Super Bowl Dream Comes True For Boston Photographer
BOSTON (CBS) - It's a Super Bowl challenge, to capture the action, excitement, speed and emotion of the biggest game around. And for a Boston photographer it's a first, and the best possible assignment.
With hundreds of people shooting the game, Maddie Meyer is one of the few women who will have a seat at the table, and what a view she'll have.
There's no drama that can match the passion of high stakes sports. And for Maddie Meyer, the latest challenge is capturing the thrill of a Super Bowl contest. "Being a sports photographer, that's the big assignment you want, is the Super Bowl. It's the biggest event we have," Maddie says.
We caught up to her while she was shooting the Beanpot tournament at the TD Garden in Boston. Maddie works for Getty Images, a wire service that delivers photos to news outlets in 200 countries. Her regular gig is to cover Boston sports.
"The Celtics, the Bruins, the Red Sox and the Patriots. And it's been really great," she says. "It's not too difficult to take an OK sports picture, but it's really tough to be great at it, and that's what all of us are pushing for, that iconic picture that's really an exciting, different view."
Maddie is one of 10 Getty photographers assigned to Super Bowl 50, and the only woman. "Hopefully, I think someday soon, there are a lot more women showing interest, and in years down the line you're going to see more women on the sidelines," she predicts.
Her spot on the Super Bowl sidelines is the best. "I will be sitting in a seat in the end zone. I will be in the first row," she says.
But she'll be working every instant. "Throughout the game we take about 50,000 pictures, which is a lot! Something about the Super Bowl is that every little thing can be so important, and it comes down to the very last second, as we saw last year. And that's why we shoot it really more heavily than we would something for the regular season because you never know what's going to be the important play of the game," she says.
And get this. Maddie's camera will have an Ethernet connection so within 180 seconds of her taking the shot, her photo will be on the internet.
Don't miss the Super Bowl on WBZ-TV on Sunday. Kickoff is 6:30pm.
