A photograph can be powerful. It possesses the ability to capture the raw emotion of a singular moment and preserve an otherwise fleeting snippet of time, all while telling a story in the process.
With the dawn of a new season nearly here, let's take one final look at the 2025 campaign through the lens of Chiefs' Director of Photography Steve Sanders, whose team – which includes eight total photographers – captured approximately 700,000 photos in 2025.
Over the last several weeks, Sanders challenged the two newest members of his staff to whittle down their "top shots" album from 1,100 photos, ultimately assembling the staff's best 10 photos of the year.
Here's a look at all 10, along with commentary from Sanders.
No. 10 – "All in the Details"
Setting: Week 18 at Las Vegas
The Subject: Tight end Travis Kelce's jersey hangs in the locker room prior to Kansas City's season-finale at Las Vegas.
Taken By: Steve Sanders
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R1
Focal Length: 43 mm
Exposure Time: 1/320
Aperture: f/4.5
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "This frame was taken during our last game of the year. At that time, we weren't really sure yet if Travis was going to come back or not, so we really tried to focus on all of the details of his day," Sanders said. "This is his jersey in the locker room pre-game. We try to get in there and shoot every game, but we wanted to try some different things with this one. We almost turned it into a full studio shoot in the locker room ahead of time, and really just tried to capture the whole essence of the No. 87 jersey."
Q: How much of your role is trying to think ahead and proactively cover these potential moments?
Steve Sanders: "Part of my job as a team photographer is I'm essentially a historian for the team," Sanders said. "I'm documenting everything that happens week in and week out. You're trying to find storylines with the players, whether it's their first game or their last game. You want to make sure you capture those details that tell that story."
No. 9 – "All a Blur"
Setting: Week 2 vs. Philadelphia
The Subject: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes waits in the tunnel ahead of pre-game runouts.
Taken By: Kyle Rivas
Camera Model: Sony ILCE-9M3
Focal Length: 16 mm
Exposure Time: 1/20
Aperture: f/13
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "With covering a team like this, you get a lot of repetitive events. Runouts are going to happen every week, and most games have a similar flow, so you have to challenge yourself to look at things from a different perspective," Sanders said. "Kyle always brings a unique perspective to the game. He likes to incorporate a lot of filters into his original imagery when he's taking the photograph, so this is a rear curtain flash with a slow shutter, which allows a lot of the blur effect to go on through the frame. It has a little flash at the end that freezes a little bit of the motion to give you a focal point, but the way that the color passes through across the frame makes it a really interesting image."
Q: Even without the blur, how difficult is it to capture a clean image in the tunnel?
Steve Sanders: "It poses a ton of challenges. You have a full stop – an eight or nine stop range – from the outdoor sun to the indoor darkness underneath the canopy, plus you have all the tint of the red cover that comes through," Sanders said. "So, you have a color balance issue and a light deficit issue, so you really have to have a high skill level to capture a good frame inside the tunnel."
No. 8 – "Contested"
Setting: Week 7 vs. Las Vegas
The Subject: Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton attempts to make a contested catch deep down the field.
Taken By: Sam Lutz
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R1
Focal Length: 400 mm
Exposure Time: 1/2,500
Aperture: f/2.8
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "Tyquan had a ton of long catches last year, and this is one that was really well-contested. It's a compelling football image because the ball isn't quite in his hands yet, and the defender has an arm in there – it's really a good photograph for both teams," Sanders said. "It's also more about the photograph than it is about what happened with the play – I actually can't remember if this was caught or not – but the timing of the photograph allows the viewer to wonder about the outcome. It's right at that peak action moment, which is so challenging to catch. You have two faces and the ball, you can't ask for anything more."
Q: This photo has so many little details. How difficult is it to capture a frame like this?
Steve Sanders: "This photo was taken on the north side of the stadium, so it's back-lit, and that adds another element of difficulty," Sanders said. "You have to work a little harder to get your color right in-camera, you have to manage your exposure for the light under the helmets, and there's a ton of detail in here. You see the grass kicking up, for example. The background is really nice with the short aperture. He hit all of the elements to make a great photograph."
Q: Among the photographers on your staff, how do you ensure that each one of them is ready for a moment like this?
Steve Sanders: "As a staff, we try to work as a team. We strategically place photographers in all four corners of the stadium, so they always potentially have action coming toward them," Sanders said. "We don't ask one person to cover the whole field or move around a ton, but make sure you get all of the photographs that come into your space."
