2025-26 Rock M’mys: Best Photo

Voting closes Friday, July 31 astatine 10pm CST.

Here are nan nominees for Best Photo

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: Having ended his collegiate profession pinch a nonaccomplishment successful nan first information of March Madness, nan dejection is plain connected Jayden Stone’s face. Reporters successful nan locker room were clamoring to speak pinch him, which would beryllium frustrating for a photographer trying to get a cleanable image. I chose to sprout wider to see nan cameras, bringing much discourse to nan segment while nailing nan claustrophobia of being successful that locker room. (Side note: Jayden Stone asked maine to nonstop him that photograph aft nan game, and it’s now his floor plan photograph connected Instagram) —Dan Murphy

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: This photograph has a batch of backstory. Pictured and very blurry is Monica Wanjiku, a standout sophomore who was expected to suffice for nationals this past outdoor season. In a heartbreaking twist of destiny and femur, she suffered a knee wounded successful nan 10,000-meter title 2 days anterior and missed qualification by 3 places. She was incapable to flooded her wounded successful nan 5,000-meter race, pictured above, yet gave it her each while still managing a 28th-place decorativeness retired of 48. Coach Levermore has an outstanding narration pinch Monica, and arsenic specified is nan designated coach shouting her times and encouraging words. I turned down my shutter velocity slow capable that Monica would beryllium blurred, but conscionable accelerated capable that her shape could beryllium distinguished. Coach Levermore ever leans connected a fence, not moving while doing so, which useful perfectly pinch my prime of a slower shutter speed. —Dan Murphy

Mirror, Mirror, connected nan Ground, Who is nan Fastest Runner Around?

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: It’s Lasse! Lasse Funck was an absolute dainty to watch this season, and this changeable is conscionable 1 illustration of that. I emotion erstwhile tracks support their steeplechase pits open, arsenic it gives measurement to each sorts of imaginative shots utilizing nan reflections from nan water. The last rays of sunshine, nan yellowish flowers, and Lasse’s aureate azygous are contrasted perfectly pinch nan bluish from nan water, sky, and Drake University-colored track. —Dan Murphy

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES:

This image captures much than conscionable a swimmer racing done nan water; it turns nan accordant and harsh splashes into thing abstract. The detonation of h2o hides each portion of nan jock — we can’t moreover place her — isolated from for her aquatics headdress pinch nan salient Mizzou logo connected it, allowing nan spectator to attraction connected nan thousands of stiff droplets successful midair while still conveying nan athlete’s velocity and power. Capturing nan swimmer and nan situation astir her required observant camera settings and precise timing. Using a precocious shutter velocity preserved nan sharpness of nan water, creating nan illusion that it is some wholly still and perpetually successful motion. The last consequence you spot earlier you is an image that blends sports photography pinch my creator perspective. That’s 1 of nan things I emotion astir about sports photography. It allows you to extremity moments that hap excessively quickly for nan quality oculus to afloat appreciate. Sometimes nan astir creator images travel from simply paying attraction to nan specifications hidden wrong nan action. —Margo Jenkins

Put Your Game Faces On Boys, It’s Standoff Time

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES:

This photograph holds a typical meaning for maine because it captures 2 teams that person shaped my life successful different ways. Growing up successful Nashville, I spent years cheering for Vanderbilt, but since coming to nan University of Missouri, I’ve embraced being a Tiger done and through. Photographing these teams facing 1 different felt for illustration watching 2 of my homes meet connected nan aforesaid court.

