Perfect lighting conditions at the Cowboys' $1.2 billion stadium produce the best photos in football

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November 6, 2017 7:47 PM

The combination of the late-afternoon game and a southwest-facing end zone produced an incredible lighting effect inside the stadium.

It is midseason in the NFL, and that means it is time for what has become an underappreciated annual tradition in the NFL — the gorgeous photos produced at Dallas Cowboys home games thanks to the perfect lighting.

The conditions for the incredible photos are best when the Cowboys play a mid-season, late-afternoon home game. The low October or November sun, and a southwest-facing end zone that is covered in large windows, combine to produce a lighting effect inside the stadium that seems to spotlight specific players and give the field a warm glow.

Here are some of the best photos taken over the last three seasons by the Associated Press, Getty Images, and USA Today photographers.

The sun shines directly through the southwest windows during late-afternoon games in October and November.

The sunlight makes the playing area light up in a way not typically seen at a football game.

The most recent game was on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The shadows seem to come and go with abrupt boundaries.

You may never see a more serene football photo than this one against the Patriots in 2015.

At times it seems like the sun spotlights specific players.

Has any photo ever done a better job of summing up NFL kickers?

Some of the photos are so crisp the image looks like something out of a video game.

Alex Smith attempts a pass.

Some of the images look like they were staged, including this one of Odell Beckham, Jr.

Others look like paintings.