Maverik Cascade LAX
There’s something about shooting on the hottest day of the year that pushes both you and your camera to the limit — and somehow, that’s exactly what makes the results so good.
This summer, I packed my gear and headed to Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, to photograph Maverik Cascade that turned into a full-on test of endurance. The forecast said “high of 101°F,” and it did not disappoint. The turf cooked us from the inside out, the air hung thick and heavy, and the sun blazed down on the Academy’s immaculate athletic fields like a spotlight you couldn’t escape.
The Setting: Classic New England meets Texas heat
Phillips Exeter is one of those places that seems to glow — even before you pull your camera out of the bag. The red-brick buildings, the sprawling greens, and the crisp white lines of the lacrosse field make it a dream location. But on this day, it was less about aesthetics and more about survival. Every few minutes, we ducked into the shade near the sideline to gulp water and wipe sweat from the lenses.
Still, the light was unreal. The kind of golden, hazy sunshine that makes every frame look cinematic. Shadows were sharp, reflections off helmets and sticks danced through the shots, and the athletes looked absolutely heroic against that blazing backdrop.
Capturing the Grit
There’s something about extreme heat that brings out real, raw emotion in athletes. You could see it in every drop of sweat on the players’ faces. The athletes energy didn’t falter — if anything, the intensity turned up as the sun reached its peak.
I leaned into that feeling for the shoot. Tight shots of focused eyes behind cages, wide angles that showed the heat waves rising off the turf, motion blur to capture the rhythm of the game — all of it told the story of what it means to give everything, even when the elements are stacked against you.
The Aftermath
By the time we wrapped, everyone was drenched in sweat and exhausted. There’s a unique satisfaction in finishing a shoot that tests you — not just creatively, but physically.
Back in the car, the AC blasting, I flipped through the shots on my camera and couldn’t help but grin. The sweat, the glare, the relentless summer light — it all came together to create something special.
That’s the beauty of photography: sometimes, the hardest conditions make for the most memorable images.