No. 7 – "Denied"
Setting: Week 4 vs. Baltimore
The Subject: Linebacker Drue Tranquill breaks up a pass at the line of scrimmage.
Taken By: Steve Sanders
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R1
Focal Length: 280 mm
Exposure Time: 1/3,200
Aperture: f/3.2
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "As we were looking through all the photos, one of the things that kept bringing us back to this one was that it's a full-length, action photo," Sanders said. "A lot of times, you just have to be in the right place at the right time, and have a little luck involved to capture something that's full length down the middle of the field, and especially something like this. To capture somebody knocking down a pass, you have to be lucky enough that you're focused on the right person as the quarterback releases the ball. The amount of times that a pass deflection happens at the line of scrimmage is slim, and to get a play like this in a critical time in the game was a win for the photo team."
Q: I imagine this is one of several frames. How many photos do you take when you hit the button?
Steve Sanders: "I like to set up my camera so that it shoots 30 frames a second, so it's a little faster than a video camera, but I try not to use the whole burst," Sanders said. "I try to shoot in 10 to 12-frame bursts every time I push the button."
Q: What's the advantage of shooting from a low angle like this?
Steve Sanders: "I like to spend a lot of my time shooting from a ground position, so one or two knees down, so I can get as low as I can, and as I'm shooting through the scene, my background becomes the fans more than the field," Sanders said. "It also allows you to get up into the eyes of the athletes. If you're higher, you sometimes miss that perspective."
No. 6 – "Denied at the Goal Line"
Setting: Week 5 at Jacksonville
The Subject: The Chiefs' defense forces a fumble at the goal line in a prime-time matchup at Jacksonville.
Taken By: Jacob Rice
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R3
Focal Length: 153 mm
Exposure Time: 1/2,000
Aperture: f/2.8
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "This was a great game, and this was a major moment," Sanders said. "Nick Bolton came through as Trevor Lawrence was diving over the pile to try and score. Between he and Leo Chenal, the ball came flying out – as you can see in the top corner. It was a huge moment in the game."
Q: Jacob was one of your seasonal photographers last year. How satisfying is it, as a teacher, to see him capture such a great photograph in a major moment?
Steve Sanders: "As the ball gets closer to the goal line, you're limited on the space and where the play could take place, so as you get in this situation, you're really thinking as an offensive or defensive coordinator," Sanders said. "What could possibly happen here? What are the tendencies? I try to convey that to seasonals every year, and Jacob hit it right here. He was in the right spot at the right time, and he caught a big moment in the game."
No. 5 – "In the Spotlight"
Setting: Week 8 vs. Washington
The Subject: Wide receiver Xavier Worthy dances in the tunnel as part of pre-game runouts.
Taken By: Steve Sanders
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R1
Focal Length: 135 mm
Exposure Time: 1/320
Aperture: f/7.1
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "We have a new runout system this year with the arrowheads, the LED lights and a lot of smoke, but one of the things that makes this super challenging is this end of the field is extremely dark during this portion of the event," Sanders said. "So, we decided that we had to find a way to light these athletes if we were going to get any pictures besides silhouettes. Well, one thing that you see across different sports – especially arena sports – is they put up strobe lights in the ceiling. I went and talked to one of our lighting providers, and we were able to come up with a solution to mount some strobe lights in the club level – 300 feet or so away from the field – and trigger these remotely. As the players were coming out, we were able to get some great frames."
Q: If a strobe lit this frame, how quick was this moment?
Steve Sanders: "It's the blink of an eye – something like a 2,000th of a second," Sanders said. "There are so many pieces that have to come together to get this one moment. It's dark, so you really can't see. You have to focus. There are so many pieces of technical luck that have to come together. I love how the light just cascades across the frame. The LEDs and the fog all kind of work together with the natural light on the set. It all just worked."
No. 4 – "Take a Knee"
Setting: Week 5 at Jacksonville
The Subject: Offensive guard Trey Smith has a moment to himself in the locker room prior to Monday Night Football.
