I grew up two blocks from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis, frequently watching the Packers play from our family's seats in Section 117, Row 8. The cult of the Packers is so strong that there is a 30-year waiting period to get season tickets. For some time I've hoped to photograph at Lambeau Field, but I didn't think it would be quite like this.

A few months ago I had the honor of attending the Eddie Adams Workshop, an amazing experience and a great chance to meet a lot of new friends and colleagues. My team leader, Adrees Latif, offered me a chance to string for Reuters so I've had that in the back of my mind for a while.

I returned home from grad school this past week. I was watching the news and knew that the incoming winter storms would be big news so I pitched to Adrees the idea of photographing the volunteers who dig out the stadium prior to the upcoming game on Sunday. With a little work we made it happen.

According to the head of facility operations, today was only the second time in his memory (over 25 years) that the Packers called for volunteers two days in a row. 

The team had approximately 515 people Friday and 600 on Saturday, each shoveling or de-icing the stadium bowl and grounds for $10 an hour, and boy was it icy. The system is ingenious, with long slides running from top to bottom of most of the stadium, with workers shoveling sections, snow rushing on to the field to be picked up by tractors that then dump it in trucks to be hauled off site.

Out of the people that I talked to at Lambeau on Saturday there was a very wide cross section of people out shoveling. The wages were nothing to scoff at, especially when shoveling can take from four to five hours plus another hour and a half of de-icing. I met a family from DePere that was making some extra money for their college-aged daughter's Christmas. I also a man that walked an hour to get here and another that drove 45 minutes. According to the Packers representatives I spoke to, its not unusual for people visiting family from other states to come shovel. In fact, for many people this is one of the only chances they'll have to see the inside of Lambeau themselves.

Up above the main bowl, other workers went to the very top, shoveling snow over the railing and into the entryway for smaller tractors to pick up and eventually dump out of the bowl into the parking lot. A lot of my time was spent dodging snow from these people who tended to like to goof around a bit.

As they started to clean up and I started to freeze up, I got my final pictures, the final frame which resulted in a photo for Reuters' Images of the Day.

I have to credit Adrees' help in the edit which resulted in my first 12 photos on the wire for Reuters and a top picture for Reuters on Saturday.  I'm appreciative of the opportunity and look forward to hopefully more work for Reuters in the near future.