Featured Photographer: Nikki Verbakel

For many sports photographers, the NFL is widely considered the most competitive sporting competition of them all, and to capture a game is a dream few will ever realise.

And yet remarkably, one diminutive Brisbane photographer has made her name as a pitchside shooter at some of the biggest pro football games in the US and UK.

From capturing amateur games with a point-and-shoot to the pinnacle of US sport, this is Nikki Verbakel’s story.

Australian Photography: Your journey in photography is pretty incredible. How does one go from amateur games in Australia to the NFL?

Nikki Verbakel: It all started 13 years ago in Melbourne, when my husband, Aaron, started playing American Football again with the Pakenham Silverbacks and I wanted to take photos of him playing. I started with a little Canon PowerShot, something cheap back then, and began learning.

I started taking photos of other senior teams, juniors, and women’s, and I became friends with another photographer, Barend Van Den Hoek, who is the current photographer for Gridiron Victoria. I began following him around, shadowing him and learning as much as I could over the next couple of years, whilst upgrading my equipment. I even started playing myself for Melbourne University women’s team.

Later, we moved to Queensland where Aaron started playing for the Moreton Bay Raptors and once again, I started taking photos of the team.

I noticed there weren’t many photographers covering the games in Queensland, and I quickly built a strong following, where, over the next few years I started doing the State team photos at National Tournaments, Sun Bowls and everything else, travelling at my own cost across the country to shoot for Gridiron Queensland.

In 2019, I signed with a media company that said they could get me accreditation to shoot NFL games in New York, however when I got there, it turned out they couldn’t get me the needed accreditations, so I made a few calls to some local high schools and colleges and got to shoot for Wagner College V Penn State on Statton Island and Union High School in New Jersey. 

AP: How did you get to shoot the NFL?

NV: In January 2023, the NFL was running a competition for a trip to the Superbowl for an Australian and a New Zealand fan. My husband Aaron nominated me, and I won the Australian prize!

It was so exciting, and a dream come true to go to the Superbowl. It was here I made connections with the NFL, and in particular, Charlotte Offord, GM of the NFL Asia/Pacific.

In October 2023, Aaron and I decided to go to the UK for a holiday to see some of his family, and I contacted Charlotte and asked what the chances of shooting at some of the games would be while I was there.

Charlotte, who was invaluable and aware of the work I had done, arranged for me to shoot two games, the first being the Buffalo Bills V The Jacksonville Jaguars and then two weeks later, the Baltimore Ravens V the Tennessee Titans.

Previously, I had already reached out to the San Francisco 49ers, who, after checking my credentials with Charlotte, were happy to have me come and shoot a game the following month, however when I got home, I contracted Covid and lost my hearing for two months, so that trip had to be postponed until 2024.

AP: You have now worked with the NFL for a couple of years. What are the challenges in working at large-scale events like this?

NV: In London, aside from a select few photographers, everyone else must shoot from behind the barrier on the sideline, which can be difficult, as you have a whole team, including coaches and support staff on the sidelines.

No one is allowed to shoot from behind the goal posts, or endzone. So, you need to be constantly following play and get the shots when you can – it’s not easy. However, in San Francisco, due to the size of the stadium, I could pretty much go anywhere I wanted to.

Shooting in San Francisco was different. I was contacted by the 49ers Head of Photography, Terrell Lloyd, and we had a Zoom call where he wanted to know more about me, what I had done and what I wanted to achieve in my time there.

I was nervous prior to the call, and I didn’t know how I would be received. There were also the issues around having to learn the team’s protocols and procedures for game day.

But once I arrived, I was welcomed by everyone, from Terrell to other photographers. The media outlets, the players, administration staff, coaches, and everyone treated me so wonderfully and welcomed me so much that I felt like the Niners were one big family.

AP: What do you look for in a sports photograph?

NV: I look for a few things. Obviously in sports there’s the action and drama, which you’re trying to capture, but I also try to focus on the emotion of the players during the play. For me, the emotion in someone’s face can tell a story as well.

AP: Tell us about your workflow, from shooting, editing and getting the work out there, what’s your process?

NV: As I am an independent shooter, my process is different from the photographers that work for media organisations. My task is simple, I take the photos, edit post-game, and distribute the photos to where I need them to go, such as on social media.

However, media photographers do it differently, they shoot, edit and transmit on the go. Some send them to their phones that sends them straight out or at half time, or they go to the media room, where they edit and send images back to their newspapers, magazines or socials – it’s instant.

I even noticed at some stadiums there are ports on the sideline where photographers can connect their laptops and send their photos off immediately. It’s impressive, but at this stage my process is much simpler than their needs. 

AP: Can you share with us your set up? What do you shoot on?

NV: I use a Canon R6 and a Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, as well as a 24-70mm Canon f/2.8 lens.

When I was in San Francisco, I borrowed a Canon R3 from photographer Jim Walker who also taught me a lot, as I found I needed more versatility. An R3 of my own is on the shopping list – one day!

AP: Of your NFL experience thus far, what is your most memorable photograph?

NV: I’ve taken a few photos that I like, however what I really like to capture is the players pre-game, during warm up and especially when the anthems are played. You can really see the emotion on their faces and what it means to them to be there playing in the NFL.

There’s a famous photo by Australian photographer Cameron Spencer of Usain Bolt competing in a race and he looks over to his competitor while smiling. I would love to take a shot like that one day!

AP: You have already done what many would dream of in reaching the NFL, so what’s next for you in advancing your photography career?

NV: I would like to able to do more NFL photography in the future, but it’s hard living in Australia. Trying to gain more experience and opportunities in Australian pro sport is one my prime goals for now.

AP: What advice do you have for those wanting to break into sports photography?

NV: Everything I have done so far; I have done off my own back. From my equipment to my travel, it’s cost me a great deal of time and money to pursue my passion and my dream.

I don’t have sponsors or sponsorships, but I do have generous followers that support my GoFundMe campaigns, which helps a little with travel costs.

I think a new photographer must be prepared for the reality that you are going to need to spend money, even while you are still learning.

I also didn’t wait for things to come to me. I went out there, took chances and backed myself with the support of my husband. It’s a long, hard road that I am still on, and young people must be prepared for that when considering a career in photography, not to be blinded by the lights of these epic events and understand there is a mountain of hard work to go through. In the end, you still may not get there.

I have had some great opportunities that have given me unforgettable experiences, but at the same time my husband and I have worked our backsides off with full-time jobs, weekend jobs and not to mention all the field work, photographing games, editing and travelling, and all at my own cost.

But I love it, it’s my passion. You’ve just got to be prepared to do the hard yards, build a network of contacts and find some mentors if you can.

AP: What would be your dream sporting event to shoot, your holy grail?

NV: Easy, a Superbowl! But I also love AFL as well, so an AFL Grand Final would be another great event, maybe even a State of Origin, but I have a long way to go before I get there. I’m still learning, developing and growing as a photographer.

That said, the Olympics is coming to Brisbane in 2032, so who knows what could happen by then. Ultimately, I would love the opportunity to work for a professional sporting team. Growing up in Melbourne I was an obsessive Collingwood fan, so one day, maybe, working for them would be unreal. ❂

To see more of Nikki’s work, check out Touchdown Photography on Instagram @touchdown_photography.