Taken By: Jacob Rice
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R3
Focal Length: 15 mm
Exposure Time: 1/80
Aperture: f/3.5
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "This is a unique moment. A lot of times, we're not anywhere near the locker room prior to the game, but in Jacksonville, the way that our camera storage room is set up, it's right on the side of the locker room," Sanders said. "So, you have to go in and out of these doors, and prior to the game, Jacob was swapping his batteries when he happened along this moment of Trey taking a moment before he went out to the field. There are so many elements in this photo that work. There's the signage, the room had the dark carpet, we're in the white uniforms, and after initially seeing it in color, I thought it just had so many great tones, and we could make a great black and white image. I don't think we have any other frames like this from any other game last season."
Q: Following up on that, what went into the decision to make this black and white?
Steve Sanders: "When you decide to make a photo black and white, it has to speak to you a little bit," Sanders said. "Everybody has a different thought in their mind when they see a black and white photo – it gives it a certain feel. So, if I have an opportunity to turn an image black and white, I think it really adds a lot of depth and makes the viewer think about it a little bit more."
Q: What does this say about Jacob's ability to be ready at a moment's notice?
Steve Sanders: "He had his camera ready to go," Sanders said. "When you're technically ready and things happen in front of you, you can always get a great frame."
No. 3 – "Rockets' Red Glare"
Setting: Week 6 vs. Detroit
The Subject: Fireworks stream above GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium ahead of Sunday Night Football.
Taken By: Sam Lutz
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R3
Focal Length: 39 mm
Exposure Time: 00:06
Aperture: f/5
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "Sam has a background in video – he works baseball games for the Royals – and he's super creative," Sanders said. "We refer to these things called "Baseball Skies." He'll be over shooting baseball, and he'll come up with these amazing scenic photos. So, whenever we know there's something going on and it could be cool, we ask Sam to go outside and take a photo. He'll pick a spot based on what's going on that night. For this one, it looks like he found a high point – he could even be in the back of a truck – and he comes back with these amazing fireworks pictures. He incorporates a lot of neutral density into his photography, whether he's doing a field blur or a night shot like this, to really bring down the exposure and to allow the fireworks to streak through the sky. I can always count on him, once or twice a season, to come back with an image that I'm just amazed by. This is definitely one of those images."
Q: Considering how quickly this moment happened, how difficult is it to manage this level of detail in a photograph?
Steve Sanders: "I think it's extremely hard. Fireworks photography is one of those things where it takes a special knowledge to do it successfully," Sanders said. "Anybody can look up in the sky and take a photo of a firework exploding. You'll get a dark sky and a bright firework, but this has so many elements going on. There's the red glow on the cars and the stadium lights beaming down – there's so much detail. It's such a fun photograph."
No. 2 – "Chasing the Light"
Setting: Week 15 vs. Los Angeles
The Subject: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes eludes a defender in a divisional matchup against Los Angeles.
Taken By: Steve Sanders
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R1
Focal Length: 400 mm
Exposure Time: 1/6,400
Aperture: f/3.5
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "This time of year allows for some really cool light as the players are running toward the shadows, and one unique thing about our stadium is we have a shadow that moves from south to north directly and evenly across the field throughout the game," Sanders said. "You have to prepare for both, but you have to choose if you're going to shoot for the sun or the shade, and this is one of those photographs where Patrick was rolling out – and he's in the sun – but the closer he got to me, there was more and more shade creeping up from the bottom. I just think he was in the perfect spot here to chase the light as the ball is lit, his face is lit, and it's coming across the jersey as the bottom half falls off into shadow. It's just a fun photograph. The background is clean. The fans are glowing because they're in the sun. I just like the highlights and shadows."
No. 1 – "Play Ball!"
Setting: Week 3 at New York
The Subject: Head Coach Andy Reid smiles at the camera as fireworks explode in the distance.
Taken By: Steve Sanders
Camera Model: Cannon EOS R1
Focal Length: 20 mm
Exposure Time: 1/1,250
Aperture: f/4
Commentary:
Q: Tell us about this photo?
Steve Sanders: "There is nothing special about this photograph, but every time I look at Coach Reid in this photo, it just makes me smile," Sanders said. "He's like the umpire at the beginning of a baseball game yelling, 'Play ball!' The fireworks are going off behind him, which makes it fun, and he has this expression that just makes me smile."
Q: How close were you when you took this?
Steve Sanders: "I'm right there – we're maybe three feet apart. I'm down low looking up," Sanders said. "We've built a strong relationship over the years. I believe he trusts me to capture these moments and to be in his space."
