This was an unexpected opportunity -- as a fashion photographer, it's a little unusual for me to be involved in the professional sports world! This was a bit of a departure from the Devils' usual aesthetic for media day: we went in a trendier, funkier direction than the average "athlete" portrait. On a personal note, I'm a huge hockey fan! My favorite team is the San Jose Sharks, not only because it's my hometown team, but also because I grew up enjoying their ups and downs together with my dad. We'd go to a game together every year for his birthday, and I continue that tradition to this day. If you've ever been curious about how NHL Media Day works, I'm happy to summarize it for you: early start, long day, busy athletes. Not only is each player (read: EACH! player) photographed for their official portrait, filmed for all stadium graphics, and informed of media responsibilites; they are also at the mercy of the social media team's whim of silly TikTok trends, being weighed and measured by the medical personnel, and running between rooms to film all sorts of different media, changing in and out of full gear and skates. This particular assignment was a part of the social team's needs for the upcoming year. They designed the graphics you see behind the players, built the set, and brought me on board. I encouraged players to have fun, enjoy themselves, and have a laugh, which gave us some really fun personalities shining through! Due to the constraints of media day, I had between 1-2 minutes with each athlete, so we had to act fast. I did get a little more time with NJ Devil 😜