends Fred Taylor and Mark Brunell after taking a red eye to London. The two were standing at the valet service when Logan stumbled out of his taxi. It was the first time he was on a first-name basis with Taylor. The conversation naturally flowed to Jags players past and present that get overlooked during the “greats of the franchise” conversation. Bowles nominated David Garrard, Rashean Mathis, Ross Matiscik, and Logan Cooke as names that are not discussed enough.
Before his mindset shifted from wanting to be a fan in the stands to preferring the sidelines, the lifelong Jaguars fan was a season ticket holder for seven seasons. With the vantage point that few have, he has witnessed the journey of the Jaguars from the franchise’s inception to today, both as a fan and a professional. Logan mentioned how loud The Bank was in 2023 while “Never Scared” by Bone Crusher played during the Wild Card Playoff game against the Chargers, and related that moment to how quiet the stadium was during the 2017 Patriots playoff game. Apparently, security fought each other after Fournette’s touchdown. With honorable mentions to 2010 and 2011, the 1999 season is his favorite to date, despite the Titans stealing the playbook being the Jacksonville conspiracy theory that he believes the most.
The Ron Artest Seattle Seahawks game brought back meaningful late-fall football for Logan. Does he think meaningful football is back? He highlighted the similarities between having real coaches and the opportunity for Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter to emulate Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, while noting that the vibes within the organization are different. He predicts Jacksonville will win the division.
What’s next for Logan Bowles? What goals does someone set when they are already highly accomplished? He is currently sitting at seven Super Bowls and hopes to reach ten. Logan has aspirations to win first place in the Overall category for the Hall of Fame, shoot the World Cup, the Masters, Ryder Cup, Olympics, and the Jumbo Shrimp. He’ll head back to London in a professional capacity, but regarding the Jaguars playing there every year, he doesn’t think the fans deserve to have a game taken away from them. To those looking to get into sports photography, Bowles suggests asking a lot of questions and being open to critiques. If you want to do it, find a way to make it happen. One Jaguars player stated that Bowles is the best, and I am inclined to agree.
Thank you Kam Nedd and the Jaguars for access to Media Day
Source: https://www.bigcatcountry.com/gener...-fame-award-winning-photographer-logan-bowles
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