Past Present Future
The Silver Eye Center of Photography was my neighbor when I had a studio in Pittsburgh’s South Side. I spent a lot of time there and absorbed as much photography as I could. The Silver Eye has a new home in the Garfield neighborhood and I’m please to announce that several photographs from Sixteen Sundays are currently part of Past, Present, Future at the Silver Eye Center for Photography in Pittsburgh PA. It’s the best place to see photography in Pittsburgh.
For more images from this project visit my personal blog or my photography portfolio.
PAST PRESENT FUTURE: WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA’S PEOPLE AND PLACES
JUNE 27 – AUGUST 19, 2017
Silver Eye Center for Photography
4808 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Another Division Title
It has been a while since I made it to a Steelers game, but I picked a great one to go to this year, game 16 versus the Bengals at Heinz Field. The winner would claim the AFC North title. Brisk but not to0 cold. I took a water taxi from downtown that took a little longer than usual. We made a pit stop on the river to pick up Rod Woodson from another party boat. “Just don’t drop him in the river,” called the captain while he maneuvered the two boats together. I’d been out on the river before, but never in December, and coming up on Heinz Field from the river at night felt like something out of this world. The glow from a massive structure of the stadium, the cloud of steam in the atmosphere and the twinkling lights of the bridges gleaming on the water made it look like something from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Noises echoed off the water: stadium announcements, tailgating music, a marching band rehearsing, and the random scream of excitement of someone pumped up for the game.
Sixteen Sundays began because I saw a community experiencing the same moments. It was a realization that the spectacle at each game takes place around the field, not always on it. As much as I try to just watch and enjoy the game, I am drawn to turn around and look at the faces in the crowd; to witness there shared or opposing emotions. After a hiatus from photographing Steelers games, I decided to take this opportunity to shoot with my iPhone. Though the manner of capture is different, the scenes of intensity, excitement, disappointment, and anticipation are still the same as they were ten years ago when I started photographing games. It’s still a thrill.
The highlights of the game included Antonio Brown’s punt return for a touchdown. The sad news was the injury to Le’Veon Bell which may have cost the Steelers any hope in the playoffs. But for one night in Pittsburgh, there was excitement and hope of a Super Bowl run.
Steelers defeat Bengals 27 – 17
Steelers are AFC North Division Champions
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- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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- Captain, Miss Pittsburgh
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- Heinz Field from the Allegheny River
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- Band performance pre-game
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- Steeler Elvis/Santa
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- Father and son
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- Heinz Field
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- Slow reaction to Bell injury. Heinz Field
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- Worry
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- Crowd reaction to Antonio Brown punt return for a touchdown
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- Double exposure of crowd
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- AFC North Champions
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- View of Pittsburgh at night from the North Shore
Sixteen Sundays Reborn
Image Caption: Kickoff. Steelers vs. Titans. Heinz Field 2005.
As we kick off the 2013 NFL season, I give you Sixteen Sundays – Reborn. Here you will find the journals and photo archives of a project that documented the passion of the Steeler Nation, and revealed the experience of being a fan of the great Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sixteen Sundays started almost ten years ago. In the middle of the 2003 season I took my first few photographs of Steelers fans. Since that time a lot has happened. Ben Roethlisberger was drafted. Hines Ward cried. The Steelers visited Detroit and Bettis got his hometown super bowl ring. They brought the Lombardi trophy home to an enormous Pittsburgh crowd. Chiodo’s Tavern in Homestead had last call. Coach Tomlin replaced Coach Cowher. The Steelers visited Tampa and won another Lombardi trophy. I moved to Texas. The Triple Dueces closed. We lost Myron Cope. The Steelers visited Arlington, Texas and lost. Ben Roethlisberger got married. Players have come and gone. North Shore hotels, amphitheaters, tunnels, and T stations have replaced once open tailgating spaces. And soon the Pirates will be in the post-season. During all of that I photographed the Steeler Nation.
From 2004 to 2008 I regularly posted my journals and photographs from the project. In 2009 I moved to Texas, but it wasn’t until late 2010 that I finally sold my house in Shadyside and closed my photography studio in Pittsburgh’s South Side. In 2010 I focused on editing the thousands of photographs and preparing a mockup of a photo book. I redesigned the website and readied it for a new launch. Book proposals where submitted to publishers and everything was ready for lightning to strike when the Steelers made it to Super Bowl XLV in 2011. It seemed the only thing I needed was one more win and certainly my book would be published. I thought about everything that might be riding on the outcome of the Super Bowl while I sat in the nosebleed seats at Cowboys Stadium and watched the Steelers lose to the Packers. I thought about it all the way back to the car. When I got to the parking lot I found out my car battery had died from tailgating all day. This is the moment I thought I was done. And so the relaunch of Sixteen Sundays never happened.
Sixteen Sundays was always meant to be shared with the Steeler Nation, returned as it were to the people who welcomed me in. Now that I’ve had a chance to step back and look at the big picture it is time to share the experiences of the past Sixteen Sundays with the future. I might be done photographing this project, but I hope these photographs will ignite your own passion for the Steelers, and strengthen your faith.
Go Steelers.
KFS
Please support the project by buying photographs.
Super Bowl but the frito pie was better
Super Bowl XLV was the event that everybody came to North Texas for, but I think the memory of the tailgate is what I’ll choose to remember. Four friends came to Austin Saturday night to join me en route to Arlington for the Super Bowl. After a night of Guero’s tacos and beer tastings at the Gingerman, we left Austin at 7AM Sunday Morning. It’s an easy three and a half hour drive to Arlington, but we still happened to misplace the maps I printed. We still made our way to Jerry’s house, which looks like Darth Vadar dropped a death star right into the earth. And it turns out the storm troopers are very inefficient about their security screening.
Pittsburgh’s goin to the Super Bowl
On the day of the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh, I woke up at 4AM Sunday morning and packed the last of my things: backup terrible towel, extra jersey, and a few more hand warmers just in case. As I drove to the Austin airport for my 6AM flight to Memphis, I thought about how empty the roads were and how the only other people active in the city were at a 24 hour Whataburger somewhere eating taquitos before turing in after a long night at the bars. I would only be gone for 24 hours, but my suitcase had four layers of clothes and insulated boots so I had to check a duffle bag. I did however put my jersey and Terrible Towel in my backpack just in case the bag was lost. Anything else I could find upon arrival. I wore a black t-shirt that just said Steelers with an older NFL logo. There was at least one other woman on the flight going to the game. (more…)
A Guide for the Converted Steelers Fan
In honor of my friend John who is going to his first Steelers game (a Playoff game no less) I have decided to write a few guidelines for him.
Welcome to the Steelers Nation. Whether you were born a Steelers fan or not there are a few rules I’ve picked over the years that you should know before your first trip to Heinz Field:
1. Always wear black and gold.
2. Be in your seat before kickoff. Tailgating is fun, but your here to see a football game, not a party.
3. Never leave before the game ends.
4. Be loud on defense. It is a disadvantage to opposing offenses.
5. Be quiet on offense. As they say, “Ben at Work.”
6. Always bring a terrible towel. It is the banner of the Steeler Nation.
7. When traveling bring an extra terrible towel. The best way to spread good karma is to give a Terrible Towel to someone who doesn’t have one at an away game.
8. Believe.
Semi-Optional:
* Don’t Tuck in your jersey.
* Avoid customized named jerseys unless you actually played for the Steelers. “D. Sanchez” is funny for a few seconds, after that I count it among the fake jerseys.
Halloween in NOLA
This Halloween the Steelers visited the Saints in New Orleans. So did I. The Saints are my other black and gold team and NFC favorite. I went to college in New Orleans in 1991 during the Saints best start, 7-0 Cha-ching. After college I worked for the Louisiana Superdome. My wife and I got married in New Orleans and it has always been a second home for us. But somewhere along the way, I made a choice that the Steelers were my team. Under any other circumstances I would have rooted for the Saints, but a man has to take sides.
When the schedule was announced I booked my tickets and told my New Orleans friend to save me a ticket for the game. I waited until the day before the game though to tell him that I would be wearing my Steelers jersey to the Dome. I kept rival banter low key. I wanted a good game, but I was rooting for the Steelersto win. I got harassed a little. I was thanked for my tourism dollars and told to expect a whooping by everyone I met. But no real threats. Everyone has a good time in New Orleans and they are tolerant of non-division fans. I had a good time, but the Steelers didn’t walk away with the win.
Saints fans were a little surprised to see all the Steelers fans, but they were very loud. Privately I felt a little proud to hear the Superdome roar for their team. It wasn’t long ago they wore bags on their heads for shame.
I hope to see the Saints again in Dallas for the Super Bowl. That game has the possibility of ending a few friendships though.
Dummy books hot off the press
I am very excited to actually hold an advance copy of the dummy books. With the help of Verve Editions, The Grillo Group, Ashleigh Peterson and others, I have been able to realize the end vision of Sixteen Sundays in Book form. The dummy book shows a great example of the images, text, design and size of the proposed book. I had to make some production decisions based on a small run but it is a tangible object that serves its purpose. Here are a few images of the book in its current form.
For more images see the Book Preview.
If you are a publisher interested in seeing a maquette, please contact Kevin Sweeney.
If you or your company are interested in sponsoring the book or exhibition, please request a sponsor packet.
Journal Archives Posted
Sixteen Sundays has been dormant for a long time, but the Archives have been saved so that the people I photographed can still have the opportunity to find their photos. I have kept the Journal entries as a sort of chronicle of the project, but now that the book is gaining form, I sort of laugh when I go back and read the early entries.
To view the Journals entries and find photographs from 2004, 2005, and 2008 seasons visit Journal Archives under the Blog menu.
Yoi! Color Photographs?
Sixteen Sundays in its final form has always been envisioned as black and white photography. That’s my style of documentary photography. Before I ever took a single color photograph, I was asked for color versions of my previous work. They don’t exist so don’t ask, but after I finished the bulk of shooting, I couldn’t stop. I still shoot film, but on occasion, I bring my digital camera to document. These photographs exist in the archives because there are several people that asked for copies for their personal collections. It does seem a little strange to see these in color, but they are a descriptive document of the times.
Vist the photo gallery of Color Candids.