This past December, I was invited to shoot photos at an Iowa Heartlanders game. As a huge hockey fan, I didn't hesitate to say yes. It was a chance not only to get on-ice experience but also to create some design work with my own photos afterwards!

Me freaking out because I am on the ice - photo by Johnny Jarnagin (thanks homie)

Being on the ice for one of my favorite teams was absolutely incredible. With plenty of experience in sports photography, I was able to adapt to the fast-paced, professional game relatively quickly. A huge shoutout to Johnny Jarnagin, a photographer for the Heartlanders, who showed me where to be and when. His guidance made a world of difference. The biggest upside to shooting hockey was how quickly I could run my shutter speed. The ice provided a natural brightness to the scene, which helped keep the images sharp. It was something I’d anticipated beforehand, and it turned out exactly as I imagined thankfully because those players move fast!

From being on the ice, hanging out with the players, meeting the entire production crew and learning the ropes of professional ice hockey photography, my experience was nothing short of incredible. Euphoric, even. I definitely had my fair share of fanboy moments. On the outside, I stayed professional, but on the inside, I was absolutely celebrating how cool the whole experience was.

A huge thank you to the Heartlanders crew for inviting me to hang out. Obviously, I had a blast, and it was an eye-opening look at what goes into professional sports operations. I would consider this a huge success!

Now, earlier I mentioned using my photos for design work, let’s dive into that! I’m a huge fan of creating sports graphics; they’re fun, dynamic, and adventurous. Below, you’ll find three of my designs. Experimenting with grid layouts, negative space, and overall composition it was a great learning experience.

These graphics weren’t commissioned directly by the Heartlanders, so I took some creative liberties, exploring different styles and techniques. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out my socials linked at the top of the page, and feel free to reach out via my contact page with any questions. - Judah Cooper

An Evening With The Heartlanders

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