It took me a few 4th downs to recover my appetite after the sloppy GoDaddy kiss. But finally late into the evening, Paul Harvey’s voice, paired with stunning (mostly) still photographs, made me again stop munching on pigs in a blanket and cruising Facebook on my phone. This was THE commercial of the night.

I’m unashamed to admit my bias for the use of fantastic still photos, especially as a contrast to the fast paced video we normally get. The stills were complemented so perfectly with the great writing and voice of the legendary Harvey.

Later, while reading the chorus of cheers from my photographer-dominated Facebook feed, I was directed to look at the original version of the video which was produced by Farms.com.

Now here’s the rest of the story. If there were ever a commercial made to “sell” the value of professional grade still photos, this would have to be it. For a direct comparison, just watch these two videos. Really, just watch the first 15 seconds and you’ll see and feel the difference.

So the next time you think “good enough” is good enough, think about why God made photographers. Today after the Superbowl, Dodge knows why.

Here is the original Farms.com version

Here is the Dodge Superbowl version

Battle of Perryville: 2012 – Images by David Stephenson

I particularly enjoyed making this set of images back in 2002 with an old plastic toy film camera known as a Diana. It has a very vintage look and is very unpredictable. I suppose this year I could have taken my iPhone 5 and Hipstamatic and Instagram apps and accomplish the same thing. But no, really, it wouldn’t be the same. That would be too easy.

Battle of Perryville: The Dianas – Images by David Stephenson

Battle of Perryville: 2002 – Images by David Stephenson

Battle of Perryville: 2006 – Images by David Stephenson

UK vs. South Carolina 2012 – Images by David Stephenson

We started the evening at the nearby Arboretum, but cloud cover was pretty thick. There were hundreds of people gathered to look through telescopes and cameras, but most of them left disappointed. I could see that there might be a break in the clouds on the horizon, but it was cluttered from the vantage point at the Arboretum. After rushing through three parking garages, we finally found a good, mostly unobstructed view from the fourth one. The sun dropped below some clouds just in time – I only shot for less than 7 minutes before the sun – and Venus – disappeared completely below the horizon.

The Transit of Venus – Images by David Stephenson