Visually, I was drawn to nan infinitesimal erstwhile some teams people lined up almost perfectly arsenic they walked crossed nan tribunal together. The creation creates a consciousness of anticipation, almost for illustration a standoff earlier nan adjacent play. My eyes people move backmost and distant betwixt nan players, pursuing nan statement of achromatic Missouri jerseys to nan contrasting achromatic Vanderbilt jerseys. That opposition not only separates nan teams but besides builds hostility wrong nan frame. All of nan Vanderbilt players are looking astatine Missouri’s players, but not each of nan Tigers are looking back. To me, this makes nan image consciousness charged pinch emotion, reminding viewers that immoderate of nan astir compelling moments successful sports hap successful nan pauses successful betwixt games. —Margo Jenkins

Yin and Yang, But Make it Basketball

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: As I’ve said before, 1 of my favourite things astir photography is uncovering creation successful places wherever group aren’t expecting it. Basketball is afloat of patterns, balance, and movement, and this framework reminded maine of a yin and yang symbol. T.O. Barrett’s assemblage reaches effortlessly toward nan handbasket while nan Tennessee defender stretches successful nan other direction, creating 2 opposing shapes that someway fresh perfectly together. The opposition betwixt Missouri’s achromatic uniforms and Tennessee’s agleam orangish only adds to that ocular balance.

Barrett had an unthinkable crippled against Tennessee, and this image captures conscionable really ascendant he was. Even nan players successful nan inheritance look to extremity and watch, almost reacting nan aforesaid measurement nan crowd did. In that moment, everyone became a spectator. That’s what drew maine to this frame. It isn’t conscionable astir scoring a basket, it’s astir capturing a infinitesimal wherever everything other seems to pause. That’s what I emotion astir sports photography. Beyond documenting nan game, it lets maine find mini moments of creation hidden wrong nan competition. —Margo Jenkins

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: To get this photograph of Kaia Tanskanen, I decided to return advantage of warmups to effort shots I whitethorn not person different attempted. I’m ever looking to sprout tighter connected sports subjects, which tin beryllium difficult if you’re acold distant from them, but almost ever results successful amended photos than shooting ace wide. I tracked Tanskanen arsenic she ran down nan vault runway while staying tight connected her face, and I was capable to get her propelling disconnected nan springboard earlier getting to nan equine to complete her Pike Front Half. I yet nominated this photograph because of nan measurement we tin spot her eyes focusing connected nan equine while her fingers framework her eyes which, on pinch nan servants of nan state being successful framework up of her, provides much discourse to what she’s doing. —Hannah Henderson

Equipment used: Canon R5, Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Settings: shutter velocity 1/1600, ISO 3200, aperture f/2.8, focal magnitude 200mm

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: As you whitethorn aliases whitethorn not remember, location are 2 versions of this photo: 1 during nan time and this 1 taken astatine night. You really only get 1 effort astatine this photograph opportunity each crippled (granted, you tin return galore shots during nan full runout), truthful I knew I wanted to re-attempt it erstwhile I noticed a chap photographer’s knee successful nan area of nan champion photos from my first try. The 2nd clip went a batch better, and I really deliberation nan measurement nan fireworks guidelines retired against nan acheronian of nan entity make for a overmuch amended photograph than what I sewage during nan day. This photograph was chosen because I deliberation it really evokes that consciousness of being astatine nan crippled and nan pridefulness for nan Tigers and anticipation starring up to kickoff. —Hannah Henderson

Equipment used: Canon R5, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, Canon EF to RF adapter

Settings: shutter velocity 1/1000, ISO 8000, aperture f/2.8, focal magnitude 16mm

PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: This is different illustration of utilizing nan opportunity of repetitive moments to get imaginative while having patience for the moment. Much for illustration nan erstwhile photo, this photograph besides serves to showcase much of that gameday experience, but this 1 is much focused connected nan fans. Everyone knows what a quintessential Mizzou acquisition it is to singing on to “Mr. Brightside” pinch thousands of others adjacent to you. The cheering of nan fans, Truman spraying nan crowd and nan fireworks going disconnected astatine conscionable nan correct infinitesimal to capable nan framework connected nan other broadside of nan creation feels truthful perfectly Mizzou to me, which is why I selected it. —Hannah Henderson

Equipment used: Canon R7, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, Canon EF to RF adapter

Settings: shutter velocity 1/640, ISO 3200, aperture f/2.8, focal magnitude 16